Five Steps to a Simple Cheese Board
Who doesn’t love a tasty, beautiful, Instagram-story-friendly plate of cheese? My friend Jennifer of Feather + Oak has written up these five steps for a simple cheese board, which you can easily put together with just a few ingredients. When Jennifer and I did this shoot, I was picking up the ingredients and she suggested going to Aldi. I bought nearly everything in these photos there — the meat, cheeses, nuts, and most of the produce — all at very reasonable prices and of great quality! I haven’t found the perfect alternative to Aldi here in Canada sadly, but the regular grocery stores will have to do!
Five steps for a simple cheese board | written by Jennifer of Feather + Oak Tennessee
Cheese: choose two. Ignore the rules about buying with regards to texture and flavor. That’s great for large cheese boards but for a simple one with friends, just buy what you like. For example: sharp cheddar + havarti or a goat cheese + gouda.
Meats: choose one. Go to the deli counter or check out the pre-packaged meats in that part of the store. Prosciutto is a universal favorite. A salami or capicola are also yummy choices.
Fruits + Veggies: choose three or four. If you don’t have time to slice, choose fruit such as grapes, cherries, bite size tomatoes + berries and pre-cut veggies like broccoli florets and carrots.
Vehicle: choose one. Your favorite cracker, a sliced baguette, brioche or Hawaiian bread torn into pieces. Bread will start to stale once sliced so if you don’t want to babysit your cheese board all evening, go with crackers.
Extras: choose two. Extras consist of nuts, spreads such as honey or jam, seeds, or dried fruit. In nuts, almonds are a traditional choice for cheese boards. If you want to be a little bit different, try shelled pistachios or macadamia nuts. A really good honey is excellent with everything on a cheese board. For jams, peach, strawberry, or blackberry are all quite palate friendly. Salted sunflower seeds or toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds) would be a delicious and unique alternative to nuts. Love dried fruits? Apricots, prunes, figs, and golden raisins are all readily available.
Prop/food styling by Feather + Oak Tennessee
Honey bowl & brass spoon from Facture Goods
Clay platter (in second set of photos) from Feast & Fern