I have been there, my husband will call and say I invited 2 other couples over tonight to hang out. I immediately think I have wine ( we never run out of that lol ) what am I going to do for food! A cheese board is so easy to quickly prepare because you can add things you already have at home, and who doesn’t love to snack! Whether it is a fancy cheese board with a dozen items or a small cheese board for date night. There is no discrimination in the size or amount of items you can use. There is just something about a cheese board that makes it the perfect appetizer for any occasion. Not only do they look pretty but they are delicious to eat! With these tips you can create a cheese board for any occasion.
The Items You Will Need
For starters you will need a cheese board. It can be marble, wood or slate, the pieces you can use are limitless. Along with your board you will need cheese knives, small forks and small spoons.
Boards and Bowls
Utensils
The best places that I have found to purchase my cheeses, meats and spreads is Trader Joes, Sprouts and Bristol Farms.
The Cheese
You will want to have hard and soft cheese so that you have different textures.
Soft – Brie, Gorgonzola, Humboldt Fog, Mozzarella, Beer Cheese
Semi Soft- Stilton, Havarti, American, Baby Swiss, Fontina
Semi Hard- Manchego, Cheddar, Gouda, Roquefort
Hard- Asiago, Gruyere, Parmesan, Tillamook Cheddar, Swiss
Vehicle for the Cheese
Cheese Crisps
Pita
Pita Chips
Pretzels
Baguette
Ciabatta
Bread Sticks
Multi Grain Crackers
Water Crackers
Crostini
Dips and Spreads
Jelly (sweet and/or spicy)
Fig Spread
Chutney
Honey
Spicy Mustard
Hummus
Sweet
Strawberries
Apples
Peaches
Pears
Grapes
Chocolate
Savory
Olives, pickles, roasted peppers, artichokes
Meats
Hard Salami
Prosciutto
Chorizo
Mortadella: Italian Sausage
Nuts
Almonds
Pecans
Macadamia
Cashews
Garnish (this is extra and not needed)
Rosemary
Basil
Thyme
When it comes to arranging your cheese board, don’t stress too much and have fun! You can choose to throw it all on without any rhyme or reason, you can choose to go simple or have it overflowing. Just try to separate each category so you don’t have crackers and breads all on one side and cheeses all on one side, unless that’s your style 😉
1. Start by placing the little bowls you will use for your dips and spread. Depending on the size of the board you can do 2-4 small bowls. The picture above was a small board and I used a medium bowl for pickles and a tiny bowl for pepper jelly.
2. Add your cheese in a variety of shapes. Soft cheese can be left as they are. The harder cheese can be cut into squares, cubes, or triangles.
3. Next, add the meats and crackers. The meats can be in different shapes, folded in triangles, small cones, piles, meat like sausage can be cut into bite size pieces.
4. Then, fill in any empty spaces with fruit and nuts.
5. Lastly add your garnish around the board.
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