Many of us are obsessives when it comes to cheese, but the thought of composing a balanced cheese plate is daunting. What's the best surface for serving cheese? What is the difference between all those little knives? How many cheeses should I choose? Variety is important, but at what point will my taste buds get overwhelmed? Can I mix and match different regional varieties? Which cheeses pair well with the wine I’m serving?
To calm our cheese board insecurities, we turned to Christopher Hanawalt, former cheesemonger of Brooklyn’s famed Bedford Cheese Shop. He shared invaluable insights on how to pick the perfect selection of cheeses, reassuring us that cheese board curation is far from a rigid art. The most successful selections stem from a set of basic guidelines, but ultimately rely on a heavy dose of personal creativity.