Cheese Boards

I'm trying to develop some cheese boards for my clients and I'm digging deep for ideas and trends. any suggestions?

[mike]

Depends how good your suppliers are locally & wther youve got any producers locally. I live in cheese making county so its easy here.
There are two schools of thought.
1. Stick with what is available in your region. this is my preferred option.
2. Have an international selection.

I dont know a lot about american cheese but understand that you produce some great cheddars. Over here I honestly believe we produce cheeses as good as the french.

Try locating a book on ebay called The cheese book by vivienne maquis & patricia haskell (leslie frewin publisher) its old but brilliant.

Rule of thumb is a mix of hard, soft, & blue with perhaps a goats cheese or two as well.

My favourites are.

hard; vintage cheddar canadian, irish or british, Lancashire, cheshire, cornish yarg, livarot

soft ; pont l'eveque, brie, camembert,

blue; dolcelatte, stilton, bresse blue, gorganzola
hope this helps

chow

[shroomgirl]

Served wiht honeys nuts conserves, fruits, honeys are pretty hot right now....try Tasmanian if you can find some. I like a smaller fine selection with a tiny fresh herb salad honey and nuts. We've got some really great artisinal cheese throughout America. The Wine Merchant brings cheese to the market that is strictly farmstead american cheeses. Bob Howald is Very Cool. mo. has a great chevre maker ken Muno (Goatsbeard Farms) outside of Columbia. Vermont, Wisconsin, California are all known for their cheesesi guess NY cheddar is well known also.Oh yeah how can I forget Indiana Judy Shad or Maytag bluefrom Iowa, Mozzz from Texas, There is actually a cheese maker in Cal with Buffalos (water) making Mozz!!!! Cowgirl has some fun shtuff....a stinging nettle covered medium soft cheese that's organic.Miami...go with some interesting South American cheeses and salsa using tropical fruits with different starch for crackers.Down there it is probably way oberdone.ACS is meeting soon I wanna say in Cal.Would be a nightmare for my gallbladder but oh man possibly better than the fancy food show. I loves cheese!!!!! Montgomery Cheddar is one of my favs....the crystals are pretty great. I also adore Shropshire. England has comp rep to France in my book.

[soussweets]

i see you have a fettish for the stinky cheeses mikey. this is what goes over well in my area----- people are very weary of ferminted or blues unless bastardized into balls or as shroom says into salads or nut clusters, sounds great by the way.

port salut
dill havarti(one of my favorites)
smoked gouda
smoked cheddar
soft provalone slices
greyere
tender baby swiss
boursain(yummy)
gotta have the triple creme brie en croute with blueberry compote
you can keep your stinky a s s stlton you filthy limey
i like to use an assortment of fresh olives and spreads( hummus,babba ganouch, fresh herbed fetta spread) with toast points and crackers also i do my best to sell the customer on a small assortment of meats to go with this---- salami,pastrami,prosciuitto,cappineta or whatever else you feel goes with your cheese assortment-----------hope we offered some inspiration, god knows we all need it sometimes.

[mike]

guys, did you read my thread about the worlds most expensive cheese following a recent trip to a French market.

soussweets pistols or swords you verminous ninconpoop

I like to make little cheese biscuits with 1oz flour to 1oz cheddar
bound with water & rolled thin & cut witha round bake 5 to 10 mins at 220c & you can sprinkle with paprika , herbs, sea salt &
ground pepper, etc etc. Just make em quite salty and yor customers will drink more.

shroomgirl....thanks for the compliment on our cheeses,I once drove 90miles roundtrip to buy an unpasturised Leicester ....it
was rubbish. Also on a trip to France spent $100. on cheeses
one was so smelly that even though it was in the trunk of the car & I was driving at 100mph I could still smell it. Strangely it was a hard cheese.

Do you know our drunken tv chef Keith Floyd, he used to spend
$500. a week on cheeses for quite a small restaurant, no wonder he went bust.

And on a final cheese note my old boss in the wine trades brother is sir arthur cunningham of Paxton & Whitfield fame
check out www.cheesemongers.co/uk

Oh & my loved ones home town is Nantwich which holds the international cheese festival which is in muddy fields, & your certain to have some wild dreams after a days tasting there.

sorry to babble ...I just love cheese

[Ruth]

there are alot of artisian cheeses available online as well.dried friut or grilled fruit is a nice touch with a bit of green ,watercress,arugula......place on a round board or a marble slab .please get yourself some nice cheese knives as they make cutting and spreading alot easier.frozen grapes are wonderful.dip in egg whites ,then sugar(colored if u like for effect,and freeze.be sure to cut your grapes off the stem into clumps for easier handling for your staff and customers.
good luck

[soussweets]

swords my good man, pistols prove nothing. but first a few pints and some havarti croquettes.

[mike]

LOL

Well if your choosing a sword I guess ill take the pistol.

Whats that cheese is it a soft herb one.

[soussweets]

this is one of my favorite things in the world. dill havarti is a soft creamy meltable delicious cheese about the consistancy of a soft mozzerella. make fresh pate a choux and pipe it onto a pan in small blobs the size of a quarter. bake to a pretty golden brown. cool and cut the tops off and stuff a big fat piece of havarti inside and return to oven just until the cheese is melted--- you can place a nice piece of jumbo lump crabmeat on top when it comes out if you are feeling saucy.yuuuuummmmm

Whoa! great response thanks!!!
In regards with South American Cheeses available in Miami the big problem is that the cheeses although very tasty they may not be suitable for these kinds of presentations, with the exception of some Argentine ones which are very similar to the Itailans being the case most Argentines are from Italian descent.

other questions:

Would you use Kale to decorate?
How much Cheese should I pre cut off the wheel?
How would you price a typical board?
any good cheese suppliers you know?

Thanks Again Guys!!! you're the best

Miami te invita...visitanos!

[shroomgirl]

No KALE!!!!! Depending on the cheese and theme of the party, I'd find leaves , flowers, fruits, nuts etc

Good no Kale then. thanks

[Ruth]

courier courier
your first mission is to go and find the cheese places nearest to you.go in and taste.that is the best way to find out about anything.taste,taste,taste.
second ,i am sure you can find some round boards,or have some cut.make sure they are level and non treated surface.
after yo assemble all the things you want to put on your board you have to do a cost anayl....and then make your price.
i don't pre cut cheese,to order is best.make sure all your cheeses are wrapped very well,and the ones that come in a box remain in their box.
it's a moisture thing.3-4 cheeses on a board is plenty.especially
if you have some intense ones ..cashel blu.......always have fruit,nuts ,crunchy greens,and crostini would be fine also.

for catering i usually just start the piece with the right knife and let it go from there.again making sure it is well garnished.

[Pete]

Never wrap your cheeses in plastic wrap!! It is a sure way to make them go stinky (not the good kind of stinky) very quickly. I just wrap mine in parchment paper. And don't forget to store different types of cheeses in different types of containers; ie soft, triple cremes together, blues together, stinky washed rinds together. Also, I just read something about brushing the cut sides of cheese with a little olive oil to help keep the moisture in.

[mike]

celery, grapes, crackers, & dont forget port.