One thing that I learned a lot about, and got a lot of practice doing, when I worked at the manor, was putting together a Cheese Tray for dinner parties or other celebratory occasions. I can now put together a really attractive one with confidence and knowledge, which is saying a lot, considering the fact that I grew up eating only plastic cheese, and wouldn't have touched a smelly cheese with a ten foot pole! I have come to love a great variety of this wonderful food, and am game to try almost any kind, having developed in my later life what I would consider to be a really adventurous cheese palate! I owe a lot of this knowledge and experience to my ex boss, who was a great tutor in teaching me what was right and proper when it came to putting together a great cheese tray!
The first thing you will want is a nice surface to lay everything out on. A large flat board works well. At the Manor we used a large flat wicker basket/tray. Today I have used one of my larger wooden cutting boards. It doesn't really matter if it is a big banged up, because you will be covering it. I have chosen several nice paper doilies to do this . . .
My boss used to pick up these paper leaves whenever she would go to the States, and bring them back to use on the Manor Cheese trays. We had them in all sorts of colours, shapes and sizes. We could usually get away with using only three or four of these, so they did last a long time. But paper doilies work very well also, just so you know.
Another thing to remember is that you don't have to break the bank with the cheeses you choose to buy and serve, but you will want at least four different kinds, and you should buy the most expensive cheese that you can afford to buy. You will want a soft cheese, such as a goats cheese, ash covered or not . . . please don't be tempted to use cream cheese. A Cheese tray is not the place for that. (If you do want to serve cream cheese, a block of that placed onto a plate with a hot pepper jelly, gently warmed to loosen it and poured over top goes very nice.)
A semi-soft such as a brie or a danish blue, perhaps a reblochon . . . a semi hard, like a stilton blue, or a comte, maybe a manchego, I like the white stilton with mango and ginger, or with cranberries . . . and of course you will want something hard. A really good crumbly well-aged cheddar is nice, as is a Parmesan or an Asiago. There are over 500 varieties of cheese in the world that you can choose from, and they are all very delicious. One rule of thumb you will want to follow, is to bring the cheeses to room temperature before serving. They taste much better at room temperature.
You will need something to eat with the cheese. Crackers, toasted slices of baguette, crisp breads and the like. I have chosen a selection of crackers here. The digestive are always favourites to serve with a fruity cheese . . . there was a time when I thought holiday crackers meant buttery round crackers, but I have grown so much since then and I am fond of many different kinds and in fact they would be my last choice as they are far too crumbly and break up too easily.
At the manor the crackers were handed around in an antique silver biscuit barrel, however most of us don't have budgets that run to one of those, so today I have simply arranged my crackers in an attractive porcelain dish.
You will also want something sweet, or nutty or salty to go with your cheeses. Some people add chacuterie such as a good salami, or proscuitto ham. Nuts also go well . . . toaste walnuts are nice with most cheeses, as are toasted almonds. We like fruit with ours. Today I used some really nice sweet sable grapes and crisp slices of a sweet apple . . .
If you are using grapes a set of grape shears comes in really handy. At the manor we had beautiful silver ones, but again, not all of us can afford something like that. What you can do however is to clip the grapes ahead of time into small managable clusters before placing them attractively on the tray. A small round bladed knife for cutting the cheese is also a must, and if you have soft cheeses, you will also want another one to use for them so that you don't contaminate your lovely goats cheese with the strong flavoured stilton, etc.
Another thing which goes really nice with cheese is Membrillo, a delightful sweet semi solid fruit paste/cheese made from the Quince. It is really delicious, but somewhat hard to find.
I always add a small bowl of a pickle or relish. A well flavoured chutney works perfectly with cheese. Sweet, sticky and spicy they help to really enhance the beautiful flavours of cheese. We are huge fans of the English Provender range of chutneys in this house. (Cheese and chutney sandwiches are a real love!)
English Provender have a wonderful variety of chutneys available for use with your holiday cheese trays. In fact I would call them cheese-board-tastic! Today I used their Caramelised Red Onion, but it is only one of many that are available.
Great cheese pairing tips for the ultimate cheese board:
- Caramelised Red Onion Chutney – pair with a strong hard cheese like mature Cheddar or strong blue cheese like Blacksticks blue or Stilton
- Sweet Tomato and Chilli Chutney – pair with smoked log cheese or a hard cheese like Red Leicester, mild Cheddar or Double Gloucester
- Plum & Bramley Apple Chutney - pair with white soft cheeses like brie and cambazola, rind washed cheeses like Epoisses or Morbier, or try blue cheeses like Blacksticks blue or Stilton
So as you can see today, putting together a cheese tray for the holidays can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make it. It needn't cost a lot of money, and it certainly doesn't take a lot of time. I have never met a person yet, whose eyes don't light up when you bring one out. A nice cheese tray can make a perfect finish to a holiday meal, as well as going very well as nibbles with drinks.
However you choose to serve one, it is bound to be a popular addition to your holiday celebrations! Happy Holidays and Bon Appetit!
PS - any cheese leftovers will also work very well in a gourmet mac and cheese. Just saying!
