PARTNER POST- Create the perfect holiday cheese board spread with Castello’s selection of expertly crafted cheeses. It’s sure to bring extra joy to this wonderful time of the year. Find inspiration here.
Creating the perfect cheese board for holiday entertaining is so simple when you follow these five steps.
Everyone loves a good cheese platter. Delicious cheeses paired with sliced meats, crackers and other yummy accompaniments! Its the best kind of appetizer grazing there is. In our opinion anyways… Creating a beautiful cheese board can be kind of intimidating. There are SO many options! It can get overwhelming when deciding what goes with what. Fortunately we have a few simple tips to break it down for you and make it totally do able for any host. 
5 Secrets to Creating the Perfect Cheese Platter
1. Use a few different kinds of cheese, but no more than 4 kinds.
- Choose different flavors and textures (hard, soft, or blue) and/or made with different milks (cows, goat…). I have heard of this rhyme for choosing cheese for a cheese board: “Something old, something new, something goat, and something blue.” It works!
- 4 oz per person
- We used Castello Cheese: Tikler Old White Cheddar, Fontina, creamy Brie
2. Choose 2 or 3 complimenting flavors for accompaniments. Sweet, savory, and different textures are good too.
- Try pickles, jams, spreads, honey, olives, nuts
- If you need help deciding what goes with what, you can stick to the what grows together, goes together rule – example: french cheese, french meat. It doesn’t always work, but its a great starting rule of thumb.
- We used: Onion and Fig Jam, Maple Roasted Pecans, Sugared Ginger Cranberries (recipe below)
3. Include a couple options of sliced meat
- 2 oz per person is a good rule
- Choose different flavors: salty, spicy, smoked
- 2 different kinds is enough
4. Crackers
- Choose a mild flavored cracker if you want it to go with everything.
- But your crackers don’t have to go with every cheese. Choose something interesting if that’s what you like.
- We chose a hearty delicious cracker – Lesley Stowe’s Rainforest Crisps
- We chose 2 kinds (it was too hard to pick just one): Oat and Cranberry, Rosemary Raisin Pecan (so good!)
5. Wine – choosing a wine to go with your cheese can seem daunting but if you follow these simple tips from the Serious Eats cheese and wine pairing cheat sheet, its not so overwhelming. Go read the article on Serious Eats for more detailed information. Its great!
- Tannic red wines are terrific with rich, aged cheeses
- Sweet wines pair really well with salty cheese
- Rich, creamy cheeses blend seamlessly with buttery, oaky white wines
- Fresh and soft cheeses love crisp whites, dry rosés, sparkling wines, dry aperitif wines, and light-bodied reds with low tannins.
- Stinky cheeses call for light-bodied wines
- Harder cheeses love full-bodied whites and tannic reds.
- We paired our board with Menagie et Trois from Follie au Deux
Set out your cheese board 1 hour before you are going to dig in. Room temp cheese is better.
Cut or slice your cheese before you serve it! This means way less mess and your guest won’t have to struggle to get the piece of cheese they want – wedges or strips – no cubes!
It was pretty simple and we loved eating it! Our favorite cheese was the Cheddar. I love old cheddar that crumbles and has little tiny crystals in it that sort of have a bite to them. This cheddar is going on my list of favorites. The onion and fig jam is both savory and sweet, a perfect accompaniment to the Brie. The maple roasted pecans we made are sweet, spicy, salty. Totally addicting and also very pretty. The sugared ginger cranberries are not just for looks. They taste so good, especially when paired with the Fontina. I couldn’t stop popping them in my mouth!
Looking for more cheese board spreads and inspiration? Try this butternut squash and cranberry recipe. It’s perfect on a crostini with blue cheese!
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- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: Varies based on servings
Description
Create a stunning holiday cheese board with a selection of cheeses, meats, and accompaniments, paired perfectly with wine for a festive appetizer experience.
Ingredients
- 4 oz Tikler Old White Cheddar cheese per person
- 4 oz Fontina cheese per person
- 4 oz creamy Brie cheese per person
- 2 oz sliced meats per person (salty, spicy, smoked)
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 2 cups cranberries
- 2 tbsp sliced ginger, in big chunks
- Onion and Fig Jam
- Maple Roasted Pecans
- Sugared Ginger Cranberries
- Pickles
- Honey
- Olives
- Nuts
- Oat and Cranberry Rainforest Crisps
- Rosemary Raisin Pecan Rainforest Crisps
Instructions
- Prepare the sugared ginger cranberries: In a small sauce pot, combine 1½ cups sugar, 1½ cups water, and 2 tbsp sliced ginger. Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let the syrup cool slightly. Add 2 cups cranberries to the syrup and let them soak for at least 1 hour. Drain and roll the cranberries in additional sugar to coat.
- Select a variety of cheeses: Choose 4 oz per person of different types of cheese such as Tikler Old White Cheddar, Fontina, and creamy Brie. Aim for a mix of flavors and textures, such as hard, soft, or blue cheeses.
- Choose accompaniments: Select 2 or 3 complementing flavors like pickles, jams, honey, olives, and nuts. Include Onion and Fig Jam, Maple Roasted Pecans, and Sugared Ginger Cranberries for variety.
- Include sliced meats: Provide 2 oz per person of meats with different flavors like salty, spicy, or smoked. Two different kinds are sufficient.
- Select crackers: Choose mild-flavored crackers or interesting options like Oat and Cranberry Rainforest Crisps and Rosemary Raisin Pecan Rainforest Crisps.
- Pair with wine: Follow pairing tips such as tannic red wines with aged cheeses, sweet wines with salty cheese, and crisp whites with fresh cheeses.
- Set out the cheese board 1 hour before serving to allow the cheese to reach room temperature. Pre-slice the cheese into wedges or strips to avoid mess and make it easy for guests to serve themselves.
Notes
Set out the cheese board 1 hour before serving for optimal flavor. Pre-slice cheese to avoid mess. The sugared ginger cranberries can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator. Use the leftover syrup for a cranberry ginger cocktail.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 15
- Sodium: 300
- Fat: 15
- Carbohydrates: 20
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 12
- Cholesterol: 40
Frequently Asked Questions
What types of cheese should I include in my cheese board?
Aim for no more than four kinds of cheese, mixing flavors and textures. For example, you could use Castello’s Tikler Old White Cheddar, Fontina, and creamy Brie.
What accompaniments pair well with the cheeses I selected?
Choose two to three accompaniments that offer a balance of sweet, savory, and textural contrasts, such as pickles, jams, or honey to complement the cheeses.
How much cheese should I plan for each guest at my cheese board?
Plan for approximately 4 ounces of cheese per person to ensure everyone has enough to enjoy.
Awesome. I have been appointed to bring the cheese plate for Christmas Eve. I thought of Velvetta and saltines, but now I am going to get much more serious.