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"  1. Cover all your bases. Because Italy has 309 different DOP cheeses (Denomination of Origin Protected), there are so many possibilities when it comes to creating a Italian cheese plate. First, you want your cheese plate to be a representation of the 4 most important milks that are behind all excellent cheeses: Cow&amp;#039;s Milk- You should have at least one cow&amp;#039;s milk cheese on your plate. There are many aged in different conditions (it is the maturation of the cows milk that makes the varieties most interesting, whether it&amp;#039;s matured under ash, grape leaves, etc.)\u00A0 Of course, the king of all cow&amp;#039;s milk is Parmigano-Reggiano, which undergoes a special maturation of up to 36 months. I suggest serving it in chunks as opposed to grating it (which can also make for a great appetizer).  Water Buffalo Milk- The most common type of water buffalo milk cheese is Mozzarella di Bufala, which has a firmer texture than cow&amp;#039;s milk mozzarella and is tangy in flavor. The only way to get the freshest Mozzarella di Bufala is to make sure it&amp;#039;s brought in from Italy, which we do twice a week at Obic\u00E0 because the water buffalo in the United States is a different species and therefore produces a different milk. For a cheese plate, I would suggest including the Mozzarella di Bufala Classica, which is more savory and mild. Sheep&amp;#039;s Milk- The ultimate sheep&amp;#039;s milk is pecorino (usually aged 1 month to 2 months, there are many different varieties with different grades of toughness including Romano, Fiore Sardo, Pecorino di Pienza etc). On it&amp;#039;s own, pecorino goes great with fava beans and salame felino.  Goat&amp;#039;s Milk- There are many different types of goat cheese, from fresh to aged (which are more pungent). You can finish your plate with a Tre Latti, or three milk cheese from Piemonte, a bite of Taleggio from Lombardia and soft or hard Gorgonzola, the blue cheese of Italy. 2. Serve your cheeses in the right order.  Just as you wouldn&amp;#039;t drink a strong red wine before enjoying a glass of white wine, you don&amp;#039;t want your guests eating the cheeses in the wrong order that would compromise the taste of the cheeses. You want your plate to start from the lightest to the strongest flavours (the way a meal would start with a crisp white wine, a rose, a red and then a dessert wine). 3. Add the perfect accompaniments . If you want to create a classic Italian cheese plate, do as the Italians do: simply add some very good bread (or in some cases, polenta), and that&amp;#039;s it! \u00A0 However, if you want to do it in a more contemporary way, you can add some marmalade (one that is not sweet - the best are made with some wine), dried fruits like apricots, nuts such as salted almonds, or in some cases fresh fruit, but only crisp apples or pears (pears and Parmiganno-Reggiano is a great pairing).  Make sure to check out out Obic\u00E0 mozzarella bar&amp;#039;s new location in the Flatiron District, NYC. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/dining/a1621/how-to-build-perfect-cheese-board/>