Fresh Cheese Board with Grilled Veggies | Wisconsin Cheese (2024)

FAQs

What is the best cheese for a cheese board? ›

Soft: brie, camembert, chèvre—anything you can spread works great for this category. Semi-soft: Fontina, muenster or Gouda. Semi-firm: Manchego, Gruyère or Comté. Firm: An aged cheddar or white cheddar is delicious, even a really high-quality Parmigiano-Reggiano can be lovely.

Just leave off any crunchy items—like crackers or nuts—or they'll get soggy. Other than that, you can have the entire cheese board assembled up to a day in advance. Just make sure to wrap the whole thing well in plastic wrap and store it in the fridge. And that's it!

If wrapped correctly, some soft and blue cheese can be eaten up to 10 days after purchase and hard cheese up to 14 days." It's best to keep cheese, of all varieties, in a dark, cool and airy space. Experts from The Cheese Lover recommend popping it into your vegetable compartment "as it is not too humid or cold".

Creating Interest with the 3-3-3-3 Rule

Choose three cheeses, three meats, three starches, and three accompaniments for a perfect and balanced board, every time!

Fresh fruit and veggie ideas – baby carrots, celery sticks, sliced bell peppers, cucumber slices, roasted bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, jicama slices, sliced radishes, grapes, orange slices, and berries.

A charcuterie board is primarily made up of meats accompanied by cheese, crackers, and other ingredients like nuts or spreads. Meanwhile, crudités is essentially a fancy word for a vegetable platter that has raw vegetables like carrots and tomatoes paired with complimentary dips.

Seitan, a protein-rich meat substitute made from wheat gluten, is known for its meaty texture and versatility. It can be seasoned, cooked, and sliced to resemble everything from deli meats to steak, making it a perfect addition to any meat-free charcuterie board.

Cured meats and cheeses have a long shelf life, so when I'm hosting a gathering I often slice the meats and cheeses 1-2 days beforehand. You can also assemble the entire board as soon as the night before, cover it, and leave it in your refrigerator until ready to serve.

Choose plain, shelled pecans for a classic board or add spiced or candied pecans for a unique treat. Almonds: With a mild, slightly sweet flavor and sharp crunch, almonds go beautifully with Swiss, brie and cheddar. Cashews: Creamy and buttery, cashews pair well with the tanginess of goat cheese and blue cheese.

How much cheese per person on a cheese board? ›

A good rule of thumb is 1 ounce of each cheese for every guest and about five types of cheese. For a party in which cheese is the main event, plan on buying 3 pounds for eight people, 6 pounds for 16 people, or 9 pounds for 24 people. If cheese is one of many items being served, plan on buying 3 to 4 ounces per person.

Making Ahead of Time

Arrange the meats, cheeses, nuts, crackers, and jams, then cover and store in the fridge for a couple of days. When you're ready to serve, set the board out on the counter for 30 minutes or so, add on the fresh fruit, and dig in!

Arrange cheeses, baguette, crackers, apricot, olives, almonds, pistachios and cherries on platter or wooden cheese board. Garnish with rosemary, if desired.

Perfect hard, aged cheeses are a mature or vintage Cheddar, Gouda, Pecorino, or Parmigiano Reggiano. For hard cheeses, it's helpful to pre-cut portions for your guests so that it's easy to grab a piece of cheese without having to put down their wine glass!

Aim for an aged cheese or two, like Cheddar. An alpine cheese like Gruyere, Comté, or extra-aged Goudas work well on the plate as well. You'll also want a soft cheese, like Brie or triple-cream cheeses. If you're into funky flavors, go for a European blue, such as Roquefort.

"We usually use wood or slate boards," Kesley Youngman, our Associate Food Editor explains. "Marble looks great and keeps a nice cool temperature, but is sensitive to acid (which will etch the marble) and can more easily stain. Wood is porous, too, but well-cleaned and oiled boards will work great."