- I also think it's helpful
to have some cheese pre-sliced in case
your guests are unsure of how to cut...
- The cheese.
(laughing)
No, how each cheese should be cut.
Hello, and welcome to "A Little Help."
Everyone needs a little help in the kitchen now and then.
And don't worry 'cause I got you.
Today, we're going to be building
a cheese board together.
Now, I know what you're thinking.
This cheese platter stuff is for fancy people
and fancy people alone.
But, I've got news for you.
You, my friend,
(buzzer buzzes) are incorrect.
You can be the refined host you always wanted to be.
Now feel free to get creative here,
there are really no strict rules but,
there are a few simple guidelines to follow
that can be super helpful if you're a cheese beginner.
So, let's get into it.
So the first step is selecting your cheeses.
Now I think the most common mistake here
is getting cheese that kind of
(buzzer buzzes) all taste the same.
We want to make sure that we get a variety of cheeses.
We want something funky,
we want something mild,
we want something salty,
we want something sweet.
You want to select an array of cheeses
to keep your guests interested.
Today I've got five selections.
I like to use something intense like a blue cheese.
Today I have a Roquefort
because that (bleep) is dank as (bleep).
I also have a Camembert, which is
a French cheese similar to Brie.
It's soft and creamy and buttery,
it's really nice.
So I also have a Parmigiano Reggiano,
which is nutty and salty and delicious
and I always like to include a Parm
'cause I feel like even people that aren't into cheese
are always into Parm.
It's a total crowd pleaser.
Next up, I have a smoked Gouda,
which is a super savory and smokey option.
And then we have a young Manchego,
which is nutty and fruity
and a really great Spanish cheese.
I also think it's helpful to have
some of your cheese pre-sliced in case your guests
are unsure of how each cheese should be cut
and how much to take.
Let's talk about what to pair our cheeses with.
Our cheese is only part of what we're creating here, right?
Our accoutrements are just as important as the cheese.
We want to maintain that balance
while selecting what to pair our cheese with.
We want varying textures and we want varying tastes.
I love to use honey and figs for some sweet notes.
For some savory options I have a pepper jelly
and then some mixed olives.
I also like to use fresh and dried fruit.
I have some green grapes and some red grapes.
And along with that I have some dried cherries
and dried apricots that I like
to just kind of sprinkle around.
For some crunch I'm going to add some almonds.
Any nuts will do.
Get those in here.
And get some over here.
I'm also going to add some Prosciutto
and some hard salami for a nice savory
charcuterie flavor to balance out all the sweets we've got.
We have all these incredible flavors going on
and it would be a shame to serve them all
on the same boring, old cracker.
I have some thyme and sea salt crackers.
I have some delicious olive bread.
Some little, baby toasts that perhaps one day
will grow up to be big, adult toasts.
Some raisin crackers.
We'll put these next to the Camembert
because of their sweets.
- Come on bear.
And then, we have some plain old regular crostini.
Who doesn't like that?
So I went ham on this board, okay?
- Yeah, Thom is going to go salami on it.
- But, you don't have to spend a ton of money.
Let's discuss price and leftovers.
And, since the beginning of cheese board making history
it's been a thing to always choose an odd number of cheeses
for the feng shui of things.
I chose five today.
If you want, you can use three cheeses.
That's perfectly acceptable.
And, as long as you maintain that balance,
you can use less or you could replace
pricier items with what you can afford.
Also, don't forget how far
you can stretch your cheese board.
Leftover blue?
Throw it in a salad.
Leftover Camembert?
Smear it on a bagel.
Leftover Gouda?
Melt it on a baguette.
It's delicious.
Don't toss your leftovers because they can be used
and repurposed for meals to come.
Oh, what's that you say?
You are unsure of how you store your cheese?
Well, that's okay because we have an episode
of food storage hacks for you to enjoy
so you should go check it out.
So there it is.
An amazing cheese board perfectly balanced
with everything you and your guests need.
Sweet, salty, spicy, chewy, crunchy, funky,
it's all there.
And all you needed was a little help.
So now, go out there and make your own.
Mmm.
(energetic music)
- Marker - Say hey, say cheese.
- Did you get it?
- [Colin] Could you just be quiet a second, Lee?
- [Thom] Lee, can you shut up? Thanks.
(laughing)
- Well, you made it this far.
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