What is a good combination for a simple cheese tray?

Question

I would love to do a simple cheese tray for an upcoming dinner.

I'm planning on making my chicken with mushrooms and bacon ( super simple, crispy bacon, mushrooms and chicken sauteed and a white wine sauce served with mashers) and would like to do an easy tray before. also wine ideas are good.

thanks!

Answer 1

I would have a nice goat cheese, an older cheddar (well aged), and probably a blue cheese. Definitely serve it with crackers, but try to have plainer crackers so that the taste of the cheese comes through. Have some grapes, some olives and/or pickles, and maybe some smoked salmon or something.

I would serve it with a nice white wine, like a Chardonney or something. Jackson Triggs is a great brand.

Have fun!

Answer 2

You should have no more than 3 cheeses.  One mild like a bree or goat cheese, one somewhat strong like a blue cheese and one in between those two.

Serve with white & red grapes on stems and decorate the platter with them.

Edit:  Don't forget the crackers - Carr's water crackers are nice with cheeses.  Wines should be one white and one red.  Perhaps a Chardonay and a Merlot

Answer 3

You'd want to go with one firm cheese, one semi soft and a soft cheese.

Manchego is a very nice firm cheese, kinda like Parmesano Reggiano (sp.?) but a little milder and nuttier.    

A nice Roquefort (Bleu Cheese) would be a good semi soft cheese to serve.  

Lastly, something soft like a Brie by itself or even Buffalo Mozzarella drizzled w. some olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Common accompaniments would be grapes, apple slices, various nuts, some nice toasted walnut raisin bread sliced thin, crackers.  I would avoid serving deli meats since you are going to be serving bacon in the main course.      

Answer 4

Some deli's have cheese selection packs, they always look impressive.

Have a different selection of crusty breads.

Pate.

Herbed butters and pickles.

Crackers

Stuffed celery (cottage cheese).

Grapes.

Olives.

Pickled onions.

Cab sav and Pinot noir will compliment any cheese board.

Answer 5

chedder,  provolone, pepperoni, sopresata,marinated mushrooms a few roasted peppers and olives make a nice antipatsa

Answer 6

bleu

brie

goat

gouda (which goes wonderfully with Syrah/Shiraz, if I may say so myself)

Wines:

Merlot & Cabernet Sauvignon are some of those wines that people say are their favorite because they're the only red wines they know about or they haven't tried something dry and fruity like Syrah/Shiraz and Zinfandel.

My favorites are Syrah/Shiraz and Zin.  <3

White wines:

Pinot Grigio

Chardonnay is good if you stay away from the brands you see everywhere (like, for instance, Turning Leaf, Camelot, etc.)

STAY AWAY FROM WHITE ZINFANDEL AND WHITE MERLOT.  That stuff is nasty... unless of course you totally have a giant v****a and only drink really sweet and nasty alcoholic beverages (like Mike's "Hard" Lemonade and Smirnoff Twisted).