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1
Go to the best cheese shop in town and ask the person at the counter which cheeses are ready to serve.
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2
Taste everything; they expect you to.
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3
We all know that the Brie may look terrific, but it can be underripe and tough or overripe and ammoniated.
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4
You want only the freshest cheeses that are perfectly ripened.
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5
Take them home, refrigerate them, and then bring them to room temperature a few hours before serving.
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6
Second, be sure to have a platter or wooden board that is flat and large enough to hold the cheeses without crowding them.
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7
Arrange the cheeses with the cut sides facing out, and with several small cheese knives, maybe one for each type of cheese.
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8
Third, to finish the platter, add sliced breads or crackers, and green leaves.
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9
I use either lemon or galax leaves, which you can get from your florist.
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10
If you have a garden, any large flat leaf like hydrangea looks beautiful, but be sure they aren't poisonous and are pesticide-free!
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11
Overall, the simpler the design, the better the platter looks.
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12
Group each kind of cheese together and add one large bunch of green or red grapes in the center to create a visual focal point.
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13
Fill in the spaces with lots of crackers or small slices of bread.
