For culture’s Cooking with Cheese issue we combed through our extensive archives to select the best cheese plates for wowing a crowd and satisfying your “cheese tooth.” From brunch to dessert and everything in between, here are eight of our favorites. See all of our cheese plates HERE.
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Crown Jewels
“For all its historic stardom, cheese had decidedly humble origins as a peasant food—much like pâté and wine, cheese began life as a solution to food spoilage. How it came to be an appetizer of the rich and powerful speaks to the very nature of the beast: cheese, no matter how simple, just feels like a luxury.”
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The Japanese Cheese Plate
“Japanese cuisine has steadily seeped into US culture over the past few decades, from matcha lattes at Starbucks to sushi restaurants in nearly every town.”
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The Valentine’s Day Plate
“When it comes to everyone’s favorite Hallmark holiday, a great cheese plate is key. It takes almost no time to prepare but provides a wallop of wow-factor—as long as your pairings are on point. What more would you need to woo your beau?”
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Budget Bites
“Gorgeous cheese plates on Instagram are swoon-worthy, but assembling your own can be intimidating. Wander into any specialty cheese shop and those high price tags might make you faint for a different reason. But wait, stay with us—you don’t have to spend a ton to build a beautiful cheese plate.”
![](https://culturecheesemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Spring2019_CheesePlate_PC-Nina-Gallant-1-730x1024.png)
The Brunch Plate
Who says cheese plates have to be for the afternoon? Pull out the cheese and pour some champagne because we’re having cheese for brunch!
![](https://culturecheesemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Winter2020_CheesePlate_PC-Adam-DeTour-683x1024.jpg)
The Dessert Plate
“The traditional cheese course, also a French invention, is typically served between the main course and dessert—that is, if one were to follow convention. But as the longest year on record comes to a close, we’re dispensing with the pleasantries. Dessert before dinner! Chocolate on cheese on cookies! Tell Aunt Mabel what you really think of her famous fruitcake!”
![](https://culturecheesemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/21039-01-1809-683x1024.png)
Atomic Age
“If a time machine deposited you into a party in 1957 American suburbia, what might you see? Perhaps a lavish spread of sweet (and savory) gelatin delights, processed meats glistening beneath various gravies, a glowing mushroom cloud blossoming on a grainy TV screen in the background. Oh, and lots of dishes centered around cheese and pseudo-cheese.”
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The Travel Plate
Taking a cue from Marissa Mullen’s snack-hacking sorcery, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite cheese and cheese-adjacent products that make it easy to snack in style wherever you are.