The Ultimate Cheese Board Guide: Different Cheeses To Serve Your Guests This Holiday
Dec 18, 2024
Holidays aren’t complete without a magnificent cheese platter and drinks. Cheese boards cater to all tastes, offering a blend of savory and sweet flavors. To ensure your cheeseboard becomes a holiday favorite, consider filling it with some of these cheeses.
An ideal cheese board includes cheese, roasted nuts, crackers, cured meats, sliced bread, dried fruits, and any other favorites you enjoy. We have compiled a list of some of the best cheeses essential for your cheeseboard.
GoudaThis cheese, originating from the Netherlands, is semi-hard and boasts a nutty-buttery taste, making it an ideal choice for a cheese platter. The flavor of the cheese intensifies over time, while the young gouda cheese has a gentle flavor. The young gouda features red or yellow wax, while the aged gouda is encased in black wax.
With that said, A Dutch Masterpiece®, the award-winning cheese that is a work of art, debuts A Dutch Masterpiece Rembrandt® New 12-Month PDO. This Gouda, produced with milk sourced from North Holland and marked with PDO (Protected Designation of Origin), guarantees that the cheese is made with the authentic quality and traits of its local area. Rembrandt is 12 months old, showcasing a rich, smooth taste with hints of caramel and crystallization.
A Dutch Masterpiece is a true Dutch tradition. The timeless but distinctive range of high-quality aged cheeses has received international excellence awards thanks to special recipes and a dedication to the craft of traditional Dutch cheese production.
Savor the full-bodied flavor of Frans Hals, the delicate fruity flavor of Vermeer 6-Month PDO, or the sharp taste and delicious texture of Rembrandt 12-Month PDO. These cheeses are perfect for a cheese board and as the Holiday Season is upon us, entertaining with family and friends is richer and more beautiful with A Dutch Masterpiece.
This cheese is most flavorful when paired with fresh grapes, pears, bread, and dried apricots. You can likewise pair mild gouda cheese with riesling or pinot grigio. In contrast, the aged gouda pairs wonderfully with chardonnay or sauvignon. By pairing quality cheese, you can enjoy a drink of single malt scotch or dark rum.
ManchegoThis cheese originates from the La Mancha region of Spain, is made from sheep’s milk, and features a tangy, grassy, and nutty taste. The insides of Manchego cheese are veined and contain a significant level of butterfat. The color ranges from ivory yellow to white, while the rind exhibits a brownish beige to yellow shade. The inedible waxy herringbone rind on Manchego is stamped during the molding process.
Manchego cheese is most flavorful when paired with savory or sweet Spanish crackers. Additionally, enjoying Manchego cheese alongside Marcona almonds, olives, thinly cut ham, and sweet spreads such as quince paste, marmalade, and honey would delight your palate. For beverages, you can match it with fruity red cabernet sauvignon or pinot noir. Beer enthusiasts can enjoy it with nut brown ale.
Slice the cheese into triangles that are half a centimeter and take off the rind. The leftover cheese can be enclosed in parchment paper or wax paper.
Triple Cream BrieTriple cream cheese is certainly a favorite for many due to its rich and buttery taste. Therefore, a proper cheese platter is lacking without a triple cream brie. In triple cream, milk is heated with cream until the butterfat level reaches at least seventy-five percent. The additional cream contributes a buttery flavor to the cheese. The proper consistency of mold cultures and texture renders it tasty and enjoyable to consume.
Triple cream brie pairs wonderfully with simple crackers and sliced baguettes. The delicate flavors can likewise be appreciated with grapes, berries, and cut apples. The brie pairs best with champagne. Pairing cheese with red wine is also a great choice. A limited selection of bourbon, stout beer, or fruity pilsner pairs nicely with triple cream brie cheese.
GoatGoat cheese is available in numerous flavors that vary from subtle and tangy to earthy and sweet. The most widely recognized goat cheese is the traditional French chèvre. It has a log shape and is soft and easily spreadable with no rind. Chèvre is an excellent complement to the cheese board as it comes coated in herbs, ash, or pepper. Another well-known goat cheese is blue cheese, which offers an earthy and tangy flavor. Additionally, mature goat cheese can age for as long as 12 weeks and develop a stronger taste.
The goat cheese complements dishes and provides a wild flavor. It complements well with lively berries, fresh figs, salami, sliced pears, fig crisps, whole walnuts, or dried cranberries.
It is delicious when combined with spreads such as honey jam or tomato jam. Beverages that complement goat cheese are Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel, Chardonnay, Malbec, or Pinot Noir, as well as beer or gin.
CheddarCheddar cheese has a tangy natural cheese that began in the English village of ‘Cheddar’. This firm cheese is widely enjoyed by numerous people and features a nutty and tangy flavor. Although the taste varies from creamy and sweet to bitter and intense, it is thought that the older the cheddar cheese, the sharper the flavor becomes. Cheddar cheese comes in both white and orange colors.
The white cheddar cheese pairs well with the slices of pears and apples. Additionally, a stack of roasted almonds, whole grains, and sesame crackers pairs nicely with the cheddar. Beer enthusiasts can savor cheddar cheese alongside English pale ales and relish sharp cheddar paired with cabernet sauvignon.
The ideal method to present cheddar cheese is in cubes or slices. The remaining cheddar cheese can be covered in waxed or parchment paper.
No holiday party is complete without a cheese platter. Moreover, your cheese board is incomplete without these essential cheeses. The cheese on the cheeseboard needs to be allowed to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. When considering the creation of a cheese board, it must fulfill the requirements of color, texture, and form. A perfect cheese board features one hard, one semi-soft, and one soft cheese, incorporating varieties made from goat, sheep, and cow’s milk. You can prepare your favorite appetizers that will complement your cheese platter nicely.
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