What to Put on Your Thanksgiving Cheese Board
Written By: Michelle Webb | @cheeseshopnc, Stevie Lee Webb | @the_stevemonger
Image credit: Vermont Creamery
The most important thing about your Thanksgiving cheese board is to create something simple that you and your guests will love. Our rule of thumb is to make sure each cheese lover is represented -- from mild to wild. Below are some of our favorite choices and tips for an easy DIY cheese board that's both delicious and eye-catching!
Something Spreadable
Spreadable cheeses are perfect with crusty or toasty bread, think chevre, brie, camembert, or whipped feta. Culture butter also works well here, like Isigny St. Mere or Bordier cut fresh from our hand-churned, 11lb motte (French for ‘lump’). Just add some farmer's market radishes for freshness and crunch. If you’re into the tinned fish trend, but not sure where to start? Add spiced tuna or mackerel paté -- the “gateway tin, or try our perfect-for-entertaining salmon spread.
Something Spoonworthy
Tap into your inner cheese snob by breaking out the extremely rare and seasonal fall cheeses. Most come in their own rounds, and all of them do well as is -- just cut the top off and serve with a spoon at room temp or bake in the oven with a little white wine and herbs-- and voila, fondue. This year, we're carrying Rush Creek Reserve direct from Uplands Creeamery and the Swiss masterpiece that started it all, Vacherin Mont D'Or.
Something Firm
Reserve some space for the crowd-pleasers. Go with an aged cheddar like Deer Creek's Imperial Buck, a traditional, hearty Gouda like L'Amuse Signature, a sweet Manchego like our house favorite, 1605, or the bright orange-hued conversation-starter: Mimolette.
Something Funky
Trust us, almost every party has a funky cheese lover. Make them happy with bouncy, washed rinds like a raw milk Taleggio, Bufarolo, or Munster d’Alsace— all great with stone-fruit-based jams or, go tangy with pickles and olives.
Something Blue
Yes, blue cheese is polarizing for some. Try and meet somewhere in the middle with 'converters' or milder blue cheeses that win over the blue averse: Fourme d'Ambert or the new cider-washed Withersbrook from Jasper Hill. Alternatively, if you're serving a blue-loving crowd go for the classic Colston Basset Shropshire Blue.
Something Special
This is the best time of year to bring out the big guns: a super-aged Comte or Gruyere, a Swiss alpage like l’Etivaz or a real Somerset Farmhouse Cheddar from the UK, like Pitchfork, or even the famous Rogue River Blue. These are going to be some very special cheeses that are only released seasonally, so get while the getting is good.
Accompaniments
When it comes to cheese accessories -- go for what you love! Nuts for crunch, olives and pickles for tang, mustard for bite, plus crackers (nothing too strong in flavor) and fresh baguette. Nothing brightens up a board more than fresh produce in perfectly autumn hues of red, gold, and purple. We love red grapes, pomegranates, persimmons, strawberries, raspberries, golden berries, citrus, and whatever might be in season. For spreads, we recommend fig jam or stone fruit jams, plus some local honey or chocolate.
Come see us for your Thanksgiving cheese needs. Or if you want to let us do the work for you, check out our Thanksgiving Cheese Board options here.
