DESIGN A dynamic arrangement is visually appealing and provides a sort of road map for the diner to navigate. Cut your cheeses into bite-size pieces, to facilitate easy sampling. Keep the shape uniform across each style of cheese to provide some visual continuity for the eater. Arranging your pieces into overlapping patterns is a great way to give your board some volume, and makes for a more interesting dining experience too. Place groups of garnish (fresh fruit, dried fruit, nuts) into the empty spaces between cheeses until the board appears full and balanced. If you’re adding meat (aka charcuterie) to your board, this is the time to do it. Always start by placing your cheese and then fill in empty spaces with folded meat slices. Long slices of prosciutto or salami rounds are easy to manipulate into organic shapes (as compared to the more geometric shapes of cheese). No need to make fancy meat flowers, we find the best way to put charcuterie on a board is to simply let the slices fall naturally where they will. bit. Your taste buds will thank you! Above all, making a cheese board should be fun! Pour yourself a glass of wine, relax, and dive in. We hope our advice has steered you in the right direction, but we can absolutely promise, no one complains with a mouth full of cheese.
TIMING When should you assemble your board? The best thing you can do for your cheese board is procrastinate. For best results, make your cheese board within a few hours of your event, and cover until ready to serve. Cutting your cheese the night before will cause the cheese to lose flavor. If you
are using any spiced or herbed garnishes, consider holding off adding those until the last minute, as cheese can absorb strong flavors. Lastly, and very importantly, always serve cheese at room temperature. Take your board out of the refrigerator at least one hour prior to serving so it can warm up a
SOME SHAPE IDEAS FOR THE CHEESES: TRIANGLES Alpines and semi-firm cheeses are pliant enough to slice lengthwise into long elegant slivers. SHARDS Goudas and cheddars can be broken along natural fault lines into organic, bite-size shapes. ROUNDS Small brie-style cheeses are best left whole for slicing into; they also make a great visual centerpiece for your board.
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