BUILDING A CHEESEBOARD

Cheese boards are a big thing at my house.  Not only do we utilize them at nearly every event, but we at times use them as substitutes for dinner. When we are in the mood for something light, we usually revert back to a classic cheese plate. I know they may seem intimidating by the looks of it, but they are actually one of the easiest things to throw together.  And while they usually get all of the attention for the way they are perfectly constructed, the fact of the matter is that the more disorganized, the more put together they seem. Check out some of our favorite tips on what we consider to be the perfect pairing– but don’t be afraid to add in your own twist.

 

 

 

 

C H O O S E   A   B O A R D

When choosing your board, make sure to keep in mind what kind of event you’re hosting. Are you feeling rustic or more classic? Upscale or casual event with friends? Whatever you choose, use it as the basis of construction.

P I C K   Y O U R   C H E E S E S

We like to mix it up with choosing a variety of soft, semi-firm, and aged cheese.  Some of our favorites include extra sharp cheddar, a Bulgarian cheese known as ‘Sirene’, a typical aged brie, a log of goat cheese, and a hybrid of jalapeño and cayenne for an extra kick. A nice assortment allows you to experience every type of combination your cheese board allows.

A D D   S A L T 

Experimenting with textures is another one of my favorite parts about creating a cheese board.  It’s nice to pair some crunch to your plate and some of our favorite go-to’s are flavored nuts and some olives.  While some people don’t care for the salty brine a green olive brings, we love the polarizing flavor (& plus, it’s in our roots!) Don’t bother with the messiness of everything. Allowing the nuts to spill over around the plate make it look extra delicious.

A D D   S W E E T

We’ve always been big fans of the salt + sweet sensation, so we always add some of our favorite fruits to our dish.  We like to add a combination of fresh and dried fruit because not only does it balance out the flavors, it allows you to indulge in the contrast between cold & room temperature.

A D D   C R A C K E R S

There is no science behind what kind of crackers to add except for going for what you like.  The only rule of thumb I tend to refer to is to add crackers of different shapes to give your board some dimension.  We went for some Italian herbed breadsticks and Trader Joe’s cracker assortment.

 

 

 

 

 

 
A D D  C O N D I M E N T S

For this post, we decided to test out some condiments that we don’t usually pair our cheese plates with — tangy honey mustard & local honey. They ended up being the perfect thing to top our goat cheese with– and the addition of pistachio & cranberry made it the perfect bite.

We usually revert back to our Middle Eastern roots and use home made jam or olive oil & zaatar.