Planning a Cheese Platter With Longo’s Markets: Giveaway!

By Sheba Siddiqui

Follow Sheba @shebasid & online at www.shebasiddiqui.com

This giveaway has now closed.

Win a a $50 gift card from Longo’s Markets For Your Next Party!

I love a good holiday party. Getting dressed up, seeing friends and family, and watching my kids light up with excitement with all the treats they get to eat over the break. As a foodie, I always look forward to the spread at a party. Whether it be a casual buffet, a sit-down dinner or appetizers all night long, I’m in! One of my favourite things to eat, and serve, at holiday parties are cheese boards. Since having my third child last year, all I want to do is eat cheese – literally all the time. So when I see a beautiful cheese platter, I know it’s calling my name.

This year, I was given some great cheese tray tips from Longo’s own cheese expert Lucy Antonacci. It can be tricky to make the perfect cheese board. The trimmings, fruits, nuts, crackers and then putting it all together to look appetizing, is no easy feat! Thanks to Longo’s, I now know how to put together a beautiful cheese board and I thought I’d share some of their useful tips. Lucy suggests placing no more than five cheeses on your cheese board. You don’t want your guests to get overwhelmed.

Your five-cheese board should include one of each of the following types of cheese:

– Fresh cheeses do not have a rind and are aged for a short period of time. Choose a Burrata.

– Soft Ripened cheeses have a thin rind that is soft and edible. Choose a Brie.

– Semi-soft cheeses are supple and creamy with little to no rind. Choose an Oka.

– Firm cheeses are drier in texture and have an elasticity. Choose a Cheddar.

– Hard cheeses are often used for grating, but make a great addition to a cheese board. Choose a Grana Padano.

After you’ve chosen the cheeses you’d like to use on your board, you can move on to your sides. As tempting as it is to place anything you love eating alongside cheese, Lucy cautions not to go overboard! Save your jellies and jams for bigger parties and always choose sides that won’t overpower your cheeses. Plain crackers or bread are a great accompaniment and won’t take away from the taste of the cheese.

For salty sides, olives and charcuterie are a great compliment to cheese. The right knife is also imperative in keeping your cheese board functional and user-friendly. A cheese knife is often serrated and has holes to prevent sticking. Use this knife for softer cheeses. For harder cheeses, use a small spade to break off the cheese in chunks.

Longo’s offers over 300 different varieties of cheese and up to three trained Cheese Masters at every one of their stores, in case you need help choosing your cheese! Now, because I’m addicted to cheese, my fridge is always stocked! I want to share my love of cheese and Longo’s and that’s why we’re  giving away a $50 gift card to any Longo’s grocery store near you!

All you have to do is tell me what YOUR favourite cheese is below in our comments section!

***Contest closes at 11:59pm EST on December 30, 2014. Winner will be chosen at random and will be notified by email and have 24 hours to respond. If winner does not reply within 24 hours, another winner will be randomly selected. Winner must live in Ontario, Canada. Only 1 entree per individual.

Winner will be drawn randomly through random.org and will be contacted Dec 30! You must be 18 years of age or older to participate. A selected entrant may be required to provide proof that he/she is the authorized account holder of the email address associated with the selected entry. Former and current staff of masalamommas.com are not eligible to enter.

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