Create an Epic Cheese Plate
A simple formula for an memorable cheese plate including meats, cheeses, breads, as well as some sweet and salty nibbles. It will become your go-to appetizer!
The key to an memorable cheese plate? Lots of variety in textures and flavors guarantees that there is something for everyone.
We've made cheese plates of varying sizes and variety over the last year and a half and we've definitely honed our skills and have come up with some favorite combinations that are always a win. It’s important, too, to kind of “know your audience” if you can. For instance, after making two cheese plates that included a blue cheese (because it’s a pretty standard cheese plate go-to), we realized there was literally one single person in both of our families that actually ate blue cheese. Needless to say, there was a lot of waste. If you know the majority of people won’t eat a particular component, simply omit it. There’s no need to include it just for the sake of putting it there.
For us, an awesome cheese board includes a variety of cheeses, Italian meats, some carb-y things, a variety of spreads and mustards, something briny (like gerkins or assorted olives), something sweet like dried fruit, and something crisp like nuts or seeds.
Our Favorite Cheese Board
This is what our typical go-to cheese plate looks like:
- Aged cheddar
- Smoked gouda
- Brie
- Goat cheese
- Prosciutto
- Salami
- Sopressata
- Fig jam
- Hot and sweet pepper jelly
- Coarse mustard
- Thin breadsticks
- Water crackers
- Baguette
- Mixed marinated olives
- Fresh grapes
- Dried apricots
- Marcona almonds
Whether you’re hosting a holiday dinner, having friends over for a movie or game night, or just enjoying a casual evening at home, there is literally no bad time to throw together a cheese board.
Q: If you do big cheese boards, what are your favorite inclusions?
One year ago: Christmas Cake
Two years ago: Chocolate Chip Tea Cookies
How to Create an Epic Cheese Plate
Yield: 15 to 20 servings A simple formula for an memorable cheese plate including meats, cheeses, breads, as well as some sweet and salty nibbles.For the Cheeses (Choose 3-5 and plan on 4 oz per person total)
- Semi-Hard Cheeses: Aged cheddar, smoked gouda
- Soft Cheeses: Brie, camembert, goat
- Blue Cheeses: Gorgonzola, stilton
For the Condiments (Choose 3)
- Sweet: Fig jam, honey, your favorite marmalade, apple butter, bacon jam
- Spicy: Onion and pepper relish, sweet habanero jam, mango jalapeno chutney
- Mustards: Coarse grain, spicy brown, Dijon, honey mustard
For the Meats (Choose 2-3)
- Prosciutto
- Pepperoni
- Salami
- Sopressata
- Summer sausage
For the Carbs (Choose 2-3)
- Breadsticks, plain, thin-style
- Crackers, plain, neutral-flavored is best, like water crackers
- Baguette
For the Extra Nibbles (Choose 3-5)
- Dried fruit, apricots, figs, dates
- Fresh fruit, grapes, figs, strawberries, pears
- Nuts and seeds, marcona almonds, mixed nuts, pistachios, pepitas
- Brined snacks, mixed olives, artichoke hearts, balsamic glaze
- Choose a large wood cutting board, a slate cheese board, or a marble slab to arrange your cheese platter.
- Place the cheeses on the corners and in the middle, then arrange the rest of the accompaniments spaced out evenly around the cheeses.
Notes
Nutritional values are an approximation based on one serving
- Yield: 15 to 20 servings
- Prep: 20 minutes
- Total: 20 minutes
Ingredients
For the Cheeses (Choose 3-5 and plan on 4 oz per person total)
- Semi-Hard Cheeses: Aged cheddar, smoked gouda
- Soft Cheeses: Brie, camembert, goat
- Blue Cheeses: Gorgonzola, stilton
For the Condiments (Choose 3)
- Sweet: Fig jam, honey, your favorite marmalade, apple butter, bacon jam
- Spicy: Onion and pepper relish, sweet habanero jam, mango jalapeno chutney
- Mustards: Coarse grain, spicy brown, Dijon, honey mustard
For the Meats (Choose 2-3)
- Prosciutto
- Pepperoni
- Salami
- Sopressata
- Summer sausage
For the Carbs (Choose 2-3)
- Breadsticks, plain, thin-style
- Crackers, plain, neutral-flavored is best, like water crackers
- Baguette
For the Extra Nibbles (Choose 3-5)
- Dried fruit, apricots, figs, dates
- Fresh fruit, grapes, figs, strawberries, pears
- Nuts and seeds, marcona almonds, mixed nuts, pistachios, pepitas
- Brined snacks, mixed olives, artichoke hearts, balsamic glaze
Method
- Choose a large wood cutting board, a slate cheese board, or a marble slab to arrange your cheese platter.
- Place the cheeses on the corners and in the middle, then arrange the rest of the accompaniments spaced out evenly around the cheeses.
