We love a good cheese board. Done right, they’re often just as much a feast for the eyes as they are for the palette. Cheese and charcuterie boards are easy to create if you have the right ingredients. In our market, you can find everything you need for crafting the perfect platter.
We source our cheese and cured meats from a variety of vendors and producers. We offer lots of New England-crafted cheeses as well as artisanal cheeses from creameries around the world. Read on for our guidelines for creating a well-balanced, crowd-pleasing cheese and charcuterie board.
How Much Cheese Should I Buy?
If you’re serving a large crowd, you could offer four to five different cheeses. Just three varieties is ok, too. The key here is quality, not quantity. Plan on about 3 ounces per person if you’re serving an appetizer portion and 5 ounces per person if the cheese and charcuterie board are meant to be a meal.
Which Cheese Should I Use?
We suggest including a hard cheese, a firm cheese, and a semi-soft cheese. If you’re planning for a larger crowd, we suggest adding a less common cheese for a little more variety, such as an Apricot Stilton or Cotswold with Onion & Chive. We carry a large variety of domestic and imported cheeses. Some of our favorites include:
Cato Corner Celeste, CT
Cypress Grove Humboldt Fog
Von Trapp OMA
St. Angel
Old Quebec 3 year Cheddar, Canada
Meredith Dairy Marinated Feta & Goat
Huntsman
Italian Pecorino with Black Truffles
Frankly they are ALL our favorites!!! Michelle is particularly proud of her selection of cheddars, and, of course, her bleus are quite wonderful.
Cheese Pairings
Once you have your cheeses selected, you can have a little fun with pairing. Choosing the right accompaniment will help enhance the flavors of your cheese. Have a cheese that’s strong and nutty? Balance it out with something a little sweet such as a fig or fruit jam, a spicy chutney (Michelle’s favorite go-to is Virginia’s Spicy Plum Chutney) or a drizzle of locally harvested honey. We also offer a selection of French sweet and savory jams crafted specially to be paired with cheese. Have a cheese that’s a little on the sweeter side? Go for something a little salty, like caviar, almonds, fancy mustard, or cornichon pickles, all available in our market. We also love serving some jarred olives and fresh fruit like grapes or sliced pears and apples to round out the cheese board.
Cured Meats
When choosing cured meats to include in your cheese board, look for something salty, hearty, and flavorful enough to compliment your cheeses without overwhelming them. We carry many different brands in our market, but some of our favorites include Don Juan Serrano Ham, Palacios Mild Sliced Chorizo, Busseto Salami, and Volpi wine-infused salamis. We also love the Rustic Tuscan Salami, Black Pepper Salami, Sopressata, and Prosciutto made by Bellantani.
Crackers and Bread
We recommend serving a cracker or bread that’s neutral in flavor so as not to compete with the intense flavors of the cheeses and the sweet and salty pairings. A light cracker or a slice of crusty French baguette is all that you need to give your cheese board a little tooth without drowning out the flavor of the star of the show – your cheese. We stock crispy water crackers, herbed crackers with thyme, and delicious, rustic bread in our market.
Selecting the Right Board
Depending on the theme or vibe of your gathering, you could opt for a rustic wooden board or a large wooden cutting board. Something non-porous like teak, olive, or acacia is ideal. If your gathering is a bit more upscale, you can’t go wrong with marble. A slate slab gives a sophisticated and modern look. Some cheese board and charcuterie sets include a large slab for the main display and smaller, individual-sized boards for your guests to use.
Pro Tips for an Amazing Spread
When it comes to setting up your cheese board, you can organize everything by flavor or simply put each item wherever you think it looks good and let your guests pick and choose the flavors they like.
Label It
Labeling each cheese helps guide your guests and lets them know what they’re eating. Consider writing down a couple of items on the board that pairs nicely with its flavor to give your guests a place to start.
Rest It
Let the cheese rest at room temperature for about thirty minutes before serving. This gives it time to become more fragrant and release its flavor. It also lets your softer cheeses become more spreadable, making for a better experience for your guests.
Style It
Put your smaller items such as: olives, chutneys, jam and mustards, in pretty ramekins with small spoons to give your cheese board a personal touch. You can also curl sliced meats into flower shapes and even include some edible flowers for garnish. Finally, scatter small bunches of grapes around to fill in any gaps. This will make your board look plentiful and encourage your guests to really dig in!
One-Stop Cheese Board Shop
Our market has everything you need to craft the perfect cheese board. From cheeses to cured meats, fresh fruit, jams, mustards, pickles, crackers, and more. Our staff is ready to help you find what you’re looking for and is happy to offer a little inspiration if you need it!