PARTNER POST- Create the perfect fall cheese board spread with Castello’s selection of expertly crafted cheeses. Find inspiration here.
The secret to a perfect winter cheese board? Something warm! Check out this spread made complete with a warm, baked brie with pomegranate.
Creating a killer cheese board is all about having lots of variety. Having a hot-out-of-the-oven element is perfect for the holiday season. Try this melty pomegranate baked brie with pistachios and honey.
If we’re ever at a party together and you think you’ve lost me, look towards the cheese board. I’ll be the one with crackers loaded with cheese in both hands, doing a terrible job at anything resembling cool and hip.
All of my years of pigging out on cheese boards has taught me a few things.
1.Everyone loves cheese and crackers. ? This is the truth. The true true.
2. It is perfectly acceptable to make a cheese board and call it dinner. The one in the pics here was shared with my mom, my handsome man, and my daughter. We put the leftovers on a tray and pulled it out of the fridge the next day and called it lunch.
3. There is nothing wrong with plating a beautiful mini cheese board, pouring a glass of wine, and curling up with Netflix. #BestDinnerForOne
4. There are no hard and fast rules for creating a killer cheese board, but I do have a few suggestions.
HOW TO CREATE A KILLER CHEESE BOARD:
- Use at least 3-4 different kinds of cheeses, and vary their texture. I always include a blue, a creamy cheese, and a hard cheese. On this board, I’ve used Castello Creamy Blue, Castello Brie, Castello Tickler Extra Mature Cheddar, and Castello Cream Cheese with Pineapple.
- Use great crackers. For years, my go to crackers have been Leslie Stowe’s Rainforest Crisps. They’re crunchy without being TOO crunchy (you know what I mean, right?) and have a great flavor. It’s also a local Vancouver company, which I’ve always loved. I’ve recently tried their Veggie Flats and love them, too.
- Include some sort of meaty deliciousness … but it doesn’t necessarily have to be meat. Cheese and charcuterie belong together for a reason. Cheese + meat = give me more. On this plate, I added some sliced and baked chorizo. You can have your deli slice you prosciutto or salami or you can put a cured sausage or two on your cheese board and let people slice it themselves. Smoked oysters, pate, and smoked fish are also great. If you’re vegetarian, try adding some sauteed shiitake mushrooms.
- It’s all about the accoutrements. Don’t you just love that word? It makes me happy to say it. Accoutrements are all the fun bits and pieces that fill in the gaps on your cheese board. I’m talking about the olives, jams, honey, roasted garlic, nuts, and fruit. Set them in little plates and bowls or simply scatter them around your board for a more rustic feel.
- Wine is a must. We opened a bottle of Folie a Deux’s Ménage à Trois blend and all commented on how perfectly it went with all the cheese.
Adding a hot, home cooked element to your cheese board is always fun. I went with a pomegranate baked brie because there is no such thing as too much baked brie. It’s a super simple recipe that basically involves pouring a splash of brandy over a wheel of brie, baking it for 12 minutes, then sprinkling on some pomegranate seeds, pistachios, and drizzling it with honey. It’s the perfect combination of cheesy/ savory/ and sweet.
Looking for more great ideas for your cheeseboard? Check out the video below and follow this link for the written recipe!
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- Prep Time: 2 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 14 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
Ingredients
- 1 round of Castello Brie
- ½ tablespoon brandy
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds
- 1 tablespoon pistachios
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Crackers or baguette (to serve)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Tear a roundish piece of parchment paper large enough to hold the Brie so that it comes partly up the sides of the cheese. Crumple the parchment into a ball then flatten it out again.
- With a sharp knife, cut the top off of the round of Brie. Place the Brie onto the parchment paper and then onto a baking sheet. Pour the brandy over the top. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes, or until the Brie is very soft and melty.
- Remove the Brie from the oven and sprinkle with the pomegranate seeds and pistachios and drizzle with honey. Serve immediately.
Notes
Have the rest of your cheese board plated so that when the baked Brie comes out of the oven you can pop it on the board and serve it right away.
