Get on Board, A Series of Delicious Food Boards: Cheese
Over the past few weeks, my family experimented with different food boards for a delicious and interactive dining experience. For our first week in the “Get on Board” series, we assembled a bagel board for the perfect breakfast or brunch. For the second week, we put together a scrumptious slider board for lunch or dinner. We had not made either of those boards before, so it was a completely new experience.
This week, we are back on board with a cheese board. This is a board we have made before, but with a food board you can always use new toppings and sauces to change the dynamic of your meal. The cheese board was part of the lunch I put together to celebrate my mom’s 70th birthday. We had a wonderful time enjoying plenty of cheese, fruit, and vegetables (ok and wine…and cake). You can certainly tweak the ingredients to your personal preferences, but these are a few of my favorite combinations. Give them a try and let me know what you think!
The Vehicles (Bread & Crackers).
For this cheese board, I used the following bread and crackers: Schar gluten free sandwich loaves cut into small slices, Glutino gluten free crackers, gluten free rice crisp crackers, gluten free rosemary crackers, sesame wheat crackers, seeded multigrain crackers, cracked wheat crackers, rosemary crackers, poppy pepper water crackers, and five grain crackers. The gluten free crackers usually have to be purchased individually, but the regular crackers can generally be purchased as a set or entertainment pack. They have the assortment boxes at most major retailers. I have personally seen them at Owen’s, Kroger, Walmart, and Aldi.
The Cheeses.
We had a few different cheeses, including gouda, plain cream cheese, mild cheddar, herb goat cheese, fresh mozzarella, and chipotle cheddar.
The Spreads.
To assemble my favorite combinations, I used wild blueberry preserves, whole grain mustard, and sriracha. The wild blueberry preserves and whole grain mustard are Murray’s. This brand makes delicious products for cheese boards. We have tried several items and they are all delicious!
The Accompaniments.
I used green apples, lox, capers, sun dried tomatoes, and dill pickles to make some flavorful combinations.
The Sides.
In addition to those items that I used to build some of my selections, I also had sugared almonds and an assortment of olives on my board (kalmata, nicoise, picholine, and amfissa). I generally put together some combinations to give guests an idea of what would pair well together, and then I include a board with the extra cheese and vehicle options. For this get together, I had a plate of gluten free vehicles and a plate of non-gluten free crackers. Because it was a full meal, I also served it with raw vegetables with dip (made from plain, non-fat Greek yogurt) and fresh fruit.
The Combinations.
My go-to combinations for each of the cheeses are as follows:
- Cheddar and Blueberry Preserves: This is one of my favorite combinations. The blueberry preserves are extremely versatile and can be added to any of the cheeses mentioned in this post.
- Gouda and Mustard: The tanginess of mustard adds to the depth of flavor in the gouda. I used stone ground mustard, but most types of spicy brown mustard will do the trick. You can also add a bit of dill pickle to the top! I know it sounds odd, but both have the zing of vinegar that pairs well with the cheese.
- Chipotle Cheddar, Blueberry Preserves, and/or Sriracha: The sweetness of the blueberry provides a tasty contrast to the spiciness of the chipotle cheese. You can add a spot of sriracha on top too if it needs an extra kick.
- Goat Cheese and Apple: I do not favor green apples, as they are usually too sour for my taste. However, I specifically use green apples for my cheese boards because they taste AMAZING with herb goat cheese. The combination is good on a cracker, but even better on a piece of soft bread. I used white GF bread this time around, but it is also delicious on multigrain bread.
- Cream Cheese and Lox: This is a combination you would typically see on a bagel, but I thought I would give it a try for a cracker. I do not eat any meat, including fish, so I did not try it, but it got rave reviews from my lox loving nephew!
- Mozzarella and Sun dried Tomatoes: I love sun dried tomatoes. They pair perfectly with fresh mozzarella on a soft bread or on any cracker.
This is such a fun way to present a simple and beautiful meal. What combination are you excited to try? Do you have any recommendations for me? Time to get on board!
Katie G.