The Perfect Cheese Plate
Let’s be people that host parties.
Let’s not just have people over… let’s host parties.
Let’s be people that look effortlessly elegant all night… even if this just means wearing the perfect pair of flattering jeans.
Let’s be people who always have perfect lipstick. Let’s be people who wear comfortable and stylish heels all night. Let’s be people who rock the most appropriate obscure playlist.
Let’s be people who start the game of Pictionary.
Let’s be people who send guests home with full bellies and warm cookies.
It all starts with a perfect cheese plate! And it’s totally not even hard! Come on… Play along!
The Perfect Cheese Plate!
These are just suggestions. It’s totally a create-your-own-adventure situation:
You’ll need a clean board, a piece of parchment paper, or a large brown paper bag, cut open and crinkled.
4 to five cheeses.
Try an aged cheddar like Hook’s 12 year cheddar. Pair cheddar cheeses with sweet cherry or blackberry jam. The sweet fruit and sharp cheddar combination is stellar.
Try a French cheese like Abondance. Semi-hard, raw cow’s milk, almost Swiss like cheese with salty pickles and crisp crackers. Straight classy!
Try a a creamy goat cheese like (mmmm!) Truffle Goat Cheese. Let the truffle take center stage. Simple crackers and a sprinkling of black pepper are totally major. This is a popular cheese. It will be gone in a flash. Be warned!
Try a stinky and bold blue cheese. This cheese is made from raw cows milk… Making it even more crazy tangy… It’s also aged in grape leaves. This strong, blue-veined cheese pairs really well raw honey. The sweetness eases the aggressive nature of the cheese.
These are two VERY simple recipes. Feel free to just eyeball it all. Keep it simple.
To make Quick Pickles… it’s easy!
this recipe is adapted from Rachel Ray
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon whole mustard seed
1 teaspoon salt
1 smashed clove of garlic
a bit of fresh dill
a bay leaf
2 english cucumbers, sliced thin
In a small saucepan, heat vinegar, sugar, mustard, and salt over high heat. Heat until sugar dissolves. Add garlic clove, dill and bay leaf. Pour mixture over sliced cucumber and chill. Leave in vinegar mixture and serve with cheese plate.
Roasted Chick Peas
2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas
about 2 tablespoons olive oil
generous sprinkling Spanish paprika, cumin, black pepper, and salt.
a sprinkling of cayenne pepper
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
Rinse and dry chickpeas. Toss with olive oil and spices. Bake until crispy and slightly golden, about 20 to 25 minutes. Toss a few times through baking.
Remove from the oven. Cool slightly. Serve with cheese.
132 Comments Add A Comment
i love hosting parties! i don’t do it very much, but the few dinner parties i’ve had have made me feel like a queen. i am bookmarking this page for the next one!
loving it. I make pickles all the time. I also make pickled carrots and celery.
PS I also love how you styled your pictures for this post. inspiring.
Never thought of roasting chick peas! I just tried it… tossed them into israeli couscous and added a lil lemon juice. Yummy!!
This quick pickle is great and super dooper quick! I love pickles. Pickled gherkins, pickled onions, pickled garlic, pickled mushrooms … I think I have a pickle problem. This hasn’t helped my problem, it’s encouraged it. But I’m okay with that.
I love pickles. I actually drink the pickle juice (thats kind of embarassing actually..) but I love them and I think this is such a great post, I do always get lost when I dont have my mothers guidance on cheese plates. I cant wait to show her up with all my new skills!
I wandered over here from a Twitter link and was immediately tantalized. Salted caramel cheesecake…and now a cheese plate with petal-flecked pickles and roasted chickeas?! Too lovely. I would never have imagined putting chickpeas and cheese together, but I’m just now thinking about how the texture of a chickpea is a bit cheese-like: dense, crumbly. Stilton-esque? Oh, I am having a minor revelation! Merci!
Wow – This is perfect. I love the idea of using parchment paper as a cheese board. Very cute! Love the entire thing, I am drooling……… :) Thank you for posting!
I also have love for chickpeas….. check out my roasted chick peas, one with cumin, garlic and sea salt, and a honey cinnamon version: http://cheesepleasebyjess.blogspot.com/2011/09/roasted-chickpeas-two-ways.html
You have totally given me the key! I didn’t know how to do a swanky cheese board. Thanks. Love the thought. Know I can go off with confidence, just in time for my first tree-trimming.
hi Joy!!
I totally recreated this fabulous idea on the weekend for a block party we had!! Our stop was the last…Port and Cheese- I KNEW it would be a hit since I followed your idea. I wasn’t expecting anyone to eat much since after 6 prior stops….I figured everyone would be all full up. NOPE. It was just the best watching our favourite people marvel over the presentation and devour all the yummy cheeses and accoutrements, not to mention it was a delight to put together!!!
While this is the first time I have commented…I am just in love with your blog and have tried many many of the recipes posted.
Thank you for being you. :)
best best comment! this makes me so happy!