Presenting a Cheese Tray

It goes without saying that the cheeses on a presentation tray should be at the peak of ripeness and not selected merely because of the label or name. A well-balanced selection of a few different cheeses in good condition is more important than a large variety. One simple approach is to include one hard, one blue, and one or two soft cheeses. Fresh cheeses are not usually included as they are too moist to eat with bread. Color, texture and, most importantly, a contrast of flavor should be taken into account when choosing the cheese. Trays of several different types of goat cheese are also popular—one particular French restaurant offers a selection of identical little goat cheeses at every stage of ripeness.