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 This article on Fruit
and Cheese Trays is courtesy of Donna Hager and her website
Real
Restaurant Recipes.
Donna Hager has owned
and operated a successful American-style restaurant for well over
two decades. More articles and hundreds of recipes can be found on
her website that features real restaurant recipes, menus, cooking
tips, and much more.
Entertaining frequently includes some kind of cheese tray, often
with fruit or vegetables or meat or a combination of these foods. If
you are short on time you can, of course, buy a fruit and cheese
tray at most good quality grocery stores or online.
But if you have the time this is an opportunity to be creative and
introduce your guests to some new cheeses. It's great fun!
Check out Linda's
Appetizer Recipes
for more great appetizer ideas and lot of
Cheese Recipes
using different types of cheese.
How To Build A Fruit and Cheese Plate
 I
usually have at least three and as many as five cheeses. Having at
least three to five allows me to offer an interesting variety
without being too extravagant.
I
allow about 3 ounces per guest if we are just tasting or it's an
appetizer plate before a meal. If I want these as a main course I
have 6-7 ounces per person.
The other thing I like to do is select ones that combine styles,
textures and colors (see "pairings" below). I like to offer
different looks, tastes, and feels such as one soft-ripened, one
hard and probably a blue. And if I am serving more than three, I
like to add one or two with different flavor and color.
Occasionally I'll have a theme tray, such as all blues or all local
ones.
When I have guests coming I realize some are great cheese lovers and
some are "beginners." I try to offer a variety of flavors, with
enough mild ones available so everyone can be accommodated. If my
tray offered all "stinky" selections, some of my guests would have
to stop at a fast food place on the way home.
I
usually have a couple kinds of artisan breads or baguettes and
interesting crackers, as well as apples, pears, nuts and dried fruit
as part of the tray.
I
arrange my tray at least an hour or two before my guests arrive.
Cheese needs to sit at room temperature for full flavors to be
enjoyed. I provide one knife for each selection so flavors don't
mingle.
· Serve all soft ripened cheeses in wedges
· Serve fresh soft cheeses like Brie, in the entire form and have a
knife to cut and spread it onto crackers or bread
· Semi-soft cheeses should be served pre-cut in the size you desire
· Semi-hard cheeses should be cut into wedges or cubes that expose
the cheese to the air
· Hard cheeses should be pre-cut into pieces
· Bleu cheeses should be served in chunks created by your cheese
knife
· Arrange cheeses with seasonal fruits cut into bit size pieces
(this is also an opportunity to have a few nuts as part of your
Fruit and Cheese Tray as well.
· Don't forget your tongs, cheese knives, cheese forks, utensils
and/or wooden picks and serving plates and ...don't forget to
have a great time!
 What
cheese should you use and how much?
The number of cheeses you will need
(or want to have) for your party tray depends on how elaborate you
wish to make it and this often depends on what occasion it is for,
who your guests will be and how many of them.
Only you can decide this issue but I usually allow 2 to 3 ounces of
cheese per person. In addition, I almost always have three cheeses
on the tray:
· One soft ripened such as Brie cheese, or Chaource that spread
easily on a cracker and go well with most fruits
· One semi-soft such as a Bleu - I like Stilton cheese, or
introduce your guests to a smoked cheese variety,
· One harder cheese such as a quality Cheddar or Gouda.
Having three different cheeses on a cheese platter is pretty
standard. Five cheeses is great for a large group and is considered
more elaborate.
I
like to select cheeses that combine styles, textures and colors. I
like to offer different looks, tastes, and feels. And if I am
serving more than three, I like to add one or two with different
flavor and color.
Occasionally I'll have a theme tray, such all local cheese.
When I have guests coming I realize some are great cheese lovers and
some are "beginners." I try to offer a variety of flavors, with
enough mild ones available so everyone can be accommodated.
Buy small amounts of different cheeses. This will allow you to
introduce your guests to a variety of cheeses but will also ensure
you don't have large amounts left over.
Cheese - Try new ones for fun - It is a fabulous
gift!
Trying new types can really be fun ...honest. You can try the products the way I like to.
Find a gourmet shop and ask to sample some. It really is that easy!
Like wines and other fine foods, the best way to decide on your
favorites is to taste them, and any good wine seller or cheese
monger will be happy to provide a sample before you buy.
If you don't have such a shop nearby, or sampling that way is not
something you like to do, go to "Plan B." You can join a monthly
club. Try it. You'll love it.
Another way to try different types (Plan "C") is to invite a few
friends over and ask each one to bring one they want to try and
share.
Make up a tray or "tasting table" and have several wines or beers
available to try with the product. You might want to set a theme for
each time you do this. Have some fun!
Is
there a Farmer's Market nearby? You will often find local cheese
makers there. This is really a fabulous way to learn. Most small
cheesemakers sell organic products. I am a believer in buying such
product whenever I can find it. I am also fortunate in having
several organic cheese makers near my home.
There are hundreds of types produced all over the world. But until
recently it seems most Americans settled into buying the same four
or five every time they went to the store. I believe this is just a
habit developed as a result of not knowing what else to try.
Cheddar, Mozzarella, Swiss, Parmesan and some Blues are "known" and
"safe."
Some time ago, even before I started the restaurant, I began trying
different selections and found a number I really liked. I also
discovered some that I really did not care for.
Often the ones I personally didn't like were pungent or very
strong-flavored. But then I learned something else. Some of these
need to be eaten with certain other kinds of food or with certain
kinds of beverages to be enjoyed.
Remember to take the cheeses you are using out of the refrigerator
30 to 45 minutes prior to serving so that they may reach room
temperature.
What fruit
will you use?
Try for seasonal fruits, local fruit
if available and again have three to five different kinds of fruit.
Where I live I frequently have grapes (sometimes two varieties),
strawberries, honeydew melon and cantaloupe, kiwi, apples (usually
two different kinds) and pears (again, I am blessed to live in an
area where these fruits are readily available).
Something else to remember, especially if fresh quality fruits are
not readily available: add some quality dried specialty fruits.
 Cheese and wine:
I
don't worry about "rules." There is only one as far as I am
concerned: "try ...try ...try." It is primarily a matter of personal
tastes. Keep it simple. Remember, the goal of tasting with wine is
to find a balance between the two and not "allow" one to overpower
the other.
Serve full-flavored selections, such as creamy washed rinds with
medium to full-bodied wines, such as Merlot, Zinfandel, or Syrahs.
Pair lighter ones with light wines such as Rieslings, Pinot Gris ,or
Pinot Noirs.
Blues go well with dessert wines such as late harvest Viogniers and
Rieslings and Muscat wines. Creamy ones pair well with sparkling
wines and Champagne.
Taste selections based on their sources of milk. Fresh goat cheeses
are mild and lemony in flavor and creamy in texture. They go well
with white wines, such as a Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Pinot
Gris, Rieslings. Aged sheep milk cheeses pair well with
Gewürztraminers and fruity Zinfandels.
You can even pair these two products according to the area of
origin, even local areas.
Remember that wines aren't the only beverages that go well with
cheese! There is a growing number of artisan and craft beers, as
well as craft ciders available that provide interesting and fresh
flavor combinations.
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