By Emma Barhydt
St. Patrick’s Day is all about two things, imbibing and celebrating with friends and family, what better way to host than with a cheese board everyone can enjoy? Cheese is one of those things that’s both luxurious and exceptional. Go with a fabulous cheese board to satisfy everyone’s palates this St. Patrick’s day, and make sure no one is celebrating on an empty stomach.
Cheese is, of course, the first and most important part of your cheese board so selecting the right cheeses for your palate is integral. In order to do this, head over to the Greenwich Cheese Company and explain a little bit about what you’re looking for and they will recommend your cheeses.
Once you have your cheeses the next step is to make sure you have something to eat it with. Crackers and breads are the next thing you’ll need. The crackers should complement the texture of your cheeses, soft cheeses do well with a french bread or crostini; while very firm cheeses are better with a thinner, crispy cracker.
A balanced cheese board relies as much on the accoutrements as it does on the cheese itself, so the next items you’ll need are nuts and fruits. Dried fruit such as figs, apricots, and cherries add sweet and tart flavors whereas fresh fruits like raspberries, grapes, and strawberries are a fun way to add bright cheerful notes to your board. Sweeter fruits pair best with a tart cheese like a goat, while sweeter fruits pair better with stinky cheeses, and fruits like pears or apples pair best with blue cheeses.
If fruits aren’t what you’re looking for try adding some nuts to your cheese board instead. Nuts such as pistachios, cashews, or walnuts are a good way to round out your board with something crunchy that pairs well with the flavors in most cheeses. It’s important to select these extras in order to compliment both the cheeses you’re eating as well as the person who will be eating them.
Once you have your cheeses, crackers, fruits, and nuts you’ll need the crowning gem of your cheese board: fruit preserve. A nice preserve can make or break your board. For your preserve choose a fruit preserve with interest such as the floral fruit preserves pictured or a crystalized honey to add sweetness, flavor, and texture.
As a fun and unique add on, you can also add some shortbread cookies or dark chocolate chunks. Shortbread is a good palate cleanser to go from one cheese to another or even if you just need a break, and dark chocolate serves as both an interesting flavor component and a nice texture difference.
The best way to assemble the cheese board is to place things together that you’re going to eat together. Put the soft cheeses next to the crostini and the hard cheeses next to the crackers; your fresh fruits with your goat cheeses and dried fruits with your cow and sheep’s milk cheeses. I find the easiest way to do this is to first put down the cheeses, all about equidistant from each other, then put the crackers/bread/crostini on one side of the cheese and your nuts/fruit in between each pile of crackers or bread. Then in the very center of your board in a very small bowl put your honey or jam.
Ultimately the board is your canvas and you’re making a beautiful painting of cheeses, fruits, nuts, crackers, and whatever else you think will be good so paint away and create a beautiful spread that is uniquely yours.
