Marinated Cheese Is The Customizable Dish For A Show-Stopping Party Spread

If you're entertaining guests or preparing for a potluck, here's one idea that will look creative and original, and yet requires minimal effort on your part: marinated cheese. While it does require time, the preparation tends to be simple, requiring you to just throw all the components into a container and leave the cheese to soak it all in.

Generally speaking, marinated cheese is soaked in oil (typically olive oil — but infused olive oil adds extra flavor) alongside fresh or dried herbs, aromatics like garlic, and sometimes vinegar to impart flavor. Serving it couldn't be easier: For a party setting, you can offer it with crackers, crostini, or bread — basically, anything you might add for similar purposes on a cheese board. But it's still cheese, so you can also use it in other settings like salads or sandwiches, especially if you end up with leftovers. The only downside is that you'll need to plan ahead. While you might be able to marinate meat in just a couple of hours, marinated cheese recipes often suggest resting it overnight or even for two days in the refrigerator — plus a little extra time for the cheese to warm up before serving.

A key step to nailing marinated cheese is to start out with the best cheese. There's no "correct" choice, but there are some generally better options. On the good side are varieties like cream cheese, fresh mozzarella, feta, and goat cheese. Cheeses you'll want to avoid include blue varieties and soft options like Brie or Camembert. As a general rule, you'll want to avoid anything with too strong a flavor. Remember, you're already adding flavor with the marinade. Creamy cheeses are good, and somewhat porous cheeses are also a good idea, as you want something that can soak up that flavor. Some cheeses like cheddar fall in the middle, with some recipes recommending it and others suggesting avoiding the sharper varieties if you try it.

As for the ingredients in which to marinate the cheese, garlic, peppercorns, herbs like thyme or rosemary, and red pepper flakes are common recommendations. Lemon zest, shallots, bay leaves, and fennel or cumin seeds are also options. Realistically, you can work with whatever's in your pantry as long as you're pairing flavors thoughtfully. If you're using fresh herbs, avoid anything too soft like parsley or basil as these can turn unappealingly brown. No matter the flavor profile, don't forget to season it with salt. Finally, it can be worth cooking your marinade (oil plus the flavorings) very gently to strengthen the flavors for this show-stopping technique.