Just about the quickest, fanciest, most impressive of appetizers, are cheese boards! & no, they aren’t all overwhelming to build. But watch the price point on your cheese blocks. It adds up quickly.
There is an art that comes with cheese board construction, but let’s keep it simple. In general, keep in mind to always place the largest items on the board first. Never align an item to the same edge as your cheese board. For example, if a cheese block has a flat sharp edge, place it diagonally on the board to create some movement. Try not to have two of the same food category items touching, such as two different cheese blocks. And place the same sized objects around various areas of the board. Scattered in the recipe below are some styling tips for each specific type of food. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- Havarti cheese block – sliced into thin triangles
- Blue cheese block
- Manchego block
- Goat cheese medallion
- Marcona almonds
- Prosciutto – 1/4 lb – formed into rosettes
- Red grapes
- 3 figs – halved
- Apricot, orange & almond crisps
- Mini croccantini crackers
Amounts of items will vary based on the size of your cheese board
Directions
- Place the largest items on the board first including the Manchego, Havarti, and Blue Cheese. Fan out the Manchego slices as they fall naturally. Create a fan pointing into the cheese board, rather than outward. As for the Havarti, blue cheese, and goat cheese, on one side of the block, break off the edge so that small crumbles form in front of the cheese, making it appear more natural. Make sure none of the cheese blocks are touching one another
- Place crackers onto your board, wherever there is large enough space. Try and create moving lines with the crackers that wind around the cheese blocks.
- Place small clusters of red grapes in the remaining portions of empty board space.
- Place prosciutto rosettes whenever they feel most natural to place. To create a rosette, pinch the bottom of a slice and twirl the remaining portion around the pinched area. Don’t overthink it. Just keep spinning it until you finish.
- Place halved figs onto the board wherever there is room. They lay nicely on top of cheese or crackers.
- Finally, sprinkle the Marcona almonds into any empty spaces. Think abundance! We want the board to look luxurious and overflowing off the edges.
Easy Holiday Cheese Board
Ingredients
- 1 block Havarti cheese
- 1 block Blue cheese
- 1 block Manchego
- 1 block Goat cheese
- 1/4 lb Prosciutto
- 1 bag Red grapes
- 3 whole Figs
- 1 bag Marcona almonds
- 1 box Apricot, orange & almond crisps
- 1 box Mini croccantini crackers
Instructions
- Place the largest items on the board first including the Manchego, Havarti, and Blue Cheese. Fan out the Manchego slices as they fall naturally. Create a fan pointing into the cheeseboard, rather than outward. As for the Havarti, blue cheese, and goat cheese, on one side of the block, break off the edge so that small crumbles form in front of the cheese, making it appear more natural. Make sure none of the cheese blocks are touching one another
- Place crackers onto your board, wherever there is large enough space. Try and create moving lines with the crackers that wind around the cheese blocks.
- Place small clusters of red grapes in the remaining portions of empty board space.
- Place prosciutto rosettes whenever they feel most natural to place. To create a rosette, pinch the bottom of a slice and twirl the remaining portion around the pinched area. Don’t overthink it. Just keep spinning it until you finish.
- Place halved figs onto the board wherever there is room. They lay nicely on top of cheese or crackers.
- Finally, sprinkle the marcona almonds into any empty spaces. Think abundance! We want our cheeseboard to look luxurious and overflowing off the edges.