①VARIETYISKEY
Besidesa mixofbase
milks—cow,goat,
sheep—consider
textures.Arrange
crowd-pleasingclassics
suchasCamembert
andthe goatcheese
Bucheronalong-
sideadventurous,full-
flavoredcheeseslikethe
blue-veinedRedRock
cheddarandthebloomy-
rindedItalianbuffalo
cheeseCasatica.Plan
for1 or2 oz.perperson
per cheese.②YOURPLATE
SHOULDBECROWDED
Ignoretheruleofthumb
thatfoodneedsspaceto
lookappealing. “Cheese
platesareimpressive
whenthey’refull,”says
thatcheeseplate.com
founderMarissaMullen.
Createa waveof folded
curedmeat,suchas
salamiorprosciutto,to
intersecttheboard,and
fillanygapswithnuts
andfreshanddriedfruit.③SWEETSIDES
AREMANDATORY
Figjamandquincejelly
havebecomestaples
tobalancetherich-
nessandaccentu-
atethesaltinessof
cheese. Moreadvanced
optionsincludehot
honey, cabernetpep-
perwinejelly,andpun-
gentapricotmostarda,
anItalianpreserve
madewithmustard.④VEGANISNOT
ACRIME
Fortheinevitabledairy-
freeguest,there’san
expandingcategoryof
well-craftedoptions
from companies such as67FOOD Bloomberg Pursuits October 7, 2019
Six rules for buildinga better board.ByKate Krader
Photographby Ted +Chelsea CavanaughCalifornia’sVromage(try
thetrufflebrieor“pic-
orino,” withash),French-
style nutcheesefrom
Treeline,orDr.Cow’s
Cajun-aged cashew
cheese.⑤TIMINGCOUNTS
Cheeseshouldsit out
forabout 45 minutes
beforeservingtoopti-
mizethe texture—wait
forit tocometoroom
temperaturebeforecut-
ting.Servesmall-format
freshandyoungcheeses
(i.e.,chèvre,burrata,robi-
ola)whole;chipfirmer
ones(cheddar,blue)
froma largepiece;and
cutsemi-hardvarieties
(Alpine,naturalrind)into
wedgesorchunks.The
goalis tocreatea tapes-
try,accordingtoCheese
BoardstoShare, by
ThalassaSkinner(Ryland
Peters& Small;$21).Cut
softcheeseswith athin
knife,oronewithholesin
theblade,whichstopthe
cheesefromsticking to
themetal.⑥THEMESAREA
WOWFACTOR
If you’reservingwine
from,say, France’sJura
district,trycheeseswith
asimilar,complemen-
taryterroir(localsource).
Advancedcheeselovers
mightcreatea “vertical
tastingplate”madewith
Goudaorjackfromdiffer-
entageprofiles,orsea-
sonal,limitedbatches.
EatalyNorthAmerica
HeadofFormaggi
Theresa McNamararec-
ommends cow’s-milk
selectionsfromdifferent
Alpinevalleysmadeby
farmerswhomigrate their
cattleseasonally.