If you are thinking of arranging a date night at home this Valentine’s Day, make it extra special by preparing a cheese board yourself.
If you are planning to have a date night at home, then having a cheese
board would be a great idea. It’s easy-to-prepare yet it looks impressive and overall, good-looking. You can buy a cheese board but if you really want to surprise and excite your significant other, then you can prepare one yourself. What’s more, you can put your choice of cheeses and accompaniments if you arrange your cheese board yourself.
How To Make A Cheese Board For Your Date Night At Home
Start with drinks
In creating your cheese board, the very first question that you actually have to ask yourself is what drink you want to have it with. You can have beer or
wine, and if you are having wine, would you opt for white or red?
For simplicity, let’s just say that you’re having it with Merlot. It’s a mild and fruity red wine that can be enjoyed together with a wide variety of food or on its own. It’s a fairly versatile wine that is readily available.
Choose your cheese
The most important component of your cheese board, of course, is the cheese.
Let’s begin with the different types of cheeses.
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| Different types of cheeses on display |
There are 8 cheese families
based on their characteristics that they have acquired through aging.
1. Fresh Cheese
These are any type of cheese that do not undergo a ripening (the aging process that determines the flavor of the cheese) period. Examples of fresh cheeses
are fresh goat cheese and burrata.
2. Soft-ripened Cheese
These are cheeses that are ripened outside but still retains a soft interior.
Common soft-ripened cheeses are Brie and Delice.
3. Washed rind Cheese
These types of cheeses derived their names from the process of surface ripening them by washing the cheese with brine, alcoholic beverages such wine,
brandy, or beer, as well as a host of other components throughout the aging process. A good example of a washed rind cheese would be Raclette.
4. Semi-soft Cheese
Semi-soft cheeses are smooth and creamy inside, with very little or no rind.
Examples of semi-soft cheeses are Havarti and young Goudas.
5. Natural rind Cheese
Natural rind cheeses develop a natural rind during the aging process, such as
Mimolette and Cantalet.
6. Firm Cheese
Firm cheeses may be elastic at room temperature or are hard enough to be grated. Common examples of firm cheeses are Cheddar and Emmenthal.
7. Spun Cheese
Spun cheeses are usually Italian in origin and are formed through cooking and kneading. An example of a spun cheese is BelGioioso Burrata.
8. Blue Cheese
Blue cheeses are characterized by their bluish or greenish tints or veins that run through them.
Ideally, your cheese board should also be a combination of four types of textures (soft, semi-soft, semi-hard, and hard) but for a date night, the recommended is three so that it’s not too overwhelming. In terms of serving
size, the standard amount of cheese is .25 pounds or 113.4 grams per person.
Going back to our chosen drink, Merlot, the best cheese pairing would be aged
Gouda (aged 6 months to 1 year), Brie (from Ile de France and made in larger
wheels) or Camembert (Bloomy Rind from Camembert, France that is creamy, very
buttery, and pairs well with honey), and Gruyere.
Accompaniments that go well with cheese
For one to enjoy cheese, you have to discover or get to know it first by taking small bites. Doing this will also allow you to determine the types of
accompaniments that would go well with your cheese selections.
Here's how to do it:
- First, fill your mouth and ask yourself what you taste first. Is it nutty? Earthy?
- Then take a second bite, but this time, press your tongue on it against your upper mouth and define the texture. Is it smooth? Creamy? Does it have crystals?
- Then take a third bite and define the finish. On the third bite, you will discover the cheese as a whole and more likely it will taste different from your first bite.
That’s how you sample a cheese. With the last bites, you will now discover what goes well with it. You can try several accompaniments like cold cuts, fruits, nuts, compotes, jam, and honey.
You can also have some spread like fig or quince (a type of fruit that looks like a pear), cherry, or guava. You can also have fresh fruits like grapes,
strawberries, blueberries, apples, and kiwi. The colors of these fruits will make the cheese board pop. Dried fruits like apricots are also a good addition.
The most common types of nuts that go well in cheese boards are Marcona almonds, Macadamia, regular almonds, caramelized pecans, and walnuts.
Moving on to charcuterie, Prosciutto (Italian dry-cured ham) is a must, then you can just add Sopressata or Italian dry Salami (a type of sausage), and even Pepperoni
(the American version of salami and cured with paprika) to your board.
For crackers, the best recommendation is water crackers. They are thin, hard, and
brittle and usually have a neutral taste so it goes well with wine and cheese.
And for dimension, you can also include Grissini or breadsticks.
Finally, you can decorate your cheese board with fresh rosemary sprigs.
Arrange everything on a wooden board and prepare 3 cheese knives, one knife for each cheese type. The rule here is to only use one dedicated knife for
cutting each cheese so as not to mix the flavors.
If you are using a round board, you can cut the brie into smaller pieces. If
you are using a square board, you can leave the brie as is and just cut it
when you are about to consume it.
Where to buy gourmet cheeses in Metro Manila
You can buy gourmet cheeses at SANTIS Delicatessen (several locations in Metro
Manila), Merano Deli (City of San Juan), The Deli at Shaw (Mandaluyong City),
Terry’s Deli, Earles Delicatessen, and Rustan’s, just to name a few stores.
Epilogue
A cheese board is a beautiful addition to your date night at home with your partner. You can pull a nice surprise and impress your loved one by arranging the cheese board yourself.
It’s fairly easy to prepare, especially if you know what should go into your cheese board. What’s even better is that it’s a lot
easier to the pocket as compared to ordering a cheese board from the nearby
deli store.
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Also read: Salmon and Sausage Pasta
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Finding the perfect choice for every Ingredients. Plus get the finest one ,but not that expensive. All are absolutely delicious and the right combination.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this steps on how to make cheese board. Yes true it is easy to prepare yet affordable and delicious. This is great effort for our loveone that they'll surely enjoy and appreciate.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this daddy Ivan. Talagang this is very helpful po Lalo na sa mga mag couple na nagpaplanong mag date and great idea din po talaga na magkaroon Ng cheese board. Easy to prepare and talagang sure na magiging mas maganda ang date nyo π
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this daddy Ivan. Talagang this is very helpful po Lalo na sa mga mag couple na nagpaplanong mag date and great idea din po talaga na magkaroon Ng cheese board. Easy to prepare and talagang sure na magiging mas maganda ang date nyo π
ReplyDeleteWow.. new Recipe na nman in my list thanks always for sharing your Recipe / Ingredients and knowledge Dad.. all this was defenitly Yummmy and perfect for the whole Family and In Any kind of Occassion, reallly Easy to follow the steps π―ππ€€π€€π€€ must have this Indeed specially for the Couple πππ
ReplyDeleteThankyou for sharing this po daddy ivan. very helpful po talaga ito specially sa mga mag couple para hindi narin sila mahirapan pang mag plano para sa date nila. Thankyou po sa pag Share ng recipe. π₯°π₯°
ReplyDeleteI love this π these are great tips on how to prepare cheese board. I love that you include the different types of cheese.
ReplyDeletePerfect food ngayong Valentine's ganda din ng serving π
ReplyDelete