Ina Garten's Go-To Rules For Serving A Cheese Course At A Dinner Party

When the Barefoot Contessa talks, fans listen. Ina Garten's tips to up your cooking game are adapted by both novice and amateur chefs. Why? Because she is relatable. Garten admits that she totally failed her first party, with her primary mistake being inviting people who were all strangers to one another. But, luckily, she is a quick learner and is sharing her lessons learned with her culinary following. Specifically, Garten has two smart and thoughtful rules you may want to consider if you are going to serve a cheese course at a dinner party.  

Per a Food Network video, the first is to make certain it is a light cheese course, and second, if you are adding this to a course on your menu, make certain you aren't serving beef filet for dinner and chocolate mousse for dessert. Cheese is not meant to be a main course, but rather just a little indulgent nibble that complements the big attraction. Garten says she likes to add this no-fuss course when she is making a fish stew for dinner and sending guests off with a dessert of granita. As she says, cheese is a pretty "rich course."

But before you get started, you want to simplify your cheese boards. When Ina Garten is assembling a plate of cheeses, she revealed during a Today interview that she likes to find a "balance of flavors" that generally consists of something sharp, something creamy, and goat's cheese. Basically, you want a mix of tastes and textures that are soft, hard, crumbly, and velvety smooth. She loves Stilton cheese coupled with a little store-bought fig jam. If you are creating a cheese platter for a large group, don't be tempted to get additional cheeses. Instead, Garten says you just want to get bigger pieces of cheese.

The celebrity chef likes to serve her cheese course family-style, and when she is crafting her cheese platter, she notes you want the rinds in and the cheese facing out. The cookbook author also shares that you want to use other food items that go with this dairy-rich product. She likes grapes, strawberries, and dried apricots, which offer sweetness and unique consistencies. Crackers are also a welcome addition. That said, be bold and creative with your choices. Nuts, breads, veggies, and even chocolate can make an appearance during this course.