SAY CHEESE!

the perfect party board

I’m pretty sure that a cheese board is the essential party food for any event or occasion—even for the occasional family dinner, if I’m being honest! It can be an appetizer for people to graze on, or it can be the main event. You can make your board mini for a small group or epically sized for bigger crowds. You can mix and match flavors and textures, making sure there’s always something for everyone, and even tailor them to your event with a theme. (I particularly love making kid-friendly boards, which I’ve outlined here.) And the best part? It takes barely any time to make something that seriously impresses. Actually, maybe the best part is actually getting to enjoy your spread while you mingle with friends and family! Here are my basic rules of thumb for assembling the ultimate cheese board.

THE CHEESE

image Try to include a variety of textures and flavor: soft, semi-firm, and aged/hard cheeses.

image Also serve different types of cheese: cow’s milk, sheep milk, and goat.

image Serve at least one familiar cheese, such as pepper Jack, Muenster, or plain cheddar.

image Allow for 3 to 4 ounces of cheese per person.

THE ACCOMPANIMENTS

Serve lots of extras to go with the cheese. These items are what makes a board shine! Make sure you are varying the textures, sizes, and colors, along with sweet and salty. Here are some of my favorites:

image Assorted crackers, breadsticks, and baguette slices

image Cured meats, such as prosciutto and salami

image Assorted nuts

image Dried fruits, such as apricots and cranberries

image Fresh fruits, such as grapes, figs, and pomegranate arils

image Baby pickles and pickled vegetables

image Assorted olives

image Marinated artichoke hearts

image Roasted red peppers

image Jam, honey, or hot and sweet pepper jelly

image Coarse mustard

image Fresh herbs for garnish, such as rosemary, sage, basil, and thyme

SERVING TIPS

image You can assemble a cheese board using a platter, bread board, cutting board, or plate—or a combination of a few, depending on how big a spread you’re putting out.

image Display the cheese in different shapes and sizes—wedges, spears, cubes, cut into slices, etc. Label each cheese so people know what their options are. Include spreaders with softer cheeses and knives with cheese wedges.

image Arrange the different cheeses around the edges of the board, as well as one or two in the middle. If you have a really strong cheese, you can put it off to the side, so it doesn’t overpower the board.

image Let the cheese sit out for 30 to 60 minutes before serving.

image Use small bowls, ramekins, and dishes for some of the accompaniments and mound the rest of the items around and between the cheeses. Don’t be skimpy and don’t be too organized—it is okay if you have big piles of nuts, crackers, etc. It will encourage people to dig in!

KID-FRIENDLY CHEESE BOARD

If we’re having a lot of kids coming over, whether for a play date, birthday party, or friends-and-family gathering, I like to make a special board just for them that’s loaded up with (both healthy and indulgent) crowd-pleasing treats. That includes:

Cheese sticks, cut in half

Cheddar cheese, cut into shapes

Babybel cheese rounds

Goldfish crackers

Ritz crackers

Triscuits

Pretzels

Ranch dressing

Hummus

Baby carrots

Snap peas

Baby pickles

Pitted black olives

Pepperoni

Cucumber slices

Grape tomatoes

Grapes

Berries

Raisins or dried cranberries

Chocolate-covered sunflower seeds