Building a beautiful cheeseboard that’s worthy of the holidays can seem like a daunting task, especially when you’re the one hosting. However, we’re taking the guesswork out of the board-building process with a step-by-step guide complete with photos, and helpful tips & strategies to ensure all your holiday cheeseboards sparkle.
Step 1: The Cheeses
Choose 2 to 4 kinds of cheese with a variety of flavors and textures—we’re using our tangy Buttermilk Blue®, nutty Grand Cru®, and Cranberry Cinnamon Chèvre. Place your cheeses on a large board or platter, spacing them evenly throughout. Tip: Variation in the cut of the cheese (wedge vs. triangles vs. medallions) helps augment visual appeal.
Step 2: The Carbs
Next, we need carbs! Think breads, crackers, cookies, and more. We took the festive route including panettone (a traditional Italian sweet bread studded with raisins & citrus) and a few crispy gingerbread cookies. Place these along the edge and/or near their best pairings (i.e. gingerbread works perfectly with the seasonal Chèvre flavor).
Step 3: The Fresh Stuff
Now, fresh fruits and veggies! If you’re unsure which ones to choose, think in COLORS. This cheeseboard feels extra merry because we’re using reds and greens across the board—grapes, pomegranate, and green olives. This mix of sweet & savory produce also pairs wonderfully with cheese and keeps the board well-balanced.
Step 4: The Optionals
Cured meats, nuts & seeds, and pickles are some of our favorite cheeseboard nibbles. We’ve added folded slices of coppa (an Italian dry-cured pork), and candied nut clusters. If you’ve got nut allergies or vegetarians at your gathering, simply serve these in separate dishes off the board.
Step 5: The Sweets
It’s not the holidays without a few sweet treats, and we’re going all out! Candied ginger, homemade caramels, stroopwafels (Dutch caramel wafers), shortbread stars… anything goes. We also love adding chocolate of any kind to holiday boards—chocolate bars, chocolate truffles, sea salt caramels, etc.
Step 6: The Condiments
The second-to-final step: add your condiments. Jams, mustards, honey, chutneys, and aiolis in small bowls help fill in the gaps on your cheeseboard. For an overflowingly abundant board, tuck additional items—such as raspberries and prosciutto—to ensure no empty spaces remain.
And THE FINAL STEP: garnish the board and serving table with rosemary sprigs, mini holiday decorations, and of course, many festive holiday cocktails! Eat, drink, and be cheesy (err…merry?). 🎅
How to Build A Holiday Pantry Cheeseboard! Create a showstopping holiday cheeseboard with delicious Roth cheeses by shopping your pantry. We’ll show you what to buy to have a beautiful and balanced board in no time.
I can make different appetizers with puff pastry and dips, and spend ages making unique things to nibble on, but everyone gravitates to the cheeseboard. (I’m not hating on things in puff pastry or a dip – there is a time and place for sure.) Maybe it’s because a cheeseboard just looks so welcoming and inviting?
These days, I often skip making traditional appetizers and only serve a cheeseboard or grazing table. Especially during the busy holiday season, who has time for anything else?
A secret about a holiday cheeseboard is that it takes very little effort on your part. Having a well-stocked holiday pantry makes it easy to create a gorgeous board like this one in no time. It doesn’t take a lot to make a board seem abundant, overflowing, interesting, and seasonal. Just some strategic shopping and you are good to go!
What Kind of Cheese Do I Put on a Holiday Cheeseboard? //
If you have been to a cheese shop or grocery store lately, then you know there are many incredible cheeses to choose from. I think it can be overwhelming, especially if you are new to cooking and entertaining. There are often HUNDREDS of varieties in the cheese case.
There are no hard and fast rules for choosing cheese for a board. Anything goes really, but what I think works best is a variety of flavors and textures. I tend to make sure I have something for everyone on each board I create.
My biggest piece of advice is to put cheeses that you like to eat on the board. If you don’t know what you like, try a new cheese each time you go to the grocery store. Bring home a small portion and see what you like about it. Is it creamy? Is it hard or soft? Do you love Chèvre? Do you love Aged Gouda?
When in doubt, ask the person at the cheese counter what they like or what they recommend. I do this almost every time I buy cheese from a specialty shop or specialty cheese section. Cheese people are passionate about their products.
Often, they will let you sample before purchasing. I often say, “I have alpine-style Grand Cru® and Gouda, what else should I include?” and they will have great suggestions and advice for you.
Hard cheeses: This can be Aged Gouda, Sharp Cheddar, Canela. These cheeses are typically very savory and bold. They often crumble and have a unique texture. They usually have a rind you cannot eat, but save it and add the rind to soups or stews to add another layer of flavor.
Semi-hard cheeses: These cheeses are often aged, but softer than hard cheeses. Grand Cru® is my go-to (and my husband’s favorite cheese) and on every cheeseboard I make. It’s alpine-style, mellow, and just looks beautiful sliced into triangles.
Crumbly or soft cheeses: These are cheeses you can typically spread on a cracker, like Chèvre goat cheese.These cheeses are creamy, typically mild, and moist. (Don’t hate me for using that word, but they are kind of wet.) They’re very distinct in flavor, fresh and milky. I like to add Plain Chèvre to my cheeseboards because I often will roll it in dried fruits or herbs for color to bring my palette together.
Blue cheeses: I put these in a category of their own. Blue cheeses are soft, but I find they are either something you like or don’t like. I happen to love blue cheese and Buttermilk Blue® is mild enough for even people that swear they don’t like blue cheese. This is a bold, distinctly-flavored cheese. I like to spread it on a piece of bread with a drizzle of honey.
Wild card: This is where you can really go crazy. A stinky cheese, holiday-flavored cheese, a new variety — something completely unique and different. Let your guests experience something FUN. This is also where I rely on the help of the person selling cheese. Ask them for a recommendation for a wild card and they will deliver.
How Much Cheese to Buy For A Holiday Cheeseboard? //
When you buy the bags of cheese, they add starch to the bag to keep the shreds from sticking together and they just don’t melt the same sexy way that cheese you shred yourself does. It makes a huge difference in the end result.
What I Keep Stocked In My Holiday Pantry //
I’m going to confess to something that I am both embarrassed and proud of: I have a cabinet in my laundry room that is strictly my cheeseboard-making pantry.
I keep my cheese board pantry stocked with nuts, pickles, olives, dried fruits, crackers, mustards, seasonal things, jams, jellies, honey, anything that I see when I am shopping that I think will look or taste great with cheese.
When we lived in Europe, I did not buy typical souvenirs. I would go to a local grocery store and buy fun and unique things that I couldn’t get anywhere else or that the region was known for. I have holiday jellies from France and preserved lemons from Morocco and Marcona almonds from Spain and honey from Slovenia. It makes me so happy to pull them off the shelf and use them and think about where they came from.
I loved coming home from our travels and continuing the adventure on my plate. I don’t live in Europe anymore, but I still get delighted to find fun things while shopping.
Being able to shop my well-stocked (ok, fine, OVERFLOWING) pantry allows me to create a cheeseboard whenever I am feeling inspired — whether that is to have a movie-watching couch date on a Wednesday or a full-blown holiday gathering. I can go to that cabinet and pick and choose things to make my board festive, inviting, and interesting.
Along with the idea that cheeses should be different textures and flavors, I think everything else on the board should be as well. Sweet with salty, crunchy with soft, you get the idea.
Candied nuts Dried fruit Candies Chocolate Caramels Kettle corn
Fresh things to add:
Prosciutto Herbs Fruit Vegetables Baguette
Festive & Seasonal:
Decorated cookies Seasonal chutney/jams Spiced items Seasonal garnishes (think seasonal serving pieces like mini ornaments or glittery mini trees) Mini cupcakes Seasonal breads, like pumpkin or cranberry orange
Serving Pieces:
Parchment paper Rimmed platters Large plates Cheese knives Small bowls Spoons, picks, and forks
TIP: Line your boards or platters with parchment — this makes clean up so much easier.
You do not need to have everything on this list, but having one or two things from each category will allow you to make a beautiful, well-balanced, festive cheeseboard whenever the mood strikes.
Creating a holiday cheeseboard doesn’t have to be difficult. By having a well-stocked pantry and delicious Roth cheese, you will be able to serve your guests at a moment’s notice.
If you need some help styling your board, check out this post. I share all of my best tips for making a board that tastes AND looks amazing.
I have never lived in New Orleans or anywhere that truly embraces Mardi Gras, but I do love to celebrate it. You don’t really need to give me an excuse to decorate and make food around a theme.
I make a King Cake for my family every year, sometimes multiple times during Mardi Gras season, but for sure on Fat Tuesday. Some people eat pancakes (it’s called Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day in the United Kingdom) or paczki (Polish jelly doughnuts — they are incredible!) to get ready for the Lenten season. Some people go buck wild with the cocktails and the beads.
This year, we are going all out and will eat so much cheese and meats and King Cake and we will have zero regrets. I feel like we need a reason to celebrate and this is the answer! Have a family Mardi Gras night at home.
How to Create a Mardi Gras-Inspired Cheeseboard //
I love a clear theme and this board has one: the colors of Mardi Gras and New Orleans. According to my research, purple represents justice, green represents faith, and yellow or gold represents power.
New Orleans is what I think of when I think of Fat Tuesday, so I chose things that are from New Orleans and things that you eat while you are there.
I had the BEST time creating this cheeseboard and I can’t wait to tell you how I made it. So grab a King’s Cup and let’s get started!
Researching the Foods of New Orleans and Mardi Gras //
I started by doing a little research into foods that can be found and eaten in New Orleans. I wanted things that are easy to eat, go well on a cheeseboard, and loosely all tie into my Creole and Cajun theme.
King Cake//King Cake had to be on there. It’s the first thing I think of when I’m thinking about Mardi Gras. I made this one, but you can order them and have one shipped from Louisiana straight to your door. I’ve done this before and love how many different fillings you can choose from. I did an easy cheese filling for this one.
Andouille Sausage// Is found in so many Creole and Cajun recipes. It is a smoky pork sausage that is the base of so many famous Louisiana recipes. I cut mine on the bias and seared it until the sides were golden and crisp, like you do with kielbasa.
Creole Mustard // Creole mustard is grainy, spicy, and an essential ingredient in remoulade sauce that is also a New Orleans staple. It’s delicious to dip your Andouille into.
Praline Pecans // I’m of the humble opinion that there needs to be a sweet element on every cheeseboard. You can’t visit a touristy Southern city without being hit in the nostrils with the delicious aroma of burnt sugar and roasted pecans. I worked next to a candy shop that made them while I was in college and think that for a few years I was ⅕ praline pecan. They are the perfect sweet element for this cheeseboard.
Pancakes // When I was thinking about what to put on this board, the idea to add baby pancakes came to me in the middle of the night (ALWAYS THINKING ABOUT FOOD) and I’m so glad I remembered it when morning came around. I made silver dollar-sized pancakes as a nod to Shrove Tuesday. I used my favorite store-bought pancake mix, but you can always make homemade pancakes.
French Bread // Crusty French baguette because there is so much French influence in the food and culture of New Orleans, this had to be a vehicle for getting cheese to mouth.
Cornbread Crisps // Also a nod to the South where cornbread and biscuits are found on almost every table. And the yellow color was a plus too.
Muffaletta Ingredients // If you’ve ever gone to New Orleans, you have seen and heard of the famous muffaletta sandwich. There is an olive salad, lots of meats and cheeses, and is often served as an entire loaf bread. It’s pressed, so when it’s cut, it has really beautiful layers. I have a bowl of olive salad ingredients, ham, salami, and lots of cheese to choose from. With the French bread, you could make yourself a muffaletta-like sandwich.
The Rest // To round out my Mardi Gras cheeseboard, I picked fruits and vegetables that fell into my color palette. Purple and yellow carrots, yellow and green peppers, blueberries, and cucumbers.
The Roth Cheeses I Used for This Board //
For full disclosure, I chose my cheeses based solely off of color. Thankfully, Roth Cheese never lets me down and I had cheese that is yellow AND yellow with flecks of green! (When you are committed to a theme, you really need to COMMIT!)
Natural Smoked Van Gogh®️ Gouda // This is one of my favorite cheeses in the entire Roth Cheese lineup. This cheese is creamy, smoky, and incredible. It is also made for a perfect bite – A piece of French bread, a teeny bit of mustard, a slice of smoked Gouda, and topped with pecan praline. Trust me, it’s perfect!
Grand Cru®️ // Grand Cru® makes an appearance on every board I make now because it is my husband’s favorite cheese. It also pairs perfectly with an icy cold beer, which goes great with a muffaletta.
Dill Havarti // I think that Dill is often overlooked as one of the best herbs. It’s so fresh and light and I use it in salads all the time. Add it to some Havarti and it makes a really delicious cheese even more delicious. (This cheese is really good on a fried egg sandwich.)
Horseradish Havarti // I LOVE horseradish. I worked in a restaurant that had jars of really spicy horseradish and oyster crackers on each table. I would eat it and cry because it was so hot, and I loved every second of it. The creaminess of the Havarti cuts the spiciness of the horseradish and has just the right amount of kick. This Havarti also has chive and mustard seed in it. I need to experiment with this cheese more because I think that it would be amazing melted on so many things.
Some Extra Festive Things //
To make the table I served this on even festive, I bought some yellow, green, and purple napkins from a party store. I put a few of each color under the cheeseboard and it adds so much color and makes everything pop.
Mardi Gras beads and King Cake babies! I bought a big bag of 100 beads on Amazon and am set for life. I put strands all around the table and the cheeseboard to get us in the Mardi Gras mood. I also bought little plastic babies that are found in King Cakes and used them in cocktails and around the table to set the tone.
Lastly, I made a batch of King’s Cup Cocktails. A really delicious coconut, lime, and pineapple drink with a green and purple sugar rim that is so good and really fits with my whole theme.
I hope you loved this post as much as I loved creating it. I had the best time thinking of ideas and decorating and making something special for my family when we need a weeknight celebration.
There is a better than good chance that your Valentine’s Day is going to be celebrated at home this year. Might I suggest a chocolate and cheeseboard to set the mood? Is there anything sexier than cheese and chocolate? Maybe cheese, chocolate, and PEANUT BUTTER.
Just because we might be skipping the fancy restaurant this year, does not mean that we can’t make it special at home. When my husband and I had young children, we often put them to bed and had a nice evening on the couch with a bottle of wine and a cheeseboard.
Honestly, some of our best dates took place in the comfort of our living room when we didn’t have babysitters or much disposable income to speak of. Now we have teenagers and they go to bed later than us and we miss our cozy couch dates.
I love a theme and a holiday, so I really went with it for this board. Red and pink and roses and hearts – and there is nothing not to love on this cheeseboard.
Roth Grand Cru®️ alpine-style cheese is naturally nutty and pairs perfectly with peanut butter and chocolate. I made peanut butter balls to complement the complex flavors of the cheese. They are incredibly simple to make and one of my absolute favorite Valentine’s treats.
Ingredients for Peanut Butter Balls //
Peanut Butter: You can use smooth or chunky, but this isn’t the time to use the healthy kind. The kind that comes from the health food store or separates is great on bread, but you need to add so much sugar to get it to hold its shape.
Melted Butter: You don’t need a lot of butter, but it adds to the richness and helps the balls keep their shape.
Vanilla: A little vanilla adds depth of flavor and makes everything taste better.
Salt: Everything sweet needs a little salt to bring out and enhance the flavors of everything in the bowl. It makes the peanut butter more peanut buttery and the chocolate more chocolate-y.
Powdered Sugar: Adds sweetness but also literally holds everything together.
Chocolate: I used semisweet chocolate chips, but if you prefer, you can use milk or dark too.
Coconut Oil: I add a little coconut oil to my chocolate to add shine and help it set up. (This is also how to make homemade Magic Shell for ice cream.)
How to Make // The Steps
In a medium bowl, mix together 1 cup peanut butter, 1/4 cup melted butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar. Mix until smooth and well combined.
Chill the mixture for 10 to 15 minutes.
Portion the mixture into tablespoon-sized balls. Roll them into balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
When ready to dip, melt 1 (12-oz) package semisweet chocolate chips over a double boiler or in the microwave. Add 1 tablespoon coconut oil and mix until combined.
Use a fork or skewer to dip the peanut butter balls into the chocolate. Let the excess chocolate drip and place them on the parchment paper.
Add sprinkles if you like.
Let sit until the chocolate is firm.
Tips for Making Peanut Butter Balls //
When you are making something with so few ingredients, make sure to use the best ingredients you can. It makes a big difference in the end result. Use high-quality peanut butter and chocolate.
While you are working with the balls, if they’re too soft to dip, put them back in the freezer to set back up.
If your chocolate cools and becomes too thick, put it in the microwave for 10-20 seconds until it is back to a dipping consistency.
I sometimes like to add rice cereal or crushed cornflakes to the mixture for a little extra crunch. Or even mini chocolate chips or toffee bits would be amazing!
You can use white, milk, or dark chocolate if you prefer. There is no wrong chocolate/peanut butter combination!
How to Make a Valentine’s Day Cheeseboard with Peanut Butter Balls //
I love a theme and I also love a holiday, so creating this board was just a lot of fun for me. I found as many things in the grocery store that are red, pink, heart-shaped, and fun for Valentine’s Day.
The Roth Cheeses //
The first step, pick your Roth cheeses and place them on your cutting board. I like to keep some wedges whole, and slice others. I like the way that it looks, and I like that it makes it easy to eat.
Grand Cru®️ has quickly become my husband’s favorite cheese, so that was the inspiration behind this Valentine’s date night cheeseboard. It is mellow and has just a bit of natural sweetness, so it’s perfect on a board that features so many sweets.
Prairie Sunset®️ and chocolate are also a match made in heaven, which is why I chose those two kinds of cheese to pair with all of the chocolate you find on this board.
Chèvre is mild and fresh. In my humble opinion, an excellent base on a cracker with some prosciutto and dried fruit. I took it a step further and rolled it dried cranberries for color and extra flavor.
Havarti rounds out the cheese selection. It’s super creamy and I wanted something more salty and savory to round out all of the sweetness on this cheeseboard.
The Rest for Your Valentine’s Day Cheeseboard //
Once you have your cheeses laid down on your cutting board, I like to fill in some of the holes with my bigger items. I made roses out of salami and bay leaves, so they took up a nice spot at the top of the board.
I placed my peanut butter balls in the middle because next to the cheese, they are the star of the show.
There is a cute bakery in my town that specializes in gingerbread cookies, so I bought a few large hearts and made sure that they were also a focal point.
Once I had my main items placed, I filled in any holes with smaller items. I had raspberries, chocolate-covered strawberries, chocolate caramels, white chocolate raspberry chunks (they have Pop Rocks in there and it’s my new favorite candy), little pink cakes, and heart candies.
This board is FULL of delicious treats. To finish it off and really make it look romantic, I added spray roses and more fresh bay leaves.
I love this cheeseboard turned out and I can’t wait to share it with my love this Valentine’s Day.
Our holidays this year might be smaller, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be full of traditions or as festive. Growing up, we had a cheeseboard as part of our Christmas morning breakfast. This was before cheese boards were part of our everyday vernacular. We had cheese and crackers, but not like the full spread.
We felt very fancy eating cheeses we picked out at the gourmet cheese shop, with little jars of mustards and jams, teeny tiny pickles, olives, and crusty bread while wearing our pajamas after opening our presents.
Now, we don’t save the good cheese for just Christmas morning, we eat cheese boards with the good cheese on them all the time at home. We keep a well-stocked pantry so we can throw together a good cheese pairing at a moment’s notice. And we do. Often.
One upside of 2020 is that we can buy excellent quality cheeses at our local grocery store any time we want.
A few years ago, I went to Wisconsin and met a few cheesemakers, and toured their facilities. I sampled their cheeses and saw firsthand the pride and love they put into their product. People just don’t make cheese, they liveand breathe cheese.
It stayed with me and now I actively seek out Wisconsin cheeses, like Roth Grand Cru®, because I know that they will be made with milk that comes from family farms. More often than not, you can see the silo from the parking lot, they are that close.
Roth Cheese is a brand that I look for in the cheese case because I know that I’m going to get a well-crafted and delicious cheese, made with all-natural ingredients and rBST-free milk, no matter which variety I choose. I also really like that all of the packages have pairing and cooking ideas on them.
I’ve made so many cheese boards that I think that I have cracked the code for making stellar ones every time that are just as pretty as they are tasty.
How to Choose Cheese For Your Board //
When I’m making a cheese board, I want a few different kinds of cheese. Different textures, different flavor profiles, different ages, different colors. I want there to be lots of different bite possibilities.
Age // Grand Cru® is Roth’s signature alpine-style cheese. It is similar to Gruyère, cultured in cooper vats and then aged for 4+ months. It is delicious for snacking, but also melts beautifully. We also use this for our New Year’s Eve raclette because it’s heaven melted over roasted potatoes.
Texture // Buttermilk Blue® is a creamy and mellow blue that is aged for two months. A lot of blue cheeses can be too strong for me, but this one is just right.
Flavor // Van Gogh Gouda is slightly sweet and mellow. It also melts well and is delicious in mac and cheese.
You can find Grand Cru® and other Roth Cheeses at your local grocer. Use their store locator for the closest location to you.
What to Put on Your Cheese Board //
Like with the cheeses you choose, you also need a variety with the other things on the board. Crunchy, sweet, salty, spicy. The way I like to think about it, combinations of things to make amazing bites. I also like to put on things that are seasonal or unexpected and fun, like the stollen on this board.
Meats // Salami, prosciutto, ham, any cured meat you like
The Unexpected // Chocolates, potato chips, caramel corn, pickled vegetables, seasonal things, cookies
I made a homemade Apple Cranberry Chutney and it will go perfectly with the Grand Cru® and the other cheeses on this board.
How to Put Together A Visually Appealing Cheese Board //
The beauty of a cheese board is, well, cheese. But also they are really beautiful on your table. There are some tricks for making them look Instagram-worthy.
Lay your cheeses out first // Your eyes are trained to see things in triangles and patterns. Cheese is often round and sliced into a triangle. I place the cheeses in a general triangle shape on the platter and point the edges towards each other. I also will pre-slice or cube some for ease of eating, but also visual interest.
Color // I pick a color palette and try to pick things that will compliment each other. This board has lots of warm colors – reds, oranges, and yellows. All the colors work together and don’t compete with each other. You can also do the opposite – pick colors that are opposite on the color wheel. Purple and green, blue and orange, or red and green.
Make it look abundant // I like my boards to look overflowing. Use a smaller platter or container and pile things higher on it.
Fill all the space // I really like how a full platter looks. Where you can’t see the surface that the food is sitting on. It looks like a rectangle of meats and cheeses sitting on a table and I’m here for that. Nuts, dried fruits, and berries are really good filler for this.
How can you arrange it in a different way // Instead of just taking a handful of crackers on putting them on a platter, maybe stack them or line them up or wave them around a bowl? Maybe fold meats into ribbons or pile them into little purses (this is really good for prosciutto)?
Think in odd numbers // Your brain tells your eyes to see things in patterns, and it also really likes odd numbers. So groupings of 3’s and 5’s draw your eye around your platter.
Don’t overthink it and have fun // Even though I was styling this board to be shot for a post, it took me less than 10 minutes to put it together. I think that when you are working with foods that are naturally colorful and beautiful like cheese and fruit and chutneys, it is difficult to make it look anything less than gorgeous. Just have fun with it.
How to Make Apple Cranberry Chutney //
I made this holiday-spiced Apple Cranberry Chutney to go on my cheese board because I love how in an English pub when you order a cheese plate, it always has a chutney on it. And also because I was a little overzealous with my apple purchasing and found myself with an abundance of apples that needed to be used up.
During the holidays, I do like to take the extra time to make special condiments to have on hand, whether for gift giving or for when I am going to make a cheese board or serve a pork roast or a roast chicken. It makes me feel very Nigella Lawson-esque.
I created this apple and dried cranberry chutney recipe using things I already had on hand. Apples, cider, onions, fresh ginger, spices, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, salt, lemon juice, and dried cranberries.
If you have never had a chutney before, it is a savory condiment, like a jam. It’s Indian in origin, and why you see it in English pubs. Did you know that the national food of England is chicken tikka masala?
It’s simple to make, pairs perfectly with cheese and meats, and when you are making it, you can’t help but get into the holiday spirit.
How to Make // The Steps
Heat oil in a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium heat. Saute onions for one to two minutes, or until translucent.
Add fresh ginger and spices, and cook for an additional minute.
Add brown sugar, apples, cider, apple cider vinegar, salt, and lemon juice.
Reduce heat to low, and let the apples cook down and begin to soften about 10 minutes.
Use a masher and mash about half of the apples. Add the dried cranberries and continue to simmer for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until the mixture is thick and the liquid has evaporated.
Let cool and put into a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or frozen for up to 2 months.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year—the HOLIDAY SEASON is here! And no matter how or who you’re decking the halls with, a cheeseboard is one of the easiest ways to impress your loved ones and eat your way through the holidays.
Here’s our step-by-step guide for how to make a holiday cheeseboard that will surprise and delight:
1. Choose Your Cheese
We recommend picking 3 to 5 kinds of cheese for a cheeseboard. Too many can get expensive and overwhelming, while too few lacks variety. Aim for cheeses that vary in texture, color, and taste for a well-rounded spread. We love the mix of a soft, boldly-flavored cheese (like Blue or Chèvre), a mild semi-soft cheese (like Havarti or Gouda), and a flavored or aged cheese (like Jalapeño Havarti or Grand Cru®).
2. Calculate How Much Cheese You’ll Need
A good rule of thumb is 1 to 2 ounces of each cheese per person if you’re serving the board as an appetizer or dessert course. If your cheeseboard is starring as the festive centerpiece of the big holiday meal, double that amount to 2 to 4 ounces of each cheese per person.
3. Prep Your Cheese Ahead of Time
Did you know you can put together your cheeseboard ahead of time, giving you more time to celebrate with your loved ones? While cheese can be cut in advance of being served, different styles are best cut at different temperatures:
Hard Cheeses: Hard cheeses like Grand Cru® are easier to slice at room temperature. Remove these cheeses from the fridge 30 to 60 minutes before slicing.
Soft & Semi-Soft Cheeses: Soft and semi-soft cheeses hold their shape better and are easier to cut when cold. Try putting softer cheeses like Blue and goat cheese in the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes for easier slicing.
4. How to Cut Your Cheese
One of our most frequently asked questions! With a variety of cheeses on your holiday board, it’s helpful to cut them in different shapes for distinction and to make an aesthetically pleasing spread. Varying shapes—like tiles and triangles—create striking patterns, and we find it best to let the natural shape of the cheese be your guide when determining the best shape for cutting.
Blocks:Havarti is one of many semi-soft cheeses made in blocks, and it can easily be cut into rectangles, squares, triangles or cubes.
Wedges: Wedge-shaped cheeses like our alpine-style Grand Cru® and Gouda should be sliced into smaller wedges or triangles.
Soft: Soft cheeses like Buttermilk Blue® and Chèvre goat cheese can either be sliced with a wire cutter or simply crumbled and placed on the cheeseboard in chunks.
This is the perfect step to amp up the joy and merriment! Pick festive accompaniments that balance the board in both color and taste. Hint, hint: you may want to lean toward the colors red and green for extra holiday cheer.
RED Accompaniments
Dried or fresh cranberries
Jam (raspberry or strawberry)
Pomegranate arils
Red grapes
Strawberries
Raspberries
GREEN Accompaniments
Fresh herbs (like rosemary & thyme)
Green apple
Green grapes
Green pear
Olives
Pickles
Ensure there are crunchy snacks and a sauce for dipping on your board. We love nuts, like candied pecans or pistachios, and dips like caramel sauce, honey, mustards, and tapenades (olive, sundried tomato, etc.). The last addition is piling on meats, crackers, and other hearty bases to fill in the remainder of the board (and bellies!).
6. Add in a Beverage (or Two!)
Tis’ the season for imbibing, and wine, beer, and spirits are all mandatory for washing down your cheeseboard. The general rule for pairings is to not let either overpower the other. Spicy cheeses deserve a nice beer to balance their flavor, blues can stand up to liquor like gin, and alpine-style cheeses go really well with white wine:
Alpine-style cheeses (like Grand Cru®) & Riesling or a Wisconsin Brandy Old Fashioned
If you’re looking for non-alcoholic options, we love bubbly sodas like Dry Soda, switchel (a refreshing apple cider vinegar & ginger drink), and kombucha. Garnish your drinks with fresh cranberries and herbs for a Christmas-y touch.
7. Arrange Your Cheeseboard
When arranging your board, start with the cheese. Draw attention to each cheese by arranging slices in varying shapes.
Next, add your accompaniments! These fill in the space between each cheese, and add depth and texture to the board. Begin by adding items according to the amount of space they take up—biggest to smallest. If possible, place cheeses by their best pairings, so it’s easy for guests to know which foods go together. For example, slice your Grand Cru®, then tuck next to apples, figs, pickles, and almonds so you can easily try pairings together. Make the board pop by placing contrasting colored cheeses and accompaniments next to one other.
Finally, garnish with herbs like rosemary or thyme, or even clip spruce sprigs off your Christmas tree. Cranberries and winter flowers also beautiful seasonal garnishes. When you’re finished arranging your board, place it in the refrigerator wrapped in plastic wrap or a towel until you’re ready to eat.
8. Take Cheese Out 30 Minutes Before Serving
Do NOT—we repeat—DO NOT serve cheese right out of the refrigerator. Cheese has the best taste and texture at room temperature, so let it sit on your countertop for at least 20 to 30 minutes before digging in.
Cheese is easy to love, but tricky to master, so we’re always on the hunt for great cheese tips. How much should you grate? When do you wrap it in plastic? What do you serve at a party? We’ve gathered questions from cheese lovers throughout the years and put together this handy list of expert cheese tips to help you buy, store, and use your favorite food to it’s fullest potential.
COOKING
4-6 ounces of cheese = 1 cup, shredded
For the perfect melt, GRATE your cheese before making a grilled cheese sandwich
When cooking, add your cheese last to preserve flavor
SERVING
Limit your cheeses to no more than 3-5 different varieties on a cheese board. Too many can get expensive and overwhelming.
Do NOT, we repeat, DO NOT serve cheese right out of the refrigerator. Cheese is the best taste and texture at room temperature, so make your cheese board ahead of time and let it sit on the counter for a bit.
BUT, cold cheese is easier to cut than warm cheese. So, prep, then bring to room temperature.
Hard cheeses should not be sliced, but rather broken into small pieces. Use a short knife with a triangular blade.
How much cheese should you serve at a party? If serving the cheese hors-d’oeuvre, plan on 1 to 2 ounces of each cheese per person.
STORING
What should you wrap your cheese with? The answer: it depends on the cheese! Cheese ages and perfects by air exposure, so each cheese needs different exposure to air to stay tasting it’s best once it’s at your house, too.
Blue cheese: plastic wrap
Hard aged cheeses (like Grand Cru): parchment or wax paper
October is full of things we can’t resist, like pumpkin spice, Halloween candy, and October-inspired craft beer. Now also on our list: CHEESE. Making a cheeseboard for Halloween parties, gatherings or dinner during your trick-or-treat duties is simple and fun. Just gather some cheeses, your favorite candy and try some new flavor pairings.
The Cheese
This cheeseboard features all of our favorite Halloween-inspired Roth cheeses, from Moody Blue to orange-hued Prairie Sunset, spicy Sriracha Gouda and Vintage Van Gogh® Gouda with a dark rind.
The Candy
Whether you use mini candy bars, candy corn, or opt for fancier accompaniments, you really can’t go wrong pairing cheese and sweets. Here’s what we loved:
Looking for an easy appetizer or new twist on your plain ol’ cheeseboard? Top a radish slice with a square slice of Roth Havarti cheese, then sprinkle the top with coarse sea salt. Try many Havarti flavors like Dill (pictured), Jalapeño or Original.
What you’ll need: 1 package (6 or 8 ounce) Roth Havarti cheese
1 bunch fresh radishes
Coarse sea salt, for topping
How to do it 1. Slice radishes into disks
2. Slice Havarti into strips, then cut into squares
3. Top radish slices with Havarti slices and sprinkle with sea salt. Or, place Havarti squares and radishes on a cheeseboard for quests to assemble their own pairings.
It’s finally Spring! Whether you’re making a cheese board for a party, a shower, or just because, you might as well make it as lovely, tasty, and seasonal as possible. Here’s our latest inspiration:
STEP 1: Choose your cheese
We recommend starting with a creamy, flavored Havarti. Roth Horseradish Havarti has just enough kick without overpowering your palate. Plus, it pairs especially well with seasonal ham.
Next, add a nice, nutty alpine-style cheese. Alpine-style cheeses, like Roth Grand Cru, have a rich, complex flavor and appeals to just about any party-goer. Plus, it pairs beautifully with nuts, fruits, and ham—which makes it a perfect partner for this spring board.
Add a pop of color with a mild cheddar or American Original cheese. Roth Prairie Sunset is a perfect choice for spring. It is slightly sweet with a hint of butterscotch, and so approachable that it tastes great in just about any combination.
Step 2: Pair with Accompaniments
Have fun adding color to your cheese board with seasonal vegetables, fruit, and nuts. Here are some ideas:
Marcona almonds: These simple salted, slightly oily almonds provide a great crunch between bites.
Pickled spring onions: You can make these a few days in advance in the fridge by putting trimmed spring onions into a simple brine—a quick search for pickled spring onions or scallions will turn up dozens of tasty options.
Grapes: Pick your favorite variety—we love the color of red grapes against the color of the Prairie Sunset.
Rhubarb jam: Nothing says spring like rhubarb!
Beauty heart radishes: Peppery-sweet and oh-so-pretty, these radishes may look boring from the outside, but when you slice them, they’re show-stoppers. Great on a sliced baguette with ham and your choice of cheese.
Candied Meyer Lemon: Meyer lemons have a distinctive taste—less sour than regular lemons, with a slightly floral aroma. If you can’t find them candied, you can make your own! Martha Stewart’s version calls for simmering sliced lemons in a simple syrup for 30 minutes, letting them cool, then laying them out on a rack.
Step 3: Add a Base
Bulk up your cheese board with meats, crackers and bread. For spring, we love:
Country ham: Salty country ham is a great choice for a cheese board, but an unctuous liver pâté would be lovely, too.
Whole wheat crackers and sliced baguette: These serve as the perfect base for stacking up adventurous cheese board combos.
There are plenty of ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Of course, our favorite is with cheese—that’s why we put together this little Valentine’s Day Cheese board for two.
To keep it light enough for two, we only used two cheeses: Roth Buttermilk Blue® and Roth Original Havarti.
Buttermilk Blue® is an exceptionally creamy blue cheese that traditionally pairs well with figs, pears, dates and dark chocolate.
Havarti is a crowd-pleasing, buttery cheese that pairs well with, well … just about everything.
For this cheese board, we dipped strawberries in dark chocolate—rich and sweet berries pair with either cheese. Honey, too, pairs well with both cheeses on water crackers, and the crunchy candied nuts make a perfect nibble.
The final touch on this board: Smoked oysters. Great with Havarti, and of course oysters are also a purported aphrodisiac.
And finally, of course, we chose a sparkling rosé to pair with our board. Make sure to look for a dry—or brut—version, as a sweeter wine doesn’t play well with the earthier flavors in this cozy cheese board.
