The perfect cheese platter adds sizzle, flair, and flavor to any dinner party, game night or a casual evening with friends. But when you care about cheese – and who doesn't? – you don't want to just throw a few slices of processed yellow cheese on a platter and call it a day. You want to find a great cheese platter idea. Whether it's the right charcuterie, or the right mix of nuts and fruit preserves for flavor, pepper jack almond pecan cheese balls or a Tuscan sausage, beans and fontina cheese dip, a great cheese platter idea that's full of flavor, texture, and presentation can knock any meat and cheese board out of the park.
In Wisconsin, our best cheese platter ideas always start with a selection of Wisconsin's finest cheeses. With more than 600 styles, flavors, and varieties to choose from, deciding on the perfect cheese platter idea requires a lot of sampling of cheese. Sure, it's a lot of work, but that's how things roll when you're living the cheese life. (First one to the cheese counter has dibs on the ricotta salata.)
A terrific cheese platter idea is all about variety in taste, texture, and combinations of flavor. We like to build our cheese boards with combinations of cheese, meats and lots of extras for flavor and texture accents.
For variety in cheese, a tasty cheese platter idea should include:
For meats, your best cheese platter idea might include:
After you select your cheese and meats, you can fill in the space between them with all kinds of flavor accents, including:
A cheese platter is a collection of cheeses served on a platter or board and typically accompanied by a selection of meats, breads, spreads jams, nuts, fruit, and vegetables.
When serving a cheese platter, it's important to let the cheese come to room temperature, so you want to build your platter or take it out of the fridge about 30 minutes before serving. Be sure to provide a different knife for each cheese, and slice the harder cheeses just before serving to make it easier for guests. In terms of quantity, a good rule of thumb is to plan on 2 ounces of cheese and 2 ounces of meat per person.
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Here's the best idea for a cheese platter you'll ever get: buy Wisconsin cheese. It's not just because there are more than 600 varieties to choose from; it's because Wisconsin makes the tastiest, most award-winning, highest-quality cheese in the universe.
For some, them's fighting words. Sure, there's lots of great cheese all over the globe. We hear Italy does a good job, not to mention Switzerland, France, and the Netherlands. But when you want cheese from the cheese capital of the world, it's got to be Wisconsin.
Our cheesemakers have won more awards – 5,552, not that we're counting – than any other state or nation on the planet. We've been making cheese here since before Wisconsin was a state – that's more than 175 years of cheesemaking tradition and innovation.
So next time you're dreaming up some fabulous cheese platter ideas, make sure that cheese board is built with 4 to 6 of Wisconsin's finest.
Craving award-winning aged cheddar, pining for parmesan, or searching for a new cheese to try? The world’s best cheese is just a click away! Explore our directory of Wisconsin cheesemakers and retailers who offer online cheese shopping and get cheese shipped right to your door. What are you waiting for?
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