Spoil Your Guests With The Perfect Cheese Platter

STUDIO CITY (CBSLA.com) — The season for entertaining is right around the corner!

Anthony Dias Blue of Blue Lifestyle visited the KCAL9 studios Wednesday to show viewers how to make the perfect cheese platter from the Best Cheese Corporation.

TIPS:

• Choose the right cheese

o Plan to serve about a pound of cheese for every five guests
o Go for cheeses that look different as they'll taste different too
o Almost every cheese board has bleu cheese

• Pick the vehicle

o Serve different types of crackers or breads to accompany the cheese

• Make some sweet selections

o The natural sweetness of fruit compliments the saltiness of cheese
o Serve something fresh like grapes and pear slices or dried fruits like figs, prunes or apricots

• Just as crunch

o A cheese plate should be about taste and texture
o Add nuts, crunchy apple slices or crisp crackers to offset rich, creamy cheeses

• Get a cheese board

o Boska Monaco Cheese Board ($19.99) http://www.boska.com/usa/monaco-cheese-board-slate-large
o Typically, a board should be arranged and eaten from mild to strong in clockwise fashion

• Separate really stinky cheeses from others so that the odor doesn't transfer to milder cheeses

o Label the cheeses to help guide your guests around the board

• Consider timing

o Cheese tastes best at room temperature so let them sit for about an hour before serving

• Serve with a beverage

o Wine, beer and fruit juices help cut the richness of the cheese and clear the palate
o 2011 Davis Bynum Pinot Noir, River West Vineyard, Russian River Valley ($25)
o 2011 J. Lohr October Night Chardonnay, Arroy Seco ($25)