Cheese Party Trays: Best Types For A Delicious Spread

A cheese board is a great appetizer for any party, offering something for everyone. The best cheese boards include a variety of cheeses, fruits, spreads, and textures. It is recommended to include at least three different types of cheese: hard, soft, and blue. Hard cheeses include Swiss, cheddar, Parmesan, and Gruyère, while soft cheeses include goat cheese, Camembert, chèvre, and Brie. Blue cheeses such as Gorgonzola, Roquefort, and Stilton add a funky flavour. To enhance the tasting experience, consider adding crackers, bread slices, chutney, mustard, and jellies. Something sweet like honey or dried fruit can balance out the salty cheeses, while olives or cornichons can add a salty touch. Seasonal fruits like apples, pears, or grapes can add a pop of colour, and fresh herbs like rosemary or thyme can be a festive touch. With a variety of cheeses, textures, and flavours, your party cheese tray is sure to be a hit!

Soft cheeses: Brie, Camembert, goat cheese

Soft cheeses like Brie, Camembert, and goat cheese are excellent choices for a party tray. They offer a rich and creamy texture that can be paired with a variety of accompaniments to create delicious flavour combinations. Here are some ideas for serving these cheeses and enhancing your party tray:

Brie

Brie is a soft-ripened cheese with a creamy texture and a rich, earthy flavour. It is a versatile cheese that can be served in multiple ways. You can bake Brie and serve it as part of a charcuterie board, pairing it with other cheeses, meats, and accompaniments. It goes well with crackers, bread, and fresh or dried fruits like grapes. You can also drizzle honey over the cheese for a sweet-and-savoury combination.

Camembert

Camembert, similar to Brie, is a creamy, soft-ripened cheese with a rich and earthy flavour. It is often enjoyed as a spread on bread or crackers, providing a delightful contrast of textures. Like Brie, it pairs well with sweet and juicy fruits like grapes, as well as apples, which offer a refreshing, crisp, and slightly tart taste. You can also drizzle honey or maple syrup over Camembert for a sweet touch. Walnuts or pecans will add a crunchy texture and nutty undertones.

Goat Cheese

Goat cheese, such as Montchevre®, is known for its creamy texture and tangy flavour. It pairs well with both sweet and savoury accompaniments. Fresh and candied cranberries, crackers, and meats like prosciutto or serrano ham are excellent choices to serve alongside goat cheese. You can also include mixed nuts, olives, and fresh grapes to enhance the overall presentation and flavour profile of your party tray.

Remember, when creating your party tray, feel free to get creative and choose combinations that suit your taste preferences. These cheeses provide a versatile base for a variety of pairings, so you can tailor your selections to create a unique and enjoyable experience for your guests.

Semi-hard cheeses: Aged cheddar, fontina, smoked gouda

When creating a cheese platter, it's important to include a variety of cheeses with different textures and flavours. A good rule of thumb is to include at least three different types of cheese: a soft cheese, a semi-hard cheese, and a hard cheese.

Semi-hard cheeses are a great choice for party trays as they offer a balance between softness and firmness, making them easy to slice and eat. Here are some tips for selecting and serving semi-hard cheeses:

• Aged Cheddar: Cheddar is a popular and versatile cheese that comes in a range of ages, from mild to sharp. For a party tray, consider using an aged cheddar, which will have a more pronounced flavour and a crumbly texture. Aged cheddars pair well with sweet accompaniments like jams, honey, or fresh fruit.
• Fontina: Fontina is a semi-soft cheese with a creamy texture and a mild, nutty flavour. It melts well, making it a good choice for grilled cheese sandwiches or fondues. When served on a party tray, fontina can be paired with cured meats, crackers, or bread.
• Smoked Gouda: Gouda is a Dutch cheese with a creamy texture and a mild, slightly sweet flavour. Smoking the cheese adds a savoury, smoky flavour that pairs well with crackers, bread, and fruits like apples or pears.

When assembling your party tray, be sure to let the semi-hard cheeses come to room temperature before serving, as this improves their flavour and texture. You can pre-slice these cheeses or let your guests slice them as they wish. To prevent the edges from drying out, only slice what you think your guests will eat in one sitting.

For a well-rounded platter, pair your semi-hard cheeses with a variety of accompaniments, such as crackers, bread, nuts, olives, and fresh or dried fruit. You can also include some spreads, like honey or jam. Don't be afraid to get creative and experiment with different combinations of cheeses and accompaniments!

Hard cheeses: Parmigiano Reggiano

Parmigiano Reggiano is a hard, granular cheese produced from unpasteurised cow's milk and is often referred to as the "king of cheeses". It is named after the Italian provinces of Parma and Reggio Emilia, where it is produced, along with Bologna, Modena, and Mantua. It is commonly grated or shaved over pasta, soups, risottos, and salads, or eaten on its own. It is also sometimes simmered in soups, broths, and sauces to add flavour.

Parmigiano Reggiano is made by mixing the whole milk from the morning's milking with the naturally skimmed milk of the previous evening's milking. This mixture is then pumped into copper-lined vats and heated to 33–35 °C (91–95 °F). Starter whey and calf rennet are added, and the mixture is left to curdle for 10–12 minutes. The curd is then broken up into small pieces and the temperature is raised to 55 °C (131 °F). The curd is left to settle for 45–60 minutes before being collected in muslin and placed in stainless steel, round forms. The cheese is then left for a day or two before being put into a brine bath to absorb salt for 20–25 days. After this, the wheels are transferred to an ageing room for a minimum of 12 months, and up to 30 months.

Parmigiano Reggiano is a protected designation of origin (PDO) cheese, meaning its production is highly regulated. It must be made using raw cow's milk from specific provinces in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, and the milk must be processed within a day of collection. The cheese wheels are carefully inspected at 12 months old to ensure they meet the requirements to be sold as Parmigiano Reggiano. The diameter of the wheel, the thickness of the rind, and the colour, texture, and flavour of the paste are all held to high standards.

When creating a cheese platter for a party, it is recommended to include at least three different types of cheese, including a soft cheese, a semi-hard cheese, and a hard cheese like Parmigiano Reggiano. It is also suggested to provide a variety of textures and flavours for guests to choose from. Parmigiano Reggiano pairs well with wine and is best served at room temperature.

Blue cheese: Gorgonzola, Roquefort, Stilton

Blue cheese is a popular variety of cheese enjoyed all over the world, and it can be a great addition to a party tray. Here are some tips and tricks for including Blue cheese: Gorgonzola, Roquefort, or Stilton on your party tray:

Variety and Amount:

When creating a cheese platter, it is recommended to include at least three different types of cheese. This provides a variety of textures and flavours for your guests to choose from. If you're serving a large group or know your guests particularly enjoy blue cheese, you might want to include multiple types of blue cheese, such as Gorgonzola, Roquefort, or Stilton. Otherwise, you may opt for just one of these varieties.

Plan on serving 3-4 ounces of cheese per person. If you're serving a large group, consider providing a mix of cheaper and more expensive cheeses to stay within your budget.

Pairings:

Blue cheese pairs well with a variety of foods and drinks. Here are some ideas to complement your chosen blue cheese:

• Savoury Extras: Blue cheese goes well with marinated olives, raw nuts, smoked nuts, prosciutto, salami, breadsticks, and artichoke hearts.
• Sweet Extras: Consider pairing your blue cheese with fruit, especially grapes, berries, apricots, and fresh figs. Dried fruit, honey, and jam (such as fig jam) also complement the salty pungent flavours of blue cheese.
• Drinks: Blue cheese is often paired with red wine, particularly full-bodied varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah. It also goes well with port and other dessert wines, as well as strong, hoppy beers like India Pale Ales and Belgian ales.

Presentation and Serving:

When presenting your blue cheese on a party tray, you can simply arrange it casually on a clean, wooden or marble board. You might want to provide a separate knife for each cheese to avoid transferring flavours.

Let the cheese rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving, as this enhances its flavour. For semi-hard cheeses, consider letting guests slice their own cheese to prevent the slices from drying out. For hard cheeses like Parmesan, you can crumble a bit to show guests how to enjoy it.

Sweet extras: Fruit, dried fruit, honey

Honey is a must-have for your cheese platter. It adds a perfect touch of sweetness to balance out the sharpness of the cheese. Place it in a small jar or bowl. If you want to impress your guests, add a honeycomb to your platter.

Fruits, especially apples, are a perfect pairing with honey. A slice of baguette with cheese, apple, and a drizzle of honey is a great combination. Honey also goes well with mild cheddars, gorgonzola, and pepper jack cheese.

Dried fruits such as apricots, cherries, cranberries, and dates are also a great option to add to your platter. They provide a nice contrast in texture and taste.

When creating your cheese platter, try to include at least three types of cheese, three savory extras, and three sweet extras, in addition to crackers. Don't be afraid to mix and match different types of cheese and fruits to find combinations that you enjoy.

Frequently asked questions