Cheese. When in doubt, serve cheese.

Sure, shelling out extra cash for good quality, artisanal cheese may put a little strain on your holiday budget. The extra dollars spent will make all the difference and take your cheese board from boring appetizer to possible centerpiece.

Use a cheese board appetizer to showcase local and handcrafted foods. Sounds fancy and unapproachable, right? Once you find the cheeses, keep the rest of your presentation simple with a fresh baguette, plain crackers, some dried fruit and nuts. Food, especially your appetizer, isn’t meant to be unapproachable.

Now to find the cheese. Check the internet for a local cheese shop. You might be surprised by what you find. Artisan cheese and wine shops are popping up all over the country. These shops are well equip with all the cheese you could dream of, and a staff that knows enough about cheese to guide you in the right direction. If you can’t get to a cheese shop, you might try a local specialty store like Trader Joe’s. Their cheese selection might not be as extensive, but you’re sure to find some gems for your cheese board.

For a traditional cheese plate, choose four to six cheeses that range from super hard, like those delicious aged Parmesans, to a moldy blue cheese, and then explore everything in between.

Here are some of my favorites, but feel free to adorn your cheese board with whatever cheeses you enjoy. Whether they’re artisanal, hand crafted cheese, or some goodies you picked up from the local grocery, have fun with it. Food is meant to be fun.

4 year aged Parmesan- This is the real deal from Italy. It’s made from cow’s milk and aged for varying amounts of time. The 4 year aged Parmesan is hard and crumbly with the perfect combination of saltiness and almost sweet citrus. It works beautifully with buttery pecans and a good quality balsamic vinegar.

Mt. Tam- This is a triple cream, bloomy rind cheese from Cowgirl Creamery. Cowgirl Creamery is an unstoppable cheese making company located just an hour outside of San Francisco. They make some beautifully crafted seasonal cheeses. Mt Tam is smooth and creamy, with a buttery and earthy flavor. You can go nuts in the Cowgirl Creamery online store.

Double Cream Gouda- Cheese makers add extra cream to think milk as they make this gouda. This cheese is smooth, buttery and fairly mild. It’s great with grapes and fresh pear slices. You can even find this great cheese at Trader Joe’s.

Roaring Forties Blue Cheese- A mild, yet deliciously complex blue cheese from King Island Australia. This cheese is aged in wax and is lovely when served with a bit of honey. You can even buy the cheese online. How cool is that?

Cheese is easy. Find a cheese shop and have some fun!

Tags | cheese, Entertaining, Food, holiday