I'm making a cheese board for a party tomorrow night. What cheeses should I include?

Roquefort or Danish Bleu
English Coastal Cheddar
Smoked Gouda
Pecorino Romano

A simple Major Grey chutney would be perfect.

Sounds great!

Any wine suggestions?

Mmmmm, chutney rocks with cheese. Manchego(spelling) is a nice hard cheese. Delice DeBourgoune(even worse spelling) is a kick ass triple creme that will make you weak in the knees. Pairs well with a nice gingersnap.

I’d say go with the Maytag Blue.

Pleasant Ridge Reserve is wonderful. I also recommend a nice 10 year cheddar or an aged gruyere.

@birdlegleft – I’m going to look for the Delice, it sounds really good. Never thought of gingersnap…very interesting. Thanks for the suggestions!

@Trudacia, my pleasure. Always happy to talk food.

Hard cheese: Gruyer, Mimolette
Semi-soft cheese: Danbo, Gouda
Soft cheese: Havarti, Normandie Brie, Chamembert

Side: Plum conserve and pineapple pieces

Grapes are always nice with wine. I like to put them in my wine and when you are done, you are left with grapes to eat that have soaked up the wine…YUMMY! I went to a party and never thought this would be a cheese to cut and eat but asiago is wonderful. I am now addicted to the stuff (staple in my diet). Nice hard cheese that goes fabulous with wine. As far as wine, a nice $10.00 wine is Blackstone. More expensive, I would go for something from Chateau St. Michelle (I have been to this winery and they make good stuff). Have you seen the buzz about the Two Buck Chuck? Not sure if this is available to you but get it if you can. It went up against some of the finest wines in a tasting competition and won!

Two Buck Chuck gives me a headache. I don’t know a lot about wines, but I know what I don’t like. :)

I’d go to a good local wine shop and get a recommendation for a white and a red. Good rosés are coming back onto the scene lately, too.

if you can find it, a nice french Boursin covered in fine black peppercorns us outstanding. Try your whole foods store.

A nice New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc would go well with some of the cheeses without overpowering them.

@taco: yeah, I am not a wine drinker anymore (migraines) but I know people who love the two buck chuck. Anyhow, I’m off to drink mojitos…Trudacia, have a great party!

Tangent re: Two Buck Chuck:

In the U.S. (and elsewhere) there are fewer restrictions on how wine is processed than one might presume. For example, it’s not uncommon to filter wine with asbestos. And the scandals involving ethylene glycol and methanol are old news.

Point is, you get what you pay for. I prefer to pay a little extra for my wine (still, less than $15/bottle) by patronizing local wine merchants who are educated about such practices and vet out their wares, so I don’t have to.

Best part: hangovers and headaches are substantially reduced with better product that has fewer contaminants.

Do you have a Trader Joe’s near you? They have a ton of great, unique cheese from all over the world. Just go and pic a few out.

Trader Joe’s has a white Stilton with apricots that I tried recently that is fantastic on a cheese plate, crumbly with excellent contrast between the Stilton and the fruit.

For soft cheese, I like Teleme.

A triple creme with trufles is also a fantastic addition.

I second birdlegleft on the manchego.

I’m a big soft cheese fan. Wildflower suggested the 3 that were on my mind. I’d love to see you go with Chamembert if you’re shooting for something different. I spent a year in Belgium…and got hooked. ;)

Some chocolate would also be a wonderful addition on the side…for after, of course.

It sounds great. When I have a big cheese platter like this, I use a very large teak or silver tray, and fill all the spaces with dried apricots, other dried fruits, and nuts. It sounds like you are doing it, so if the large tray idea helps, good. The idea really is to have the whole thing look like a cornucopia.

Mmmm. Camembert. I also like brie, not too noir, and leave the rind behind. (Sorry, aficionados.)
Now I’m really hungry. Granola didn’t cut it.

mmm nothing goes with wine better than asbestos.

For those interested, I bought the following for my cheeseboard:

Purple Haze Chevre by Cypress Grove
Abbaye de Belloc
English Cheddar with Caramelized Onion
Blue Wensleydale

Accompaniments:
Rustic Italian Bread
Pecan Raisin Bread
Dried Figs
Dried Cranberries
Roasted Almonds
Fresh Apple

If I didn’t pick one of your suggestions it was either because I had it before (wanted to go with something new) or because I couldn’t find it. Thanks all.

Sounds delicious. A nice Wensleydale, particularly. Are Wallace and Gromit coming?

Sounds super yummy. Nice job!