When it comes to a party, you'll find us by the cheese board.
A stellar cheese board is the star of any party. So we asked celebrity chef and restaurateur Marc Murphy to teach us how to create the perfect board.
Murphy, who is a regular judge on "Chopped" and recently hosted an experience at the 12th annual Food Network & Cooking Channel New York City Wine & Food Festival, said the most important factors are quality and variety.
(MORE: This 24-layer rainbow crepe cake is the birthday cake of your childhood dreams)"For me, a cheese board really has to have variety," Murphy said. "It has to have a couple different types of cheese, a couple different types of meats ... and some accouterments around there."
Then, go for the good stuff.
(MORE: Wine down in this yoga class that combines vino and vinyasa)"See who's carrying good cheeses, see who's carrying good charcuterie -- I think it really comes down to the product you have," Murphy said.
1. Put your cheeses on the outside edges the board, so it's easier for people to cut the cheese.
2. Place your meats in the center of the board, surrounded by the cheeses.
3. Add nuts in a small bowl to the plate.
4. Sprinkle olives around the center.
5. If there's room to add crackers and bread to the board, do that. Otherwise, place those around the board.
-Camembert
-Dried goat cheese
-Emmental
-Aged Gouda
-Époisses de Bourgogne
-Mortadella
-Hard Salami
-Prosciutto
-Bresaola
-Seasoned Nuts
-Mixed Olives
-Dried Apricots
-Honeycomb -French Baguette
-Assorted Crackers
Always take the cheeses out of the fridge about "an hour in advance" of your event, Murphy said, so they have enough time to adjust to room temperature.
"If [they're] cold, you're not going to taste the cheeses the way they're supposed to be," Murphy said.