Want to have friends over for a night of tasting & conversation but fear the price tag? You CAN have a beautiful spread and stay within reason for an evening that is sure to be a hit with tasting newbies and refined palates alike.The first thing to consider is how many people you'd like at your get-together. Would you like to host in your 1-bedroom flat, or share costs with friends living in a house or bigger loft? Sometimes the best recipe for success is keeping the guest list small no matter how big or small the space.
A good guideline for amounts:
- 8 People: 2 - 3 lbs. of cheese, 4 bottles of wine
- 16 people: 4 - 6 lbs. of cheese, 8 bottles of wine
- 24 people: 7 - 9 lbs. of cheese, 12 bottles of wine
With cheese, it's always nice to offer a variety of textures and flavors. For balance, choose at least one cheese from each of these types:
- Soft - i.e. Brie, Camembert
- Blue - i.e. Gorgonzola, Stilton, Mountain
- Firm - i.e. Parmigiano-Reggiano, Pecorino
- Aged - i.e. Aged Cheddar, Goat Gouda, Aged Emmental
You don't have to serve more than 4-5 types unless you want to. If you're unsure about which cheeses you think you might or might not like, many stores will let you sample anything in their case. Serve at least one cheese everyone will be familiar with, and include fruits, nuts, and chocolate with your spread. Also, very important to know is that cheese should be set out 1 hour prior to serving; the flavors can't be fully experienced otherwise.
*Note: if you serve pungent, stinky cheeses, place them on separate plates so they don’t overpower delicate cheeses.
You can go fancy-schmancy with your presentation, or keep it simple and clean. I say do what is easy! Use what you have for serving; don't feel like you need specialty cheese plates or knives. A fun thing to do with labeling the cheeses is including descriptives or poems about each one. Do as much or as little as you like - keep it relaxed and fun. Wine is all about the enjoyment of life and celebration of living! Libiamo!
