Create a Cheese Plate at home and add a good bottle of wine or bubbly for an amazing date night in!
With these simple tips for creating a cheese plate at home you can whip up cheese plates as snacks, for parties and for easy at home date nights!
Perfect date night in
When I envision a perfect date night out it’s typically my husband and I visiting a few small restaurants and lounges. Sampling small bites and cocktails at each, rarely ordering entrees and instead choose lots of appetizers. When paired with the right atmosphere and beverages even the most simple roasted nuts or olives can make for a stellar evening.
But date nights are not always possible and sometimes the need for an indulgent night out hits midweek or during a busy weekend. So why not create a date night at home instead!
What is a cheese plate
With a variety of cheeses, vessels and accoutrements cheese plates are simply the original food board sparking a trend of all sorts of boards and grazing tables. Filled with various items you simply create your own little bites from the various tastes and textures available.
Great for snacking or for parties cheese boards are so easy to put together!
And everyone from kids to adults love them because it’s so fun for guests to try new things and the endless combinations makes it easy for everyone to get creative.
Charcuterie platters are slightly different than cheese plates because they showcase cured meats and pair them with savory bites and spreads. To create a charcuterie platter simply use the guide below adding more meats and leaving out cheese, fruits and sweet condiments.
Ingredients
- Soft cheese – Brie, Camembert, Taleggio. Pictured: Laura Chenel’s Goat Brie
- Aged cheese – Asiago, Fontina, aged Cheddar, aged Gouda, Comte. Pictured: Kerrygold Dubliner
- Firm cheese – Manchego, Gruyere, Pecorina, Sharp Cheddar, Parmesan. Pictured: Ferndale Farmstead Scarmoza
- Blue cheese – Roquefort, Stilton, Gorgonzola. Pictured: Twin Sisters Creamery Whatcom Blue
- Fresh cheese – Burrata, Boursin, Chevre Frais, Feta, Fresh Mozzarella, Fromage Blanc, Queso Fresco, Cotija, Cheese Curds
- Vessels – baguette rounds, crackers, breadsticks. Pictured: sesmark rice crackers
- Jarred condiments – spreads, jams, compotes, honey or honeycomb, mustard. Pictured: Dalmatia Fig spread and Oregon Growers Quince pate
- Cured meat – salami, pepperoni, calabrese, capicolla, prosciutto, artisan beef jerky. Pictured: Columbus Italian Dry Salami, Oli salamini calabrese and Pacific Gold Reserve jerky
- Nuts and seeds – almonds, pecans, pistachios, pumpkin seeds. Pictured: Marcona almonds
- Savory bites – olives, pickles, pickled beets, artichoke hearts, roasted garlic, caramelized onions
- Dried fruit – dates, apricots, pears, cherries. Pictured: dried apricots, dried pears
- Fresh fruit – apples, grapes, cherries, figs, blackberries, nectarine. Pictured: Bellewood Acres honeycrisp, green seedless grapes
How to create a cheese plate
- Start by visiting the store, farmers market or local cheese producers to pick up what’s in season, is interesting or just looks good to you. Get creative. There are no hard rules, but check out the basics below for a sort of ‘roadmap’ of the different elements that will ensure a good, well rounded cheese plate.
- Find three to five cheeses that you love or look appealing. Choose a variety of ages (fresh and aged), textures (soft and hard), and milks (goat, cow, sheep). If you are serving kids or less adventurous adults make sure to include some crowd favorites, maybe an aged cheddar, fresh mozzarella and smoked gouda.
- Add the extras! Some crackers or bread to serve as a vessel for getting the cheese in your mouth, a jarred condiment to slather on, 1 or 2 cured meats, nuts, a couple savory options and some fresh or dried fruit.
- Find a large cutting board or platter and place items starting from the center out. Placing any round elements in the center and building from there.
- Then open a couple bottles of wine, champagne or cider and let the fun begin.
- Enjoy!
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