A cheese platter is always an attractive solution for your guests. It can accompany a meal as dessert, but can also feature on its own at a party or a small reception, together with a selection of fine wines.
What is included in a cheese platter
In order for a cheese platter to be considered complete and to satisfy all different tastes, it must be representative of the entire range of cheeses, including everything from fresh, soft cheeses, creamy cheeses, semi-hard cheeses with a mild flavour to very hard cheeses with a stronger flavour. For example, you can use some fresh anthotyro cheese, a goat’s cheese, manouri cheese, camembert, add some graviera cheese and finish off the platter with a hard kefalotyri cheese or a hard kefalograviera cheese.
Of course, you can cover this range by including other cheeses coming under each category, by using your imagination, making your selection according to your preferences and finances. If you like to finish off with a stronger flavour, you can add a blue cheese such as roquefort or gorgonzola, and you can also complement this dish with a cold meat platter.
Some tips that add value to your platter
Start by consuming the milder flavoured cheeses and progressively move on to the cheeses with a stronger flavour, leaving for the end the hard or blue cheeses that are even more pungent.Leave the cheese whole for the guests to cut and do not serve in pieces.
Use a separate and suitable knife for every type of cheese.
Keep the cheese in room temperature for at least one hour before serving so that they may acquire the right flavour and temperature.
In terms of quantity, make sure there are 120-140 grams of each cheese type per guest.
Pair your cheeses with a variety of breads or bread sticks with a mild flavour that does not overwhelm that of the cheeses Make sure that your range of wines can satisfy the demands of each cheese, starting from a fresh, aromatic white wine, moving on to a rosé and finishing off with a strong red wine. It would not be a bad idea to include a strong distillate, tsiopuro (Greek pomace brandy), grappa or ouzo for those who want to counterbalance the very salty taste of cheeses like kefalotyri.
Add some fresh or dried fruit (e.g. grapes, pears or dried figs or prunes) between the cheese and make sure there are one or two bowls of honey or chutney.