A Food Fun travel Guest Post
Entertaining people is as thrilling as it is exhausting. Because as much fun as it is to serve them or show off your culinary expertise, thinking about what you’re supposed to serve is a grueling phase. After all, people have different preferences. Even though they’re in the same group, contradicting tastes could ruin some of their appetites. Hence, instead of sticking to one dish, consider serving a variety of options on a platter; cheeseboards are the best example.
As the name implies, cheeseboards consist of various kinds of cheese arranged on a plate. However, simply piling on every piece of cheese you have in the fridge isn’t how cheeseboards work. Those who only stick to the same cheese might be unaware of the unique flavors and textures each cheese has, especially locally made ones. And making the perfect cheeseboard is just the thing to make their features shine through.
Here are some tips that might help you prepare the best cheeseboard for you and your guests:
- Prepare Your Cheese Board
Typically, cheeseboards are assembled on a flat tray. They could be round, rectangular, or square, usually made of wood. However, there’s no need to go out of your way to purchase one. Even using a large platter or cutting board would be enough. As long as it has a flat surface, whatever you put on it won’t slide off so easily.
- Explore Various Kinds Of Cheese
The sky’s the limit when it comes to cheeses. Because aside from having cheese from cow, goat, or sheep’s milk, experts even went so far as to use different cooking methods and never-before-seen ingredients to bring out surprisingly unique tastes and textures that are bound to make anyone a cheese lover; the charcoal cheese is a great example. But despite their quantity, ensure your cheeseboard plays between two cheese types: soft and hard cheeses.
Soft cheeses are typically fresh since they never undergo the aging process. Because of their freshness, most of them are so soft you can use them for spreading. However, their flavors are usually mild or earthy. Meanwhile, hard cheeses were subjected to extensive aging processes that amplified their flavors while hardening their outer layers. Thus, consider both cheese types to expand your cheeseboard’s range.
- Play With Different Flavors
Speaking of range, what makes cheeseboards a fun experiment is how many pairings you can combine with cheese. Because as delicious as cheeses are, your taste buds might get tired of tasting the same flavors, even if you have a variety of cheeses. Adding more ingredients is one way to keep your cheese the star of your gathering. After all, variety can make any food gift much more special; it’s only fitting for cheeseboards to share the same principle.
Although, you can’t throw in just about any ingredient you see in your kitchen. Meat goes hand in hand with cheese, given how savory it is. Mild-tasting cheese, such as goat cheese, would be perfect for meat since it needs just enough flavor to enrich its subtle taste. A few kinds of cured meat or salami on the cheeseboard would be enough for everyone. However, reserve more slices for easier refilling.
For those uninterested in meat, fruits, nuts, and vegetables are great accompaniments. While some might consider them nothing more than ‘fillers’ compared to meat, using these accompaniments is a great opportunity to explore new flavors and find the right combinations to broaden your taste buds.
Naturally, you can’t have a cheeseboard without bread and crackers. From breadsticks to flatbread, spread soft cheese all over them or sprinkle them with hard cheese slices and some accompaniments as a contrast to their extremely light flavor. Thus, what used to be dull pastries would be taken to the next level, thanks to cheeseboards.
- Start Assembling
Now that your ingredients are ready, assembling your cheeseboard is another fun experience anyone could enjoy. Because as fascinating as it is to learn new combinations, arranging your cheeseboard in something visually appealing and sufficient enough to avoid so many restock runs to the kitchen is an extremely delicate balance. After all, you want your guests to be attracted by what’s on your cheeseboard. But giving up your time to restock so often might not be worth it.
Before arranging your cheeseboard, consider how many people are joining in. If only around five people eat it at a time, consider spacing out your items sparingly for a cleaner look. However, people should think about organizing their cheeseboard into a cornucopia to fit in as many options for everyone to enjoy.
- Be Creative
Arranging the cheeseboard might be just as thought-provoking as thinking about which ingredients to use—maybe even more. However, there’s no need to stress about it so much. After all, some consider cheeseboards an expression. Hence, don’t be afraid to go beyond making proper arrangements. Consider being more generous when adding garnish to bring the entire cheeseboard together when starting with bigger ingredients and ending with smaller ones.
Takeaway
Cheeseboards are any host’s go-to, considering how many options everyone has despite presenting everything on a single platter. However, perfecting it involves carefully considering which cheese types should be in it or what accompaniments you can add to shed more light on the cheese. With your cheeseboard perfectly arranged, guests will have a great time with full stomachs.
