A cheese board is the perfect way to entertain guests. To build your perfect cheese board, look for a balance between all the different elements on your board that you will use.
The Cheeses:
Always start with the hard cheese. You can go for a Manchego or you can go for something like a Parmigiano. Anything that has strength in terms of texture.
Then move to something semi-hard (i.e. not as hard as the first one that you started with). For example, a nice Asiago (a very mild cheese that is easy to eat) or perhaps a more familiar Swiss.
The third group are semi-soft cheese, and this one should ideally be stinky because you want to include a variety of textures and flavors on your board. Go for a Roquefort or Gorgonzola that will also give you a creamy texture and color for your board.
Last (but not least) are the lovely soft cheeses. This could be a Brie or Mozzarella to round out the textures and flavors on your board.
Serving:
Use a nice square plate or even directly on the cutting board. Place the cheese on the cutting board following the textures. That means you start with the hard cheese, to semi-hard, to semi-soft, to the soft cheese. You always want to balance the saltiness and strength of the cheese with something sweet like grapes. Other fruits can work as well, such as figs, cranberries, or raisins. Place the fruit in the center. And voila! You have created a delicious and aesthetically pleasing platter.
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