Cheese Board
The internet is flooded lately with beautiful, super creative, and overloaded cheese and charcuterie boards. It may be overwhelming for some of us or intimidating, we may be wondering whether we are capable of assembling a decent entertaining board without taking a cheeseboards class first, or buying half of the stock at the specialty store.
Not an expert myself, I searched the net and gathered some tips to help you create a rich enough and perfectly balanced board. It includes sweet and savory flavors that may complement each other (for instance, our not-overly-sweet date rolls complement the salty nature of cheeses), different shapes, colors, and textures. Avoid school snacks such as carrot sticks and ritz crackers (in other words - chose quality over quantity), and invest in a few unique items. Keep in mind that sometimes, less is more.
Makes a board for 6-8 guests.
Ingredients
3/4 pound firm cheese (such as Asiago, Manchego, Gruyere) OR aged cheese (Sharp cheddar, white cheddar, Gouda, or Blue cheese)
3/4 pound soft cheese (Goat cheese, Brie, Camembert, Feta) OR semi-soft cheese (such as Mozzarella, Burrata, or Havarti)
12 oz spreadable cheese OR cheese dip (we chose labneh cheese and top it with olive oil and sweettahini's savory dukkah).
12 oz jar of fruit preserve (we spiced it up with sweettahini's sweet dukkah)
12 oz olives, OR other pickles of your choice, place in a small bowl.
1-2 types of fresh fruit: berries, grapes, figs, cherries, or thinly sliced apples or pears.
1-2 types of fresh, unconventional vegetables: sugar snap peas, sliced beet, or cherry tomatoes in mixed colors
Crackers, 1 type
1 Sweettahini's date roll, sliced.
Bottle of wine
Preparation
Start by placing all the cheeses on your board. Arrange them (pre-sliced, if possible) in several focal points.
Next, place anything you serve in a bowl on the board - the pickles, the fruit preserve, the berries.
Fill the gaps with sliced date rolls and crackers. Add the fruits and vegetables - largest to smallest.
Place utensils (spoon, cheese knife)