weekend brunch
family gathering
cocktail party
dinner with friends
For variety, include ewe's milk or goat's milk cheese. Include a selection of shapes to enhance the board. Cheeses come in many shapes, such as pyramids, rounds, squares, rectangles and balls. Cheeses are sometimes wrapped in leaves, rolled in herbs or covered with ash. Use these to add variety.
Emphasize the seasonal nature of cheese by using local flora to decorate your cheese board. Use brambles, wildflowers, leaves, fresh herbs or dried grasses tied with raffia.
Accompaniments should be light so they do not overpower the cheese. Try a slice of sweet-sour membrillo (quince jelly) with hard ewe's milk cheeses. Accompaniments like fresh fruit and dried fruit without pits provide contrast to cheeses. Light fruit chutneys can also complement the cheese.
Almost any surface can serve as a cheese board. Choose surfaces compatible with the formality of the tasting, contrasting textures and, of course, what you already have.
Wooden Boards: Weathered, rustic boards are perfect for emphasizing the artisan beginnings of many cheeses. Gnarled pieces of wood or driftwood can have unusual patterns, holes and cracks that represent the natural, pastoral nature of cheese.
Marble Platters: Marble boards, with their distinctive patterns and colors, have been used since the Middle Ages as a means of keeping cheese cool. They can add an elegant touch to the dessert course.
Straw Mats and Wicker Trays: Inexpensive and rustically authentic, these can be beautiful and functional. The straw or wicker allows the cheese to breathe and prevents condensation that could damage the rind.
Platters: In a pinch, you can use any flat surface as a platter. Use grape leaves for contrast. (Grape leaves are available in the Produce department at Central Market)
The cheese board can reflect the style of your menu. Have Italian, French, Greek, Scandinavian or American cheeses following a meal with that theme. You can also choose cheeses to complement a particular dessert wine, or introduce a theme such as all blues, all goat cheeses or all British cheeses.
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