You can serve wine and other foods at your cheese tasting party.
Regardless of your own cheese knowledge, a cheese tasting party is a great way to gather friends for a fun and educational evening. Keep in mind that softer cheeses should be chilled for cutting, while harder cheeses should be cut at room temperature.
Instructions
1. Determine how much cheese you need for the party. Plan on each guest consuming between 4 and 6 ounces of cheese. Five or six kinds of cheese is a suitable number for a cheese tasting party. Any more and your guests might feel overwhelmed.
2. Consult with the fromager at a local cheese counter or gourmet shop for help with the assortment of cheeses to serve. The fromager will help you to select an assortment of cheeses that feature different textures, flavors, milk types and shapes. Mix it up with a hard cheese; a soft, spreadable cheese; cheeses imbedded with herbs; and other variations.
3. Decide if you would like to serve your guests buffet-style or with individually plated portions of the cheeses. If you are serving buffet-style, make sure you have the proper cutlery and tools for cheese serving. Any surface that can clear the blade of a knife without damage would be suitable as a cheese board, so use your imagination when selecting serving platters.
4. Allow your guests to decide if they wish to eat condiments with their cheeses. While some food purists believe that a cheese's flavor cannot be enjoyed when paired with other tastes, an assortment of condiments, such as sliced bread, crackers, chutneys, nuts and fruit, will make for an elegant and thoughtful addition to your cheese presentation.
5. Guide your guests in the tasting order of the cheeses, from mild to strong.
6. Provide paper so that your guests can take notes on each cheese. Invite your guests to comment on the different characteristics. Some details to evaluate would be a cheese's texture, intensity, acidity, saltiness, flavor and finish.
7. Provide beverages that complement the flavors of the cheeses you will be enjoying. Ask your fromager to make wine or beer recommendations for your party. It also is a good idea to provide soft drinks and water for your non-drinking guests.
Tags: your guests, tasting party, your cheese, assortment cheeses, cheese tasting
