How to Cheese Tray

Anyone that knows me knows that I love cheese. Let's face it, if we're hanging out we're most likely drinking wine (or craft beer) and munching on a cheese tray that I prepared for a party of 20 for just two people. Any type of cheese is my favorite except for individual wrapped cheese because that is not cheese! Let's face it, I'm a cheese snob... if a dish at a restaurant has gouda, gorgonzola, goat, bleu, manchego or any other fancy cheese... that's what I'm getting hands down. Everything is better with cheese in my opinion. So this cheese rant brings me to my favorite thing to do besides eat cheese is to make a cheese tray. This is the perfect thing to bring to a party or just over to a friend's house and so easy to put together it ridiculous! 

My rules of an amazing blow the socks off your guests this was so easy cheese tray: 

1. Get an old number of cheeses.. 3 or 5 

2. Have a variety of cheeses

    - Soft: Brie, Goat, Mozzarella

    - Semi-Soft: Gouda, Bleu, Cheddar, Havarti, Baby Swiss

    - Hard: Manchego, Gruyere, Parmesan, Asiago 

     (You can even go a step further and get different types of bases of cheese: Cow Milk, Goat Milk and Sheep's Milk)

3. Have some colorful fruit

         The usual red or green grapes, apples, pears, any type of berry 

4. Have something crunchy 

          Nuts, Crackers, Crisp Fruits, etc.

5. Other add ons: honey, olives, jam, balsamic glaze, meats, antipasta, olive tapenade

Tip: Cheeses and other delicious things will be touching so be aware of who will be eating it if they are a vegetarian or have an allergy BUT don't let this hold you back. 

Now the fun part putting all of it together! 

Find a platter that isn't huge maybe like the size of a medium size pizza 10 to 13 inches. I like round platters or unique shaped platters but that's just me. Use any type of platter whether it's a large dinner plate or a wooden cutting board. You can normally find fun platters at Home Goods that will only cost you $15-20 if you want to go a step further and get a designated cheese platter. 

Place your cheeses on first and stagger them. They can be layered on top of each other and on different angles and sides. 

Then add your larger sized fruits like a bunch of grapes and/or sliced apples or pears as well as the little bowl(s) of honey or jam or any other toppings 

Now scattered and group smaller fruits, olives, crackers, nut, etc. 

BAM! Now you have an amazing cheese tray that took you no time and will be the hit of your party. 

          This post is dedicated to two of my best friends that I met in college and who shared my deep love of cheese, Kellane and Pam. May you forever have cheese in your life. 

My name is Mallory... and I love cheese.