Fall Cheese Board
Today, I’m giving you all the tips and tricks on how to create a gorgeous cheese board. Cheese boards are my go-to for easy family nights, home-gates, entertaining and especially around any holiday celebration. And guess what? You don’t need to be a foodie or a design genius to create a fantastic cheese board.
Cheese boards are a creative way to showcase local cheeses and support the farmers in your community. As many of you know, my father was a farmer, so supporting local farmers is a huge must for me! And I love to support local as much as I can.
This grazing board is beautiful and healthy because cheese is a good source of protein, calcium, phosphorus, vitamins A and B12, critical nutrients that are lacking from many Americans’ diets. And I’ve added a variety of veggies and fruit! Dairy foods are also linked to better bone health, especially in children and adolescents.
On this board, I’ve added two super simple spreads. A Cheesy Herb Dip, and a Butternut Garlic Cheese Spread. Both of these are quick and easy to pull together. These spreads are perfect on this board and great as a stand-alone snack with a few crackers and veggie dippers…(Crudités if we are getting all fancy.)
So here is the step by step guide on how to:
Pick the cheeses
Add the accompaniments (fruit, jams, meats, nuts, breads, and crackers)
And how to arrange it to make it beautiful.
How to Build a Beautiful CheeseBoard
Free download at the end of the post;)
The CHEESE please:
Choose 3-5 kinds of cheese (pick from these different categories and you will have a lovely range of flavors and textures)
Fresh: Mild slightly Tangy (Serve soft cheeses whole)
Mozzarella, Burrata, Fresh Ricotta
Soft Cheese: Creamy, Buttery, Mild (Serve soft cheeses whole)
Brie, Camembert, Crescenza
Pungent Cheese: AKA Stinky in a good way cheese (Serve stinky cheeses whole)
Blue, Taleggio, Gorgonzola, Roquefort and Stilton
Hard and Semi Hard Cheese: Nutty, Firm (Serve hard cheeses whole but cut a few slices to get them started)
Pecorino, Manchego, Grana Padano, Cheddar, Gouda….and, Parmesan.
The Accompaniments:
Choose 1-2 from each category.
Fruit: grapes, figs, dried apricots or dates, apples, melons, and pears.
Meats: Genoa salami, Slices of prosciutto, soppressata, rolled slices of hard salami, capicola, or slices of Capocollo
Nuts: Hazelnuts, Marcona (my fav) or Cashews.
Spreads: Fresh Herb Dip, Butternut Garlic Cheese Spread, Varietal honey, Jams, Chutney, Mustard, Fruit Compotes (I’ve added a couple delicious and easy recipes at the end of the post)
Bread: Artisan cracker crisps, crusty bread such as baguette, rustic multigrain, and artisan rye bread or pre-made bruschetta- you don’t even have to heat the oven!
THE SPREADS:
Here I’ve made the Cheesy Herb Dip, and a Butternut Garlic Cheese Spread. But you can also simply purchase varietal honey, jams, or chutney.
Here are the recipes for the 2 delicious spreads pictured on this cheese board.
Herb Dip:
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves, minced
1 tablespoon fresh chives, minced
1/4 teaspoon garlic powers
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Combine all ingredients until blended and serve.
Butternut Spread:
1 lb cubed butternut squash, roasted
3 cloves garlic, minced
4-ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
salt and pepper
Combine all ingredients until blended, taste and add salt and pepper as desired and serve.
PUT IT ALL TOGETHER:
The BOARD
Choose a serving platter. It could be a basic everyday platter, an antique family platter, a marble slab, slate, or in my case, it’s always a rustic wood board. Just choose what makes your heart sing!
Arrange the platter.
Try to add height by piling grapes or stacking bread. Larger clusters of ingredients are more visually appealing. Have little knives out for each of the cheeses, so you keep them separated. You know, those cute small short stubby knives. But I don’t have any of those, so I just use my butter knives, and I haven’t been shot yet.
I fill in the gaps on my board with fresh herbs, nuts, or even some whole seasonal fruit for a pop of color. Or add olives in cute little mason jars or wood bowls, so look around your kitchen, find things you love, and add them to your spread. It really can be that easy!
Enjoy and don’t forget to tag me in your beautiful creations!
xx,
Lauren
Sponsored by my friends @midwestdairy