As the weather turns warm, we are seeing more and more customers coming in for our cheese and charcuterie boards (we make some pretty amazing ones!) or to select the perfect cheeses, meats, and accompaniments to make their own.
The process can be overwhelming and intimidating to many. At Cherry Street Cheese & Provisions, we love spending time helping select the perfect cheeses as well as providing guidance on pairing and how to design your board.
After doing thousands of cheese boards for customers, here are some of our tried and tested best recommendations:
1. How Large Is Your Group, and What Else Are You Serving?
When you come to the cheese shop, think about how large your group is and what else they will be eating. Is it a cheese board meant for nibbles for book club? An appetizer for a large dinner? Cheese for two for a romantic date night? The widely shared recommendation is ~2 ounces of cheese per person, but here's how we think about it:
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Number of cheeses: Serve at least 2 types of cheeses for every 4-5 people. So if you are serving just 2- 5 people, you can get away with 2 cheeses and a meat. For 5 - 10 people, add 2 more cheeses (4 total). 10 - 15, add 1-2 more cheeses (6 total). After 6 cheeses, people tend to get lost in the options, so we'd recommend just doing larger portion sizes after that.
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Amount of cheese: You want to make sure everyone gets a nibble of each cheese. If we are doing a board and pre-cutting all the cheese, that means we want to have at least 2 pieces of each type of cheese per person. In general, the 2 ounces per person works well here for quantity. If you are serving other things, you can go down slightly on these numbers. If this is being served as the main food (and especially if adding wine), go up a little bit.
2. Select a Variety of Types of Cheeses (The Fun Part!)
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Milk type: Try to offer at least 1 cow, 1 sheep, and 1 goat. If you have a cheese shop in your area, spend some time with your cheesemonger selecting cheeses that will complement each other
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Texture: Again, try to have at least 1 soft, 1 semi, and 1 hard. Consider where you are serving. Outside by the pool on a hot day? Maybe select firmer cheeses that will stand up a bit better.
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Origin: We always love to offer cheeses from around the world as well as wonderful domestic options. Or, depending on your event, pick a theme! French cheese and wine. Tastes from Spain.
3. Cut Your Cheeses.
A lot of shops will leave cheeses in wedges on boards. And for good reason. Your guests can see the rind (even if not edible), which is an integral part of the cheese. It minimizes exposure of the cheese to air, preventing drying out. And it's easier to save leftovers.
However, having guests cut their own cheeses can be intimidating and, in some cases, can leave guests with pieces that have too much rind or too much paste. We have found that cutting semi and hard cheeses into shapes that honor the shape and texture of the original wheel leads to more cheese getting eaten on your board and an overall better entertainment experience. If you've taken the time to get the right amount of cheese, there won't be much left over!
How to cut cheese? When you take home wedges from the cheese shop, often you don't know where to start. Here are some ways we like to cut our cheeses to offer a variety of appealing shapes while still honoring the texture of the cheese:
By the way, we don't recommend cutting your soft cheeses. They won't hold up well, and it gets messy! Add a spreader and let people dig in. For all other cheeses, make sure you have a proper cheese knife to get the job done.
4. Select Accompaniments
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Charcuterie - from the classic Prosciutto to the showstopping Jamon Iberico to the crowd-pleasing Salumi. Charcuterie is always a good call.
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Crackers - We like to offer at least 2 options. One that is accessible and simple, like a wafer cracker, and at least one that brings the flavor and texture, like a seeded cracker or a cracker with dried fruits. Fresh (local) baguette is always a good call too!
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Fresh fruit - (local if you have it) and/or dried fruits add color to your board and serve as a great palate cleanser
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Nuts - oh the nuts! We carry so many delicious and unique small-batch nut options in our shop. You can go wild! Flowered Valencia almonds. Caramelized walnuts. Cheddar Jalapeno nut mix. The options are endless! Worried about allergies? Put the nuts in a small bowl so they don't contaminate other foods
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Other surprising additions - chocolate or other small candies or cookies can be nice if you want to go sweet, for savory, you can think about olives, cornichons, or a pickled veggie mix.
5. Then Design!
We recommend placing any items in bowls down first (nuts, olives, spreads) and then placing the cheeses and meats. Fill in with crackers, and finally drop your accompaniments in any empty spaces. Here are a couple of ideas:
Remember, cheese & charcuterie boards are first and foremost meant to be enjoyed, so don't sweat the small stuff and have fun! Contact us today to order one of our gourmet cheese and catering boards.
