Cheese Plates for the Win

Awe cheese. Is there anything better than some delicious, creamy, sometimes odiferous cheese? Add in some crackers and meat and you have dinner in my house! If I’m going to a party or trying to be extra fancy, I’ll create a charcuterie board that fits the theme of the event. Celebrating the end of summer? Going to watch some college ball? Pre Thanksgiving celebration? I can make a cheese board for that! I mean they really are the be it and end all of party plates.

There are a few Instagram accounts that I follow religiously and I get a lot of inspiration from them. One of my all time favorites is Cheese by Numbers or their sister page That Cheese Plate. The pros at Cheese by Numbers recommend that every good cheese plate needs six things: Cheese, Meat, Produce, Crunch, Dip, and Garnish.

Here’s my take:

Cheese - bring on the cheese, mix it up and make it a variety of different types of cheeses. Hard and soft cheeses both are welcome. Whole Foods has an awesome little basket in the refrigerated section of our store with a ton of cheese remnants that they are selling for cheap. These are the slivers of truffle cheese, quarter rounds of brie, or rectangles of gouda that were cut off an original order. They are way cheaper than buying a giant block and this way you can try a ton of different cheeses you may have never tried! It is always my go to stop first thing when I’m planning on making a cheese board. Also, be fancy AF and mix up the cheese types. Not everyone can eat cheese made out of Cow Milk. Add in some awesome goat cheese or sheep milk cheese. Your friends and tastebuds will thank you.
Meat - I’m pretty basic when it comes to my meats. I like a delish salami and stick primarily to that. But every once in a while I’ll throw in some killer pastrami or roll up some herb rubbed, oven roasted, lunch meat sliced, organic chicken breast. I know, I got you drooling right?
Produce - Produce can be fruit, sliced veggies, olives (my favorite), pickles (my second favorite), dried fruit. This is where you can add in some gorgeous color and create a theme. Is it fall? Add in some seasonal fall fruits like a delicious bright red apple, or ripe and juicy pear. Those great red and green colors can add to the feeling of fall for sure. I’m in the process of building my pre Thanksgiving plate and I have added persimmon and pomegranate for my produce. I may even pop in a few apple slices and I always, always add in olives. I’m thinking of keeping it simple for those.
Crunch - Crunch for me is key. You need some texture on your plate. You also need a way to shovel that delicious cheese into your mouth. Crackers, bread, and nuts are all necessary for your board…unless you’re allergic to nuts- then forget those. My go to cracker for my cheese boards are the La Panzanella brand. I am partial to the Croccantini style cracker. They sell them at Whole Foods, but I am sure you can pick them up pretty much anywhere. Currently, I’m visiting my husband’s family in Alabama. I have found them at Publix and Krogers. So, I know they sell them pretty much everywhere.

As for my crunch, you all…I am a freak for truffle. My absolute favorite thing are these truffle Marcona Almonds that you can find at Whole Foods. I could eat them by the pound…but I won’t…(but I want to). I sprinkle those round my board and they always get gobbled right up. They’re kind of like a secret weapon. Really though, any nut will do. You could also add a variety of other crunchy type foods. For my college football board I added soft and hard pretzels. It’s all about that theme.

5. Dip - Dip can be a sweet honey or jam, or a savory and spicy mustard. I also like adding in hummus or a tasty tzatziki.

6. Garnish - Garnish is where the creative types can really shine. Fresh flowers, candy, herbs, Try to keep it editable and on theme. Got a Christmas or holiday party coming up? Candy canes would be cute or little peppermints. Halloween? Candy corn would be fun. You get the idea.

See below for some of my past boards.

South Carolina Game Cocks Cheese Board FTW

Until next time teacher friends.

Bottoms up!

How to Build the Best Cheese Board