Martha Stewart's Huge No-Go When It Comes To Charcuterie Boards
Martha Stewart knows a thing or two about entertaining guests (you should see what kind of breakfast she feeds her employees), so it should come as no small surprise that she's got some pretty firm rules when it comes to a good cheese and charcuterie board. Food and Wine picked up some tips from her at a wine tasting event some years back, and one of the more important details that Stewart considers isn't just the charcuterie selection itself, but also the temperature at which the items are served.
She says that your cheese has got to be at room temperature for maximum enjoyment, particularly for creamy and blue cheeses, as their flavors come out the most that way. You don't want cheese that's straight out of the fridge, so be sure to bring the cheese out prior to your guests' arrival. Some things, however, still should be cold, like veggies for dipping along with shrimp cocktail, which should as chilled as it gets. (And if you're feeling fancy, make that shrimp cocktail from scratch, it makes a big difference.)
Don't forget basic food safety rules when it comes to charcuterie
Now that you know to serve your cheese at room temperature, you will still want to adhere to some basic food safety standards. After all, you want your get-together to be memorable for all the right reasons. That precious cheese and charcuterie shouldn't be out for longer than two hours at room temperature, and it should only be out for an hour on a scorcher of a day past 90 degrees Fahrenheit. If you're not going to serve your cut veggies on ice, then those too need to be monitored and left out for no longer than two hours as well.
Hopefully, though, since your cheese is already at the optimal serving temp, it'll be so irresistible that your guests would have eaten most, if not all of it. And of course, you can always keep some extra in the fridge for backup and bring it out just a touch early once you see your current supply running a bit low. If Martha Stewart approves of your cheese and charcuterie serving style, I think in the end your guests will too.