A guide to preparing an epic cheese board 🧀

I might not be the only one mesmerised by the amount of beautiful charcuterie and cheese boards all around the internet. In this house we heart cheese. Living in this part of the world where cheese and dairy products are so abundant, I guess it's only normal they've become a part of our diet. I've said before that there hasn't been a week we don't purchase a new block of cheese. It's true!

Assembling a cheese or a charcuterie board comes down to pairing tastes, flavours, textures, and last but not least, colours.

I want to point out that I made this charcuterie board with foods I had in my fridge. I didn't go out of my usual budget. That is to say, you can make a delicious cheese board with things you already have on hand. While my husband and I were having this cheese board we were talking about the fact that this whole board could perfectly be sold for at least CHF 50 in a restaurant or specialised deli! However, ours was way more affordable (not even CHF 20)! Of course, you can buy a special truffled gouda, a fancy cured manchego, or a decadent and gooey burrata, and pair it with gourmet crackers and an expensive wine. But you can make an absolutely fantastic and flavourful board without breaking the bank.

Once you understand the few basics, the rest is up to you and how creative you want to be 😜

Step 1: The board

Start by choosing a solid structure to build your cheeseboard. If it's a big gathering and you are trying to feed 10 or 20 people, perhaps it makes more sense to use a small-medium table and fold it with paper to avoid any damage. However, if you plan to host a small gathering of 2 to 5 people, a rounded or squared woody board will work very well.

The board shown in this picture is a rotating board that I purchased some time ago. You can find a board of the same characteristics or without a rotary in any grocery store or supermarket, I usually see it in the kitchen section, next to tableware. I folded the board with baking paper not only to avoid any damage or stains but also for a uniform visual effect. If you want to use a table, buy a big roll of paper to cover the surface.

❗️Use your imagination: before buying a board, look around your house. Perhaps you have an old box that you are not using? Or maybe a big sturdy plate? Give it a second life, fold it with baking paper and ta-da, a free and re-usable board for your gatherings!

Step 2: The cheese

🧀 The first thing we will place on our board will be the cheeses.

I've mentioned above that it's not necessary to break the bank to have a nice assortment of cheeses. These days, most grocery stores have a wide variety, and a gourmet selection for people like you, reading this post 😜 Have a look at a few different places, try to see what's on offer and on season.

If you don't want to compromise buying a big block of, let's say, cheddar (What's wrong with you? Why wouldn't you want a big block of cheddar?) visit your local cheese store and try a few kinds of cheese on display. Normally, if you ask for a bite-size sample of X or Y, they very kindly offer some for costumers.

❗️Slice your cheeses in different shapes: squared, round, in triangles, cream+spoon...

Soft-mild cheese: goat cheese (Chevre), mozzarella, feta, brie, ricotta, cream cheese, mascarpone,

cottage cheese,...

I find soft and mild cheeses such as goat cheese to be a no-brainer. Everybody loves a nice medallion of goat cheese and it pairs well with any fruit, nut or jam. For example, the picture below shows a little block of goat cheese covered in edible flowers. I got it for €2.54 at my local grocery store. It stands out and the colours combine with all the other foods around. Some crackers and a Sauvignon Blanc pair wonderfully well, along walnuts and peanuts, as well as figues, cranberries, or apples. Top it with a nice jam or a good teaspoon of honey 🍯

Blue cheese: Roquefort, Cabrales, Danish Blue Cheese (Danablu), Gorgonzola, Stilton,...

To spice things up, I find it's delightful to add some blue cheese for contrast not only in colour but also in flavour. It's a strigent kick and it happens to pair extremely well with mellow cheese jams such as figue or pear, but also with tomato+cinnamon. Place it close to cornichons, olives, and/or pickled onions.Grab a fresh baguette, cut it in slices and serve it along.

Hard cheese: pecorino, pecorino al tartufo, manchego, parmiggiano reggiano, grana padano,

gruyère, emmental, Flor de Esgueva,...

Hard cheeses pair well with sweet and dry fruits, specially apples, apricots, raisins and dates. Any wine will carry forward the strong flavour of, let's say, a pecordino, but I'm thinking of a nice swiss chasselas, a chardonnay, a malbec or a pinot noir.

Funky cheeses: white cheddar, maroilles, gruyère, munster, reblochon, mimolette, vacherin,

camembert, comté, époisses,...

Pair them with some grapes and walnuts, a bite of apple and serve close a good dry meat, like an old curated chorizo or saucisson. A nice, sparkling wine or a Bordeaux will be the perfect companion for a funky cheese like gruyère or munster.

Step 3: Cured meats

A good variety of cured meats may include some larger, smaller and spicy diverse types, with different taste and textures

• prosciutto or jamon: don't keep the slices flat on the board, instead shape them in a variety of ways

• Salami or chorizo: depending on the size of the slice, you can lay it flat or flip it like a card or a flower, just in the picture

Step 4: Accoutrements or accompaniments

These are all those things that pair well with your cheeses and meats: fruits, nuts, dry fruits, cornichons, pickled items or olives. Try to place near to each other things that pair well together. Start placing the accoutrements in the following order:

1. Fruits

2. Dry fruits

3. Nuts

4. Extra virgin olive oil

5. Crackers or breads

❗️Avoid placing near the edges of your board things that might roll off such as olives, nuts or fruits like cherries and blueberries.

Some examples:

• Blue cheese, apples, walnuts, figue jams, cornichon/pickles, and crackers

• Pecorino, prosciutto, apricot, baguette and honey

• Goat cheese, salami blueberries/plums, almonds...

• Mozzarella, cherries, dried figs, thin slices of baguette topped with truffled olive oil

The world is your oyster! Play with flavours and colours, look around your fridge and your pantry, and find your favourite combos.

Step 5: Final touches and decoration

Once all your cheese, cured meats and foods are well placed on your board, you want to finish by adding the last touches. If you happen to have a a good chunk of honeycomb or quince, now it's a good opportunity to use it - it looks spectacular over mild cheeses like goat, brie or cream cheese.

For a nice aesthetic and aromatic touch, add some herbs such as rosemary, thyme, dill, laurel or mint. Maybe, you could also add some edible flowers or perhaps, if you plan ahead, you could pick up, clean and dry wild flowers to use for the occasion. In the picture below, you can see I used wild daisies which I found while I walked around my neighbourhood, but any other flower will be beautiful too. You can also add little props that might be around your kitchen such as little spoons, cheese knifes or little bowls.

❗️ Lasty, serve your cheese board at room temperature, not straight from the fridge. This way, complex flavours will settle down and be more emphasised ✨