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Cheese Plate 101

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Tip #1: Be interesting. Mix milks, flavors, textures & colors. Pick cheeses that will be memorable or have a broad appeal. Ask your cheesemonger for her picks.

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Tip #2: Give us some space. Make sure to have a platter or board large enough to hold the cheeses. Or do butcher paper. Or do multiple plates. Do not overcrowd the cheese plate or overwhelm your guests. Have separate knives.

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Tip #3 Dress it up! Add crackers, meats, breads, honey, fruit, olives, nuts and figs. Be creative!

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Party Timeline

Unwrap cheese and arrange at least an hour before party o’clock. Labeling your cheeses is a good idea. You may want to make a handy pairing guide.

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Party Timeline

Chilling Wine Time Chart

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Cheese Board Ideas

Regional – Celebrate a state (Texas), a region (the South, Britain), or perhaps honor where a special guest is from.

Anti-Regional – The same cheese across regions

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• Housewarming (local cheeses)

• Sports (cheese from one region vs. another)

• Favorite cheeses of the honoree

• Seasonal

Milk the Theme

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Creative PairingsNot just cheese & wine or beer!

• Cheese & Coffee• Cheese & Chocolate• Cheese & Scotch• Cheese & Honey• Cheese & Breads

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The Traditional Cheese Plate

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The DIY Cheese Board

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The DIY Cheese Board

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The DIY Cheese Board

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Other Ways to Entertain with Cheese

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Other Ways to Entertain with Cheese

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Other Ways to Entertain with Cheese

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Other Ways to Entertain with Cheese

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Recipes with Cheese

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Holiday Cheese Pairings

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Classic Pairing:Creamy Cheeses and Sparkling Wines

Kinderhook Creek Bellavista Franciacorta Brut NV

• Franciacorta vs. Champagne vs. Prosecco

• DOCG

• Bellavista “House Style”

• Bloomy Rind, Pasteurized Sheep

• Hudson Valley/Amish

• Savory, mushroomy

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Paired by theme: All-American

Landaff Wickson from Wandering Aengus

• Cider was once America’s beverage of choice

• Heirloom varieties: bringing back the crab apple

• Artisan Cider Revival

• Natural Rind, Raw Cow Milk• New Hampshire• Based off a Caerphilly recipe• Complex – bright buttermilk

& brown butter

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Pairs that balance: the wine lets the cheese shine

Harbison Moncontour Vouvray Sec

• 100% Chenin Blanc

• Vouvray region of Loire Valley

• Historic friend of cheese

• Bark-wrapped, Pasteurized Cow’s Milk

• Vacherin-Style cheese

• Vermont

• Woodsy, Mustard, Bacon

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Making a Regional Connection- Ciao!

Pantaleo Terre al Sole Lambrusco

• This isn’t Ruinite!

• 100% Grasparossa di Castelvetro

• Aged Pasteurized, Goat Milk

• Sardinia!

• Black Pepper & Flowers

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Complementary Pairings

Hopelessly Bleu Precipice Perry

• Perry is not Cider

• Tieton Cider Works: following tradition

• Yakima Valley, Washington

• Pasteurized Goat Milk Blue

• Dripping Springs, Texas

• Subtle, Creamy

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The Decadent Finale

Melkbus Black Truffle GoudaCristia “Les Garrigues” Villes Vignes

• 100% Grenache

• Cotes du Rhone

• 50-year-old vines

• Raw Cow Milk

• Netherlands

• Earthy, Nutty, TRUFFLE