How to make the ultimate cheeseboard

| my take on the ultimate cheeseboard |

Grazing. That’s what I’ve been doing lately. We’ve all been pretty much hanging out around home during the long winter storm, and eating at “normal” times doesn’t excite me. I’d much rather snack all day. Also, since we’ve been spending more time by the fireplace, a cheeseboard is the ultimate fireside companion.

I’m so excited to partner with Balducci’s to show you how to make the ultimate cheeseboard! Let’s start with a quick video so you can see how it’s done, then I’ll provide recommendations for a well-balanced cheeseboard that everyone will love.

| click on the arrow to play the video, it’s a minute long and the music is jazzy |

Now that you’ve seen the video, let’s talk about what you’ll need to assemble the ultimate cheeseboard. I approached this cheeseboard by first selecting 5 cheeses. A pecorino, gouda, munster, blue, and triple cream brie. I selected things that I like eating, but a cheeseboard can be made from whatever your favorite cheeses, meats and fruits are. A lot of people add honey and dried fruit, like apricots. I bought some fig jam to pair with the brie cheese, but chutney and tomato-based salsa are great alternatives especially if you are serving a cheddar cheese.

To assemble the cheeseboard, I followed a few simple steps. The main objective was to make a cheeseboard that looks really bountiful and I kept that in mind as I was arranging it. First, I added the cheese and laid them out on each corner of the board and put one in the middle. This way, the cheese is easily accessible regardless of where your guest is. Next, I added fruits. I arranged them into clusters in several places around the board so guests will not have to reach. I peeled a few tangerines to make it easy, but I also love the look of the whole fruit. I rolled salami and bunched up prosciutto and dotted them around the board and added kalamata and green olives in small bowls. The final step was to add some nuts, they pair so well with cheese and are great at filling in any gaps in the cheeseboard.

Not to worry, I’ve broken down each step so it is easy to follow along:

| step 1 – add the cheese: pecorino, gouda, munster, blue, and triple cream brie |

| step 2 – add the fruits: cherries, strawberries, tangerines, grapes, etc. |

| step 3 – add the meats and olives: salami and prosciutto and kalamata and green olives |

| step 4 – add the nuts: pistachio and cashew and I added bite-size mozzarella |

| don’t forget the crackers, I prefer something simple to allow the cheese to take center stage |

Need some expert advice? Head to your local Balduccis and ask one of their cheesemongers to help you assemble the best combination of cheese, fruits, meats, crackers, jams, spreads and honey.

I will be drinking wine with this cheeseboard and got some really interesting tips from Serious Eats on Cheese and Wine Pairing, it’s a little cheat sheet that might come in handy.

thank you to Balduccis for sponsoring this post, all opinions are my own