#Cheeseboard: For a cheesy and cheery Christmas

Come December and cheese starts dominating the food platter. Closely associated with Christmas in the West, cheeseboards have taken over the globe, with foodies trying out their various versions in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian combinations. “For people hosting get-togethers to celebrate the Yuletide spirit, cheese is an absolute must. Be it starter, main course, or dessert, cheese rules all dishes, this season. That’s why one can see pretty pics of cheeseboards all over foodstagrams,” says Shivangi Panwar, head chef, Baale Resort Goa.

With its growing popularity, the Indian cheese market has grown exponentially. “Though paneer is still the most popular type of cheese in India, many households also use processed cheese. The cheese market in India is likely to reach ₹211.5 billion by 2027. Indian companies have also started making different types of cheese and people are also motivated to open small-scale businesses in cheese making,” says Panwar.

Sharing the story behind the cheese gifting tradition, Shruti Golchha, co-founder of Begum Victoria, an artisanal cheese brand in Bengaluru, says, “The practice of gifting cheese originated in the UK in 1692, when a cheesemonger donated their goods to various British veterans. Since then, cheese has become a Christmas gift that celebrates local artisanry and is best enjoyed with loved ones over a bottle of wine.”

Common accoutrements on a cheeseboard include fruits and spreads, crackers or bread, olive oil, honey and pickles. However, one can be as creative as they wish. “So far, our most popular ones have been baked brie with a chilli guava chutney, or a black pepper and chilli baked soft cheese (inspired by Priya Krishna’s recipe in her New York Times bestselling cookbook, Indian-ish),” says Golchha. Nitish Kumar Singh, executive chef at Radisson Blu MBD Hotel, Noida suggests adding new flavours. “We must add some great flavours to our charcuterie. Aged gouda, manchego, stilton, cheddar are good. For the modern palate, choose burrata, mascarpone. For an Indian palate, get Philadelphia cream cheese.”

One could also add Indian varieties of jams and chutneys for a tangy taste. “Indian spices that can be used in cheese are black peppercorns, red chilli flakes, cumin seeds, caraway seeds, carom seeds and fenugreek,” says Panwar.

Shapes of the cheese also play an important role. They should be visually pleasing with easy bite sizes, such as triangles, thin slices, or cubes. “Hard cheeses such as parmesan, aged cheddar, manchego and romano are some essentials. In semi-firm cheeses, go with gouda, muenster, gruyere, butterkäse, and cheddar jack cheese. One can also opt for soft cheese, crumbly cheese, blue cheese and even cheese dip. They can be cut into sticks, triangles, wedges and nuggets,” says Aashish Singh, chef at Cafe Delhi Heights. Classically, one would use an open work blade knife for soft cheeses like brie, a chisel knife or a narrow plane knife for semi-hard cheeses, a cheese cleaver for cheddar, and a spade knife for manchego.

One should remember to balance the palate while creating the cheeseboard with a good mix of sweet and savoury. “Never crowd your board. Serve slices of baguette or crackers in a separate basket or bowl. Choose plain (French or sourdough) bread or neutral crackers. Serve cheese at room temperature. The right condiments need to be chosen to enhance the aesthetic of your board,” adds Singh.

Feta Cheese board Recipe

Ingredients

Feta Cheese – 4 to 5 cubes

Olive oil – 2 tbsp

garlic – 3 cloves

fresh basil – 50gm

Pickled green olive – 4 to 5

Fresh strawberry – 4 to 5

Walnut – 4 to 5

Cheese cracker – 4 to 5

Pineapple- 3 to 4 slices

some potato chips

Arrangement:

Feta cheese – cut into cubes and marinate with the paste of olive oil, garlic and fresh basil

Pickled green olive – arrange a few on the designed platter, it will add that tinge which will balance the creaminess of cheese

Fresh strawberries- These impart fruitiness to the platter and if you don’t find strawberries then u can use any sweet and sour fruit

Walnut – a few walnuts adds crackling

Cheese cracker – this is basically works as a base of the cheese

You can also place chips and other sour fruits such as pineapple

Recipe by Nishant Choubey, chef