A gourmet meal is a beautifully served cheese plate. Making it requires knowledge of some elementary rules.
This is not just a combination of various types of cheese, sliced and nicely laid out on a special board or a large, also special, dish. Cheeses are laid out clockwise: from the most tender to the most daring in terms of taste and aroma. Cheese slices are often not just decorated, and not just complemented with various fruits, nuts, herbs, crispbread and crackers. Figs or slices of pears, grapes, apples or strawberries play their part in the play "Cheese Plate". The design is most often "talking". Walnuts or almonds, cilantro leaves or a sprig of mint will definitely indicate to the gourmet where his favorite piece of cheese lies.
What cheese is eaten with
Even with sweets, yes! Moreover, the brighter, sharper the taste of cheese, the more confiture and jams suit it. In France, cheeses are served for dessert! But also a cheese board or a plate of cheese may well show independence and become a separate elegant dish, for example, to beer. And to blame! It seems that God himself created cheese for this purpose.
Cheese and wine
The main rule: experiment! The tastes of everyone are different, and everyone should find their almost divine combination of these wonderful products. But so as not to make a lot of mistakes, here are some general rules that the cheese plate dictates. The design clearly shows that where “six o’clock”, the most delicate cheeses lie. They do not really like alcohol, except perhaps the lightest pink or sparkling wines. Anyway, it’s better to start this game for the first time with white wines, then the process will surely be pleasant. Because white wines are more often combined with all cheeses than red ones. Spicy cheeses with a rich taste are usually dictators - there is a danger not to feel the whole bouquet of red wine. That is, the strongest cheeses need and the strongest wine! For sweet hard varieties, such as "Gouda", "Edam", "Cheddar" just do not fit any new wine, it seems sour. Merlot, Sauvignon, Cabernet wines are good for this case . But to cheeses such as "Feta", "Mozzarella", "Ricotta" young wines very well go. Pressed cheese (Parmesan, Emmental and others) loves the company of fruit red. Moldy “Roquefort”, “Gorgonzola” and others adore fortified. "Camembert" and "Brie" are able to find common ground even in a completely unfamiliar alcohol society. Goat cheeses go well with light, semi-dry wines, as well as sparkling wines. Many varieties of cheese love beer. And almost all cheeses love cognac. Remember the main rule - experiment!
Cheese plate - decoration
On a self-respecting cheese plate, a combination of at least five different varieties of cheese is accepted. The alignment begins from the most tender, and ends with the most piquant. That is, from soft to acute. Soft cheeses are susceptible to the smells of others, so it is advisable to lay them on a plate without touching. To do this, gaps are left or various types of cheese are interspersed with fruits, nuts, crispbreads, crackers, greens. And you also need to try cheeses in a smart way: after a bright taste, you can no longer take tender cheese - you won’t feel it. Begin to feast on the place where the alignment originates - that is, "half past five". And constantly read the information that the cheese plate offers. Making it, as you see, is almost a ritual.