Most people always get scared when it comes to cheese boards. They enjoy eating the enormous variety on a cheese board rather than putting it together for guests.
Here are some of the things that give most people anxiety when they think of a cheese board:
- Types of cheeses to pick that compliments each other.
- The types of meats to include on the board.
- What bread or crackers will be perfect for your board.
- The board itself can be nerve-wracking.
- The right cheese knives.
- What fruits, veggies, meats, or nuts should you pick.
- And what about the extras?
The list seems endless, adding to your worry and hindering you from making a cheese board. But don’t be afraid, you’re not alone! So many people shy away from making such a simple snack platter. But that’s not going to happen again. We’ll turn you into a cheese board queen or king with this simple breakdown.
You can’t go wrong with a cheese board if you want to make quick and impressive holiday meals. A cheese board is a perfect choice as it requires no baking or cooking, regardless of the crowd.
All that’s required from you is to arrange everything beautifully together and let your guests have fun with the board. The stunning appearance makes guests pause to see what’s in there, allowing them to prepare their appetizers.
What a great way to entertain your guests while courteously deceiving them to help you out. Besides, the boards help to promote social dining and strengthen family ties.
Gathering items for your cheese board is so addictive that it may keep you up all night. Keep your menu simple for the entertainment to be fun. Because there will be no fun when you’re working on something 80% of the time.
But the good news is that creating a cheese board releases some of the pressure of being the host. Let’s explore the top tips for making an epic holiday cheese board:
Go For a Fun Mix of Cheese Boards and Bowls
The surface and bowls to use are essential when it comes to creating an epic holiday board. You can use a small cheese board if you’re not hosting a huge gathering.
But XL Acacia cheese boards may be perfect for large parties. You can decide to add a custom name or theme on the cheese boards to make things more appealing.
Besides, you can pick bowls of different materials and sizes for your fruits and nuts. All these are essential to creating an aesthetically pleasing board.
But if you have a tight budget, you can make do with what you have. For instance, you can go for a metal cookie sheet with spills. It will help to enhance the visual appeal of your cheese board without spending a dime.
Arrange Your Prefered Cheeses
It is not named a cheese board because it’s a fancy name. It’s a cheese board because cheese is the highlight of this board.
Ensure you shop three to four of your favorite cheeses at your local grocery store. But to be safe and not end up with one variety, you can categorize them.
For instance, you can pick one or two of the following: soft, hard, semi-soft, and semi-hard cheeses. You can also choose colors to avoid having only white cheeses on your board.
Here are some of the best cheeses that you can shop for your board:
- Hard Cheese: Parmesan, Asiago, Aged, and Irish Cheddar
- Soft Cheese: Brie, mozzarella, goat cheese, and burrata
- Semi-Hard Cheese: Comte, provolone, and manchego
- Semi-Soft Cheese: Blue cheese, Smoked Gouda, Gorgonzola, and Jarlsberg
Cheese is a simple, healthy meal option; there is no need to choose reduced fat or anything fancy. Cheese is created for a distinctive taste using authentic, fresh ingredients. Whatever option you choose will be fantastic!
Select and Arrange Cured Meats
Source: Pexels
Another must-have ingredient for your cheese board is cured meat. You’ll often find cured meat on a charcuterie board. Cured meats are such an excellent complement to most cheese.
You’re allowed to include a few different cured types of meat on your cheese board. But stick to meats that are familiar to most people. For instance, you can go for serrano ham, prosciutto di Parma, pepperoni, salami, Spanish Chorizo or peppered salami.
Add in the Fruits and Nuts
It goes without saying that seasonal fruits and nuts are fantastic for the board. You can shop a mix of salted, raw, and candied nuts. The nuts can include the following: Pistachios, Almonds, Cashews, Pecans, and Walnuts.
While the fruits can be a mix of pomegranates, figs, grapes, blueberries, or a variety of dried fruits. All these are always delicious and healthy addition to a board.
In fact, boards have fruits and nuts because they’re excellent space fillers when creating your epic board. This is a fantastic way to ensure your board appears bountiful to the guests.
Fill Spaces With Crackers and Bread
Most people consider ingredients like crackers, breadsticks, or toasted baguettes as vehicles. So you can choose either of the above ingredients to add to your board.
This is because most people enjoy topping their meat and cheese on something. You don’t need to go for fancier bread or crackers. Pick anything that will complement the items on your board.
Add in Some Extras on the Cheese Board
You need to be creative with the extras on your cheese boards. This will give your board a unique touch. Be imaginative with your additions.
For instance, you can go for sauces and marinated veggies. This may include honey, fig jam, basil pesto, bacon jam, artichokes, sun-dried tomato pesto, marinated olives, roasted red peppers, etc.
Think of anything fun that can go with your bread and crackers and complement your cheese.
How to Assemble the Board: Step by Step
Source: Pexels
- Pick your cheese board
- Put the extras in small bowls and place them across the board.
- Arrange your cheese, both cut and uncut, on your board. You can cut some in cubes or wedges.
- You can then go in with your bread and crackers on the board. Don’t worry. It doesn’t have to be flawless or organized.
- Unwrap your cured meat and spread them out on the board. You can place the meats where you think a pop of color will do the magic.
- The fruits and nuts need to fill any blank spaces. This is one of the most enjoyable parts of arranging the board. There’s no formula; the fruits can go anywhere on the board. Your assignment here is to make the board appear bountiful and full.
- That’s it, and your board is ready!
Final Thoughts
A Cheeseboard is such a simple contribution to making your holidays epic. You shouldn’t let your worries and self-doubt hinder you from hosting your friends and family.
Provided you have all the ingredients; then you’re good to go. All you need is a range of tastes, textures, and colors to bring it to life.
Besides being simple and quick to prepare, you can’t ignore an epic cheese board. There you have it; let’s have an epic holiday with an epic cheese board.
Read more interesting articles at Times Of World
