Trends come and trends go, but cheese boards are here to stay. They are delicious, everybody loves cheese and when they are put together properly, they look absolutely beautiful.
If you happen to have not jumped on the cheese board bandwagon yet, you probably haven’t seen some of the pictures on Instagram. Recently, cheese boards are becoming more and more popular as something to bring to a party. I’m not talking about just slicing up some cheese and putting it on a tray, I’m talking about making a cheese board that looks more like a work of art.
Admittedly, this may be a little intimidating when you first see it but there’s no need to fear. The owner of Lady and Larder, Sarah Hendrix owns a small cheese shop in Los Angeles and she has your back.
One of the specialties at Lady and Larder is cured meat boards. She lays it all out for you to show just how simple it is to create an amazing cheeseboard.
According to Sarah, the first step is to make sure you have a wide range of cheeses with various flavors and textures. Be sure that you include a safe option, such as cheddar cheese and then get more adventurous as you move along.
Adding cured meats to the board is where you will want to take the project next. Similar to cheese, you want to have a wide variety of tastes and textures. You might be surprised by how many different types of meat you can choose from, such as pepperoni, salami, and prosciutto.
It’s not all about taste, it’s also about aesthetics. Don’t simply lay everything flat on the board, fold up larger pieces and put them down in between smaller pieces of cheese. Smaller meats can work great on the border around the edges of the board.
There is one other item that you will not want to miss on your cheese board, the additional fruits, nuts, olives, and other options. Since these items add more flavor, they can be added into cheese and crackers but they also add color and depth to the board.
Finally, we move on to the garnishes. Not every board is going to need them but you may want to include some edible flowers or Rosemary sprigs to help dress things up.
Sarah also offers this Pro tip: cheese boards should be served at room temperature so prepare them in advance.
It sounds simple enough but it gets even easier when you see her put one together in the following video: