Mastering the Art of the Perfect Cheese Platter

Tips for Making the Perfect Cheese Platter | Freckled Italian

As far as I'm concerned, no party is complete without a big cheese platter! We paired ours with some great La Crema wines and served it at our California brunch party. I thought I'd share some tips for making the perfect cheese plate, no matter what other food you're serving!

Create a nice variety of cheeses--we served an aged cheddar, cave-aged gouda, and some delicious manchego, which is one of my favorites because it's made with sheep's milk and has less lactose than other cheeses. These all paired really nicely with La Crema's Chardonnay, but wine and cheese tasting should be fun and adventurous, so be sure to experiment a little!
Make sure to include a softer, creamier cheese as well. Brie is always a great choice, but for this particular menu we went with a soft chèvre that we mixed with some local honey and then served alongside some really tasty and unusual gluten-free beet scones.
The more crackers, the better! Serve at least two different kinds, and include at least one gluten-free option if one or more of your guests have a gluten intolerance. Everyone should be able to enjoy a cheese platter if they want to!
Don't forget the fruit! Berries or grapes would be great, but when we went to the market the figs looked incredible so we went with those instead.

For more on our Farm to Table brunch Party, and full recipes, be sure to visit the reset of the posts in this series:

Farm to Table Wine Brunch

Decorating for an Outdoor Brunch Party

Vintage Style Metal Marquee Light Centerpiece

Avocado Toasts

Mastering the Art of a Perfect Cheese Platter

Eggs Benedict for a Crowd

Berries and Creme Anglaise

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of La Crema. The opinions and text are all mine.

Photo credit: Courtney O'Dell of Sweet C's Designs.

"Farm to Table at Home", "Food", "Entertaining", "Sponsors"Megan Flynn PetersonAugust 27, 2015 Comments

Decorating for an Outdoor Brunch Party

When Courtney and I were planning this big project that we are now calling "Farm to Table at Home," we knew we wanted the aesthetic to be casually chic, or effortlessly elegant--basically something with alliteration that also involved lots of white dishes, wooden accents, and gold.

A white tablecloth makes a big difference.
Gold accents are an easy way to add some glamour to an otherwise simple tablescape.
Silk flowers are easier to transport and obviously last a lot longer than fresh ones! They make lovely centerpieces simply placed on the table in front of people's dishes.
A few pops of color like red and/or turquoise go a long way on a mostly-white table--we got some great striped menus from Minted that tied everything together really well.
Just because you're outside doesn't mean you can't incorporate more complex decorations! Some battery-powered marquee lights add a really fun, vintage, and festive vibe.