Creating the perfect cheese board

Let's make the perfect cheese board! Easy and simple or fancy and complex, cheese boards are the perfect addition to any holiday, a night with friends or everyday entertaining. They make even a normal Friday night dinner just a little bit more special and even kid’s love being able to browse and choose the perfect, delicious snack.

Not only are cheese boards fun to look at and eat, but they are so fun to make! And best of all they appeal to almost everyone and can be customized for any occasion. Pick your favorite cheeses, make them sweet or savory, add the perfect crunch with nuts or crackers, and cured meats or fruit to finish them off.

How to Create the Perfect Board

Start with the board!
 
Many cheese boards you see are assembled on wooden or slate trays, but anything with a flat surface will work. No need to go out and buy something just for the occasion (unless you want to!) a plate, cutting board or baking sheet will work perfectly.

Choose your Cheese.

The star of any cheese board is… the cheese! Include a variety of cheeses with different flavors and textures. This will ensure your board will taste great AND visually appealing. The great thing about creating your own board is that YOU get to choose the cheese that you love, there is no right or wrong, but if you are looking for a little guidance follow the cheese family guide below and include a variety from several different categories. For starters I like to choose two or three cheeses.

• Aged cheese: Cheddar, Gouda, Parmesan, Manchego, Comté
  
• Soft cheese: Brie, Camembert, Goat Cheese, Roquefort
  
• Hard cheese: Asiago, Pecorino, Gruyere, Emmental
  
• Blue cheese: Stilton, Gorgonzola, Maytag Blue
  
• Fresh cheese: Ricotta, Feta, Mozzarella, Burrata
  
• Smoked cheese: Smoked Gouda, Smoked Cheddar, Smoked Mozzarella
  
• Flavored cheese: Truffle Cheese, Garlic and Herb Cheese, Cranberry Wensleydale, Jalapeño Cheddar
  
• Local or regional cheese (our favorite category!): Fresh WW Homestead Dairy Cheese Curds, Vermont Cheddar, California Brie.
  

Add some meat (aka charcuterie)
 
Choose salami, prosciutto, or chorizo. Any cured meat will work! Stick with one or two options.

Think savory!
 
Add that savory touch with olives, pickles, or roasted peppers. Nuts like cashews or almonds also work well as savory items. You can even choose a spicy mustard to make things more interesting.
 
Going sweet?
 
The great thing about a cheese board is mixing both sweet and savory. Of course you can always stick with just one to keep things simple, but adding in one or two sweet items is always a great choice. Sweet items that work well on cheese boards include; berries or dried fruits, candied nuts, local jams or jellies, honey or chocolate!

The bread.
 
Offering a couple “bread” choices adds a great look to your cheese board and can provide the needed vehicle to get all of your great cheese, meat, savory and sweet items from the plate to the belly! Sliced baguettes, bread sticks, pretzels or a variety of crackers in different shapes and sizes are perfect choices for any cheese board.
 
Finish with some garnish.
 
A little garnish is the thing that will take your cheese board from just delicious to “wow”! It might look almost so good your guests won’t want to eat it, but because of all your delicious choices that won’t happen. Great garnish choices to look for; edible flowers, herbs, or other brightly colored fruits to give your board the look you want.

Cheese Board Tips

You can’t go wrong with cheese and any choices you make will be delicious. Offering a variety of sweet and savory will go a long way in pleasing everyone's taste buds. Your guests (and you) will all enjoy eating your cheese a little different and making sure you have a bit of everything will ensure that your cheese board will be the star of the party.

Add textures to make your board look more interesting and taste better! Think about using ingredients with different textures like creamy, crunchy, crisp or gooey.

Always bring your cheeses to room temperature before serving. This helps bring out the true flavor of the cheese and makes for a better eating experience.

Don’t forget to add cute dishes to hold your spreads, sweet or savory items. 

Happy Cheese Board creating! Let me know what you come up with and your favorite additions to your boards.