Quick Tips For Making Cheese Platters

When choosing the cheese you want to serve, think about theses suggestions:

• Whether you are serving cheese on individual plates or on a platter, serving between 3-6 types of cheese insures an interesting selection that won't overwhelm or over-stuff your guests.
• Select cheese that has different textures and/or flavors. For example, buy one goat milk cheese, one cow milk cheese and one sheep milk cheese. Or, buy one soft cheese, one semi-soft cheese and one hard cheese.
• Consider buying cheese that follows a similar theme. For example, make a cheese plate entirely from Spanish cheese. Or, make a cheese plate that pairs well with Champagne.

As a general guideline, assume that each person will eat 2 ounces of each cheese. (16 ounces = 1 pound)

If you're serving cheese as part of a larger buffet, you can buy a little less than this amount. If cheese is the only food you are serving, or if the whole focus of the evening is a cheese tasting, you will want to buy a little more to be safe.

To stay within your budget, consider these tips:

• Splurge on smaller amounts of more expensive artisanal cheese and then buy larger amounts of inexpensive cheese (look for less-expensive Brie, Cheddar, Gouda or Monterey Jack)
• Even if you don't buy a lot of cheese, garnishes such as fruit, nuts and olives will make the platter look full
• Always serve plenty of bread and crackers to fill people up.

Cheese can be displayed on anything from a dinner plate to a serving platter, to a plastic tray, to a wooden cutting board, to a cheese dome, to a slab of marble. Be creative! Whatever you use, cheese knives should accompany the platter so guests can serve themselves. Ideally, each cheese has its own knife. If you don't own cheese knives, simply use sharp knives (or a cheese plane) for hard cheese and butter knives for soft cheese.

For parties, identify each cheese with a cheese marker.

Bread and crackers are the most obvious garnish for a cheese plate. Sliced baguette or a loaf of bread with dried fruit and nuts baked into it always pair well with cheese. Choose crackers that are mild in flavor or they will interfere with the flavor of the cheese.

Nuts and olives are an easy way to garnish a cheese plate. Grapes are easy too, although the flavor of grapes doesn't always pair well with cheese. Consider using other fruits such as apples, pears and berries or dried fruit. Fruit spreads are an easy option, as is sliced meat.

If you are serving cheese around a theme, try to tie the garnishes into the theme. For example, a Spanish cheese platter can be served with Spanish garnishes.