How to make Amazing Cheese Board in 3 steps
Cheese boards – one of the best ways to please all your guests. They look great with different colors and textures – and can often double as a centerpiece. And the options are endless, so attractive to different tastes and preferences. There are so many delicious combinations!
Bonus: “No Cooking Required” means that you have more time to enjoy the company of your guests (or, as a rule, for other kitchen tasks).
But if you don’t know much about cheese or potato boards, it can be intimidating (or expensive if you try to buy all kinds of cheese and cracker in the store)! So, I share 3 easy steps to make awesome and impressive cheese advice with real Californian cheeses – that means real food from real people!
1. Cheese – select 3 different types of real Californian cheese.
This usually happens when you can intimidate, because there are so many different types of cheese! And it's good when you like cheese! But it is not great if you do not know what types of cheese work on the board and want to quickly go to the grocery store.
The first step is to make sure you have 1 of each type of cheese. They are often classified by their hardness and texture, so if you want to keep it simple, get one hard / semi-hard cheese, one soft / spread cheese and one blue fat cheese.
Feel free to get more than that! But at a minimum, you should start with these varieties and add any others that look good.
1 – hard cheese
1 – soft cheese
1 – strong cheese
1 – bonus: your favorite cheese
Tip: 2-3 servings of each cheese per person.
Try this: if you serve wine, cut out the middleman and serve wine-soaked cheddar, which is not only delicious, but also adds a cheerful color and part of the conversation to the board.
Be sure to find the real Californian dairy seal when you buy cheese for your distribution, to make sure it is made from 100% natural Californian milk from real California dairy families. You can also get information about cheese 101 (storage, food and their cheeses) in the section "Real California Milk – Cheese".
2. Crackers, Bread, or Other Means to Enjoy Cheese
Choose 2 carburetor options for the board. Ideally, at least one should be crispy – think crackers or mini-toast. The second choice can also be crispy or you can make bread – think pita bread or sliced baguette.
Keep in mind the cheese that you have, and get something that complements it. You might want to get a soft cracker if you chose a very strong, flavorful cheese. If you went with soft cheeses, seeds or cracker with fruit and nuts could work well.
1 – crispy or salty
1 – soft or sweet
The possibilities of textures and flavors are almost endless in this area. You can make crackers or bread – or both, and more! Just make sure the flavors complement the cheese. If you choose very strong cheese flavors – go with soft crackers that will not compete with flavors.
3. Extra (complementary fragrances)
Fresh fruits and vegetables – select 1 of each (ideally in different colors).
This category serves double duty on a cheeseboard, because they are tasty and add great color. The best fruits and vegetables are those in season. Shop for products that are at the peak of the season for the best flavors. And fruits and vegetables are often cheaper when they are plentiful.
1 – fresh fruit
1 – fresh vegetables
Sweet – choose 1 sweet treat to complement strong cheese.
1 – jam, honey or spray
You can use honey or jam, which you already have – just serve it in a good bowl or cup. And make it easy for guests to service themselves with a small spoon nearby.
Salty – choose 1 sweet dish to complement softer cheese.
Examples: nuts, pickles, hummus, olives, etc.
Council By sprinkling nuts in any bare areas of your cheeseboard, it looks more abundant.
Read the breakdown for each category and remove this checklist (or print it) and send it to the store with you. Enjoy!
* Look for a real California milk print when you buy dairy products. Compaction means it is made using Real California Milk – from dairy farms across the state.
More >>> Tips and a delicious cheeseboard I made when I met with some Real California Milk team in San Francisco here!
I love cheddar and wholegrain crackers with honey. Sooooo good!
This post is in partnership with Real California Milk. All opinions are my own. #SavortheSeason #Holidairy #CADairy #sponsored
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