Step 1: Pick out your cheeses
A good rule of thumb is to have at least 3 different cheeses on your board: a soft cheese (brie is always a crowd-pleaser), a hard cheese, and one more cheese of your choice–– like a goat, a blue, or something stinky. Add more cheeses depending on the size of the party, but try not to overwhelm your board.
Tip: Remember to take your cheeses out of the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before serving for optimum flavor and texture!
Step 2: Grab some crackers
Just like the cheeses, you can use the crackers as an opportunity to play with flavor and texture. A good sea salt cracker or a sliced baguette pairs well with any cheese. There are also plenty of crackers with nuts and seeds that can add some texture to your board.
Step 3: Have fun with it!
Fill in the spaces of your board with foods that will not only look great but also pair well with your cheeses. Dried fruits and nuts are great. So are olives, artichokes, and in-season fruits. Jams and honey are also a great way to have fun (fig jam is a MUST if you’re serving brie). If you want to make it a charcuterie board, add some meats like sliced prosciutto, chorizo, coppa, or a dried salami. Add some pâté if you want to show off.
Looking for cheese inspiration? I put together some options below. The starred cheeses are my top five favorites as someone who worked in a cheese shop for almost a year.
Soft Cheese: Délice de Bourgogne*, Bosina Robiola, Belletoile Brie, Fromager D’affinois, Port Salut
Hard Cheese: Prairie Breeze Cheddar, P’tit Basque, Manchego, Aged Gouda, Ementaler*, Comté
Goat Cheese: Humboldt Fog, Drunken Goat, Midnight Moon*, Bucheron
Blue Cheese: Roquefort, St. Agur*, Bayley Hazen, Stilton, Cambozola, Point Reyes, Gorgonzola Dolce
Stinky Cheese: Camembert, Eppoisse*, Red Devil, Taleggio