Learn how to build a beautiful cheese board with this simple technique. Plan on a few ounces of cheese per person. I’d suggest between 3 to 5 cheese varieties, depending on the size of the crowd.
Position your cheese on the board. For best flavor, let the cheese warm to room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving.
Use a fork to create large chunks of blue cheese and Parmesan. Slice semi-hard cheese, like cheddar, and fan them across a section of the board. Cut wedges of brie into slices and soft round cheeses into wedges (it’s totally fine to leave portions of cheese whole).
Place small bowls of tapenade, olives, honey, or jam on the board. Add color by filling large blank areas with sliced fruit, then place your crackers and nuts across the board in clusters.
Place small spoons or serving utensils in bowls, and position cheese knives near the relevant cheeses. Look at your board and fill any bare spots with additional nuts or fruit. You might drizzle some honey over soft cheese. Now, you’re ready to serve!
Notes
*Vegetarian note: Hard aged cheeses like Parmesan typically contain animal rennet, which is not vegetarian. BelGioioso brand offers vegetarian Parmesan cheese. Or, you can skip this category altogether. Cheese labels typically denote animal rennet or microbial rennet (microbial is vegetarian).