HOW TO STYLE YOUR CHEESE BOARD
Styling your cheeseboard is really half the job! We all eat with our eyes first so don’t underestimate the power of styling your cheeseboard. With just a few tips you’ll be sure to wow your guests with both great appearance and great taste. Now, let’s jump right into the basics – what to serve your cheese on.
1. THE DISPLAY
The bright colors of the cheese pops out even more when served on an artisan wooden board, a marble or stoneware plate. It lifts up the appearance of the cheeses but also the overall impression of the board.
2. FLAVORS, TEXTURES AND COLORS OF THE CHEESES
When you put together your cheeseboard, be sure to mix up your cheeses. Think about flavours, texture (soft, semi-solid and solid cheeses) and colors (white mould, blue mould, red smear and yellow cheese). Variety makes it of course more fun to eat the cheeses and to discover new pairings but it also adds visual interest to your board and sparks conversation.
3. HOW TO ARRANGE THE CHEESE
For your presentation, consider leaving some of the cheese mostly whole with a cutting knife beside. Others you can cut out half. Solid yellow cheese can advantageously be cut out completely, e.g. in sticks or small cubes.
4. COLORFUL ACCOMPANIMENTS
Accompaniments are what makes the cheeseboard really fun – this is where you get to experiment with different flavours, textures and combinations. And the accompani-ments are also what can make your cheeseboard special – it can be simple with just a few cheeses and cured meats or you can go for the full flavour palette depending on the occasion.
Serve your accompaniments directly on the board or in small bowls to fill up the negative space and visually enhance the presentation.
The basics
Bread comes in many different shapes and variants. Look not only for flavour but also color and tex-ture. It may be a long-raised sour-dough bread, toasted rye bread or a light Italian bread. Crisp crispbread or delicious rustic biscuits can also be an option and taste delicious with cheese.
The sweet
Plum chutney, jams, figs or other dried fruits, nuts and fresh berries are excellent choices for especially blue cheeses as it balances out the bold flavours from the blue mould.
The savory
A true crowd pleaser are artisanal cheeses and cured meats – the per-fect duo. Choose Prosciutto, sau-sage, chorizo or similar. If you want to go with more savory items pick-led onions, tomato- and basil pesto or olive tapenade are great choices.
Final touch
Fresh herbs are an easy way to add some freshness and brighten up the cheeseboard
Remember, not all accessories have to be homemade, you can easily buy stylish accessories in good delis or well-stocked supermarkets.
4. SERVE WHITE WINE OR BEER WITH YOUR CHEESEBOARD
Serve white wine with your cheese and forget all about red wine! Blue cheese matches perfectly with sweet white wine or port wine. An over-seas chardonnay is a good all-rounder for the cheeseboard. An-other possibility serving beer with your cheeseboard. The carbon diox-ide has a cleansing effect in the mouth when eating soft and creamy cheeses.
White Mould cheese goes well in hand with bright Belgian beers, such as Craft or triple ales. Blue cheeses are happy with a glass of barley wine or strong dark brew. Strong yellow cheese tastes good in the company of hoppy beers such as IPA (Indian Pale Ale).
And there you have it - the perfect cheeseboard ready for all your entertaining!
Do you also want tips on tempera-ture, how much cheese to serve and what knives to use? Check out this complete cheeseboard guide.
