A cheese board is my favorite way to express the great spirit of a celebration. I cannot imagine any party or holiday without this epic masterpiece. It has the best of everything: the best savory or creamy cheese, different kinds of salami or prosciutto, roasted savory and sweet nuts, fresh veggies and succulent fruits, crunchy multi-flavored crackers, and seasonal decorations that will enhance the beauty and taste. This conversation piece will always be a good way to socialize and celebrate a great time with friends or family.
Your imagination can go on and on. You can create your own spin. I love to play with my cheese board ideas. That’s why everybody loves this amazing masterpiece. Everybody can enjoy the food they love. Everybody can enjoy a great atmosphere and at the same time make their own perfect bite, such as a cracker sandwich with savory cheese and sweet roasted nuts drizzling with spicy honey. Yummy:)
Moreover, a cheese board is an incredible complement to enjoy a wine or champagne tasting. Because of the various collection of yummy food, everybody can find their favorite, delicious food to complement their choice of wine or champagne. Personally, I love to delight in a creamy cheese with a succulent grape or strawberry on top with a glass of Veuve Clicquot or Dom Perignon. This mix of two incredible tastes is divine and makes me appreciate life more. Also, having a great red blend with delightful choice of cheese board emphasizes the greatness of a profound experience that lasts a lifetime.
I would like to share my ideas for making an unforgettable cheese board that will make everybody talk about it for years.
Choose a platter
Personally, I prefer a wooden board because most of the ingredients are a shade of white, so the food will stand out more. Moreover, the design and idea of your cheese board will always look elegant and natural in any environment or celebration.
Select the cheese
I usually plan three kinds of cheese for my wooden platter. I prefer to have two savory tastes and one sweeter choice. You can go with a larger number of cheeses, but I prefer the odd number three, because my ideas are full of various other ingredients that I want to fit on my cheeseboard.
Two savory cheeses I usually prefer are aged Gouda and Manchego.
For the sweet kind, I like cranberry or blueberry cheeses. Brie is another great choice to make your cheese board magnificent.
Select the Salami and Prosciutto
Meat and cheese are my most favorite ingredients on a wooden platter. So always make sure to have a great selection of meat. I suggest adding one to three selections of meat. I usually have one kind of hard cured salami and uncured salami. Besides that, an Italian thinly sliced prosciutto is a great addition to your cheese masterpiece.
Accompaniments
Having just cheese and meat on a cheese board would be boring. So I love to include other tastes to my platter for my friends to be happier. That’s where the real fun begins! Your imagination can climb high mountains and make all your wishes come true. I love playing with ideas and concepts, amusing my mind with different colors and tastes.
To go mixed: I always make sure I add roasted salty and sweet nuts such as almonds and walnuts. They’re easy to make and does not take much time. Also, dried fruits such as cranberries or figs are super wonderful to have on a platter, as well.
Fresh fruits and veggies: I love to have fresh and colorful bites such as cherry tomatoes, chopped cucumbers, crunchy small pickles, and colorful grapes and strawberries. Recently I loved having an Asian pear on the cheese board. It brought the unique flavor of all the ingredients together.
Jarred tapenade: This delicious blend of Kalamata and Chalkidiki olives is always a great complement to my cheese platter. My friends enjoy it as a spread for crackers and cheese or a dip for fresh veggies. A sip of red wine with all these tastes makes them want to have more.
Jarred fig jam: The combination of savory aged Gouda with fig jam is incredibly delicious. It is like my favorite duet that I can serve all the time without a doubt. Also, combining Brie with fig jam is heavenly too.
Crackers: I prefer to decorate my cheese board with Lesley Stowe Raincoast Crisps cranberry and hazelnut crackers and 34 Degrees rosemary crispbread. With just the right amount of flavor to bring out the best in whatever I pair them with. These crackers will not overwhelm my cheese board at all.
Preparation and serving: A cheese board takes some time to be prepared and organized. I always make sure to do all preparations before the event. I usually cut the cheese into triangle shapes and wash all other ingredients in the morning. In addition, all seasonal decorations are clean nicely and left aside until I am ready to design my cheese board. Also, a knife set for the cheese board makes presentation more elegant and complete.
Let the fun begin! It is time to put together and decorate the cheese board!
Decorating and designing the cheese board is my favorite part, where I can use my creativity and ideas freely. Just a quick explanation on how I build my masterpiece.
First, I spread the salami and prosciutto on the top to make a meat section. Underneath, I have the colorful roasted nuts with sweet dried fruit or honeycomb.
Than, I set up the border of aged Gouda around the meat area. On the other side of the cheese, I lay out the grapes. Also, I make the area to place the jars of fig spread and tapenade. Under the jars I create a spot for Asian pear slices with blueberry cheese next to it.
Next, I separate the crackers and place them into different spots on the cheese board. Then I look for the best area for the fresh cucumbers and cherry tomatoes.
I finish up by placing any other ingredients on the rest of the board. Finally I use fresh, washed rosemary from my garden and other garnishes to decorate my cheese board.
Bon Appétit!