How to Make a Cheese Board

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Confession: I brought a sad cheese plate to last year’s Friendsgiving, and it went ignored in the corner. It was an embarrassing moment for a cookbook author, and I’ve been determined to improve my cheese board game ever since.

I walked into the party to find a gorgeous and elaborate cheese board nearly spanning the full length of the dinner table. My friend Jordan has a degree in sculpture, and she can sure put together a beautiful cheese board.

I took the opportunity to study her design. I can’t say that my efforts are quite to her level yet, but I’ve picked up a few tips and tricks to share with you today.

Building a beautiful cheese board feels like a fun art project. We’ll mix different flavors, colors, shapes and textures to build an enticing appetizer board. Give yourself some time to put it together, and you’ll enjoy the process all the more. The trick is to fill every little space on the board with nuts and fruit so it looks completely abundant.

A cheese board is the perfect excuse to break out your special serving items. If you don’t have a dedicated cheese board in your cabinets, though, don’t fret. For your base, you can use a nice wooden cutting board, a large serving platter, or even a tray or baking sheet covered with parchment paper. If you don’t have a set of cheese knives, offer butter knives, cocktail forks, cocktail picks or toothpicks.

Basically, anything goes, and no occasion is too minor for a cheese board. You just might have everything you need at home already. How about a cheese board with your French 75 this evening?

Essential Cheese Board Components

Several varieties of cheese

Choose cheese options with a variety of flavor and textures (soft like goat cheese, semi-hard like cheddar, aged like Parmesan). A good rule of thumb is roughly 3 ounces of cheese per person. Here are the types of cheese most suitable for cheese boards:

• Soft cheese: Goat cheese, Brie or Camembert
• Semi-hard cheese: Cheddar, Gouda or Havarti
• Hard cheese: Parmesan, Manchego or Pecorino
• Blue cheese: Gorgonzola, Roquefort or Stilton

The more people, the more cheese varieties you can serve (I’d add brie or blue cheese, perhaps dill havarti or another flavored option, and gouda). Even if you’re building a cheese board for two, buy three kinds of cheese and reserve the extra for more cheese boards in the near future. Five to six cheeses should be plenty for a large party (you’ll need an extra-large board, or split them across two boards).

Where to buy cheese: For high quality yet inexpensive cheese, try Trader Joe’s or Aldi. For expert guidance on your selections, visit your local cheese shop and ask for help. Other than that, you should find a decent variety at well-stocked grocery stores.

Something salty

Olives are always welcome. If you’re serving olives with the pits inside, which typically have the best flavor, you might place a small bowl nearby to catch the pits. Other options include tapenade, which is made with olives, or pickled peppers, like pepperoncini.

Something sweet and fruity

Here’s where we can play to the season and add color. That said, pantry-friendly options include honey and dried fruit, such as dried figs or cherries.

• In the spring, serve apricots, strawberries or citrus, like clementines.
• In the summer, play up the berries, like raspberries and blueberries. Cherries and sliced peaches are always nice.
• In the fall, serve apples, pears or grapes.
• In the winter, try fun varieties of citrus, like mandarins and Cara Cara oranges, and pomegranate.
• For a festive holiday board, try cranberry sauce and tuck in sprigs of fresh rosemary.

Something nutty

Pecans, walnuts, almonds and pistachios are all lovely. Toast them if you have the time. These Sweet & Spicy Roasted Party Nuts will steal the show!

Something crisp

Ideally, offer more than one kind of cracker or crostini. Choose options that contrast in size, shape or texture for the most dynamic results. For example, serve round crackers and long cracker sticks, or pita chips with crostini. Crackers containing nuts, seeds and whole grains are a great way to offer variety. I’m always a sucker for Raincoast Crisps, which include little slivers of nuts and dried fruit. Simple Mills makes the best gluten-free crackers.

Cheese Board Presentation Tips

1) Place large items first

Start by placing your cheese on the board. For best flavor, let the cheese warm to room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving.

2) Slice your cheese to maximize texture

Slice your cheese in various ways to maximize texture. For example, you can 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. For brie or soft round cheeses, cut several bite-sized slices or wedges, and leave cheese knives nearby for guests to slice as desired.

3) Fill up the space

Next, place any small bowls of tapenade, olives, honey, or jam on the board. Add color by filling large blank areas with sliced fruit, clusters or grapes or handfuls of clementine segments. Divvy your crackers across the board, and nuts, too. There’s no harm in repeating segments on the board to fill the space.

4) Add your finishing touches

Place small spoons or serving utensils in bowls, and position cheese knives near the relevant cheeses. Then, take a good look at your board. Do you see any bare spots that you could fill? Do you see any large, solid chunks that you could break up? For example, the wedge of brie on my board looked dull until I drizzled honey on top. Layers are always nice. Now, you’re ready to serve!