The Anatomy Of A Cheese Board

Slap some cheese on a plate and stick a knife in it. What more is there to making a cheese board? As it turns out, quite a lot. Creating a beautiful and balanced cheese board steps up the “elegance rating” of your dairy entertaining, allowing your guests to whet their appetites with small nibbles that satisfy. Done right, it should be a fabulous study in contrasts, a balance of flavors and textures, even if no cooking is involved. Salty versus sweet, creamy versus crunchy, spicy versus pungent, etc.

Selecting good cheeses with the right accompaniments can have a greater impact than hors d’oeuvres and a whole lot less work, making it an ideal choice for easy entertaining! In the past few years, the demand for good quality and exotic kosher cheeses has flourished into a “golden age” of kosher cheese-making, with an array of cheeses from around the world. Don’t know your provolone from your parmesan? With Shavuos approaching, here’s a basic guide with tips on how to build your best board yet.

Tips For Building A Better Cheeseboard

“Something old, something new, something goat, something blue” is my motto for the variety of cheese to include: Choose a variety of three to five different categories or textures of cheeses for contrast: aged hard, semi-firm, soft-ripened, fresh or blue cheeses. Any more than that will overwhelm the palate.

Sweet counterpoints: a variety of fresh fruits like grapes or apples cleanse the palate and temper sharp, aged cheddars or pungent blue cheese; dried fruits have concentrated flavors and compliment creamy fresh cheeses like goat cheese or ricotta.

Crackers or toasts provide structure and texture, acting as a blank canvas on which to place your cheese.

Include floral honeys, preserves, or chutneys to create a balanced finish, especially effective in mellowing funky blue cheeses.

Savory contrasts like gherkins, olives, and nuts (and spiced nuts!) add acidic complexity and texture.

Temperature matters. Take cheeses out of the refrigerator an hour before serving to experience full flavor nuances.

Texture matters too. Pre-slice or chisel hard cheeses for user ease. (Avoid big cubes and try to cut thin slices or shavings for the best experience on the palate).

For creamy or soft cheeses, designate its own knife for each cheese to keep things tidy.

When constructing your board, start by placing your cheeses first and then adding all of the secondary components around them, filling in the empty spaces and corners. Make it as beautiful and elaborate as you wish. Here’s to culinary creativity that requires no recipe and enhances your dairy holiday table in a lovely, gourmet way. 

Naomi Ross is a cooking instructor and food writer based in Woodmere, NY. She teaches classes throughout the country and writes articles connecting good cooking and Jewish inspiration. Her first cookbook, The Giving Table, was released in December 2022. Follow her at @naomirosscooks on Instagram/FB/TikTok or visit NaomiRossCooks.com.