The Well Curated Cheeseboard

Putting together a good cheeseboard can feel like a daunting task, especially if you are incorporating an array of interesting, high-quality artisan cheese. The spectrum of cheese available is overwhelming on it's own - and when considering not every category or style will appeal to everybody's palate - curating a good group of cheese can quickly become incredibly stressful, in addition to unrealistically expensive. Relax though, my cheese-lovers, because here is your primer on what to consider when putting together a cheeseboard.

For starters, consider the number of people who will be eating the cheese.  Is the cheese the main event? Estimate about 6-7 oz. per person. Are you serving this as an appetizer or as a part of a bigger dinner? Go for 2-3 oz. per person. If the cheese will be served at dessert, 1-1 ½ oz. per person is appropriate. Once you get an estimate of how much cheese you will need, the next step is to consider who will be eating it. Is the group mostly finicky eaters or are they adventurous? Are they self-proclaimed cheese enthusiasts or full-blown cheese snobs? I am a firm-believer in what I like to refer to as gateway cheeses, a gettable, delicious, crowd-pleaser that is easy to find in any Whole Foods but is typically something most people haven’t tried before. A good gateway cheese will convince the pickiest to try different cheeses on the cheese board. With that being said, determine the number of varieties you would like to include, and then narrow down your options from there. I like to take a less quantity, more variety approach to my cheeseboards, but odd numbers of 3 or 5 are usually the best.

Some tips for incorporating variety:
Choose a variety of milk types: Cow, Sheep, Goat
Choose cheeses with different textures: Soft, supple, sticky, firm, hard, crumbly
Choose a variety of different flavor profiles: Bloomy, Sharp, Salty, Nutty, Tangy, Funky

Typically – everyone likes sharp cheddar. Aged gouda like beemster or saenkanter, parmigiano reggiano and its sisters, grano padano and piave are all well-loved.  Make sure you talk to the cheesemonger and get their input, but before you purchase anything, always, always, ALWAYS try the cheese. If you don’t like it, don’t buy it; sometimes – especially with bleu cheeses and soft, bloomy rind cheeses, lax storage and handling can draw out unfavorable flavors in otherwise great flavored cheese like pronounced ammonia.

In the picture below, I went with:
1. Quebec 4 year cheddar: Cow’s Milk; Sharp and salty with caramel notes and protein crystals.
2. Beemster XO: Cow’s Milk; Nutty and malty, with butterscotch and whiskey notes.
3. Petit Basque: Sheep’s Milk; Creamy and sweet with salty and nutty finish.
4. Midnight Moon: Goat’s Milk; Creamy and supple with brown butter and caramel notes and protein crystals.
5. Bonne Bouche: Goat’s Milk; Bloomy with creamy earthiness.
6. Brillat Savarin: Cow’s Milk; Fresh creaminess with rich butter.
7. Chiriboga Blue: Cow’s Milk; Buttery with mushroom earthiness.
8. Rogue River Blue: Cow’s Milk; Dense, vegetal and smoky.

 The next thing to consider are accompaniments. Some kind of charcuterie, like a dry cured salumi, are always appreciated, as well an array of crackers, jams, nuts – you name it. Avoid putting toppings directly on the cheese, as this will detract from the subtleties in the cheese itself.  Marcona almonds, big juicy grapes, and sliced fruits look nice and offer a variety of textural diversity visually and on the palate.

The accompaniments on my board are:
9. Olli Chorizo
10. Marcona Almonds
11. Grapes
12. Port Poached Pear*
13. Honey
14. Cranberry Habanero Chutney*
15. Bourbon Vanilla Apple Butter*
16. Candied Bacon*
17. Chipotle Pepita Brittle*

*Recipes to follow

Make sure you have a board big enough to hold everything you want to serve, as well as attractive jars to highlight to accompaniments you’re serving too. Baby spoons and appropriate knives are needed for each cheese and side you are serving.

Some quick tips:
Precut your cheese into portions. If you leave this up to your guests, you will end up with a huge mess on the board.
Let all the cheese come to room temperature before serving; cold inhibits flavor.
Place Cheeses on the board in a logical flow; think mild to pungent, timeless to adventurous or grouped by milk type. Place the best accompaniments for that cheese nearby.
Make labels and write a little description.
Leave the mass-produced, vacuum wrapped grocery aisle cheese for sandwiches – this is the big leagues baby! The rinds they are a-changin’!