Although usually, a plateau du fromage

 

 

 

is created with a variety of cheeses,

 

 

 

for a light summer cheese board to be enjoyed

 

 

 

in the FrenchGardenHouse garden,

 

 

 

 

 

 

I choose just one {or two} delicious cheeses

 

 

 

and a handful of nuts & some dried fruit.

 

 

 

This post will walk you through how to assemble the perfect cheese board.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add in one or two bottles of wine

 

 

 

 

toted to the garden shade in a French antique bottle carrier

 

 

 

 

and it’s a wonderful way to spend some time with family or friends!

 

 

 

 

 

HOW TO ASSEMBLE THE PERFECT CHEESE BOARD:

 

 

 

Cheese is the most important of all, but let’s begin with some of the other things

 

 

 

that make this a delight.

 

 

1.FRUIT.

In the summer, I like to use fresh fruit – grapes, sliced apples – or dried fruit such as figs or apricots

 

2. NUTS.

I like to add hazelnuts, walnuts and / or marcona almonds to my boards. Sometimes I put them in a little French dish, sometimes I just sprinkle them around the board.

 

3. CRACKERS AND BREADSTICKS.

Variety is key. For stronger cheeses, I choose simple crackers, such as the crispy mini toasts from France and some plain breadsticks. If I’m serving a soft goat cheese that is mild, the crackers can have a stronger flavor profile.

 

4. OLIVES.

Olives add something briny to every board. Castelvetrano olives are my olive of choice.

 

Now, let’s talk about the c h e e s e!

 

1. SOFT CHEESE.

France produces so many soft cheeses, it’s hard to choose just one or a few.  Nothing says joie de vivre français like a delicious, soft  triple crème brie.  But the star of our cheese board in summer is more likely to be a goat cheese, rolled in herbes de Provence, with a drizzle of honey over the top. It’s a game-changer!

 

2. HARD CHEESE.

Originally made in one of my favorite flea market cities, Lille, Mimolette is a hard, sharp and nutty flavored cheese. Its an eye catcher on any cheese board, due to it’s orange cantaloupe color. Another favorite hard French cheese is Comté {Gruyère de Comté} if you have any left over, you can make a stunning grilled cheese sandwich with this one!

 

3. BLUE CHEESE.

If you really want to fancy up your cheese board, add a blue cheese. Yes, there is the wonderful Roquefort, but also try Bresse Bleu, Bleu de Termignon, or Bleu des Causses.  Blue is not for everyone, I love the strong ones, but a mild Roquefort is usually loved by every guest.

 

 

 

 

 

Now all that’s left for you to do is assemble.  Get your favorite antique French board, and begin arranging.

 

 

 

Place the cheeses on the board first and then arrange everything else around them.

 

 

 

 

Voila! The perfect cheese board ready for entertaining!

 

Here are some of our favorite antique boards and entertaining in the garden accoutrements.

 

SHOP FRENCH ENTERTAINING >

 

Happy Summer!

 

à bientôt

If you want to romance your Home and Garden with antique and vintage treasures to make you smile each time you come home, visit our shop FrenchGardenHouse.