How to make the best cheese board of your life in a few simple steps

A good cheese board is already fantastic in itself—what am I saying, even one piece of Chaource or Brillat-Savarin makes me incredibly happy. But if you really want to take it to the ultimate level, these tips are just what you’re looking for. The very best additions or simply a new twist on your cheese board, in a few simple steps.

You may already know that the best way to build a cheese board is with different types of cheese that increase in intensity. And we’ve already written about which wine pairs best with which cheese. But these tips from cheese expert Marissa Mullen may be completely new to you, so make the most of them!

Whipped cheese

If you give soft cheeses a good blitz with a stick blender (along with some delicious flavorings), you immediately have the perfect dip. And when someone says dip, you know chips can never be far away. So supplement your selection of crackers and toast with your favorite chips, because from now on you can also dip them deliciously into, for example, airy whipped feta with ricotta, olive oil, black pepper and lemon zest.

Want to go all out? Bake slices of prosciutto until crisp in the oven and crumble them over the feta dip. They’re also delicious on top of a plate of steaming-hot spaghetti—especially that dip with prosciutto.

Time to marinate

Instead of dumping the first jar of olives in brine you find into a bowl, you can also marinate olives yourself in a mixture of hot oil with chopped fresh herbs, a little grated garlic and, for example, those small, spicy Turkish pickled peppers. Or stir crushed fennel seeds and red chili flakes into the oil. Leave it to stand for an hour and you’ll have a truly lovely addition to your cheese board.

But you can also marinate the cheese itself! In that case, don’t heat the oil, otherwise everything will melt immediately. Instead, place a piece of cheese (such as feta, or a camembert halved horizontally) in the oil with flavorings and let it gently absorb the flavors (for up to twenty-four hours in the refrigerator). Super delicious.

When in doubt: fry it

Because according to Mullen, every now and then the only thing tastier than cheese is fried cheese. Absolutely! So try frying your mozzarella, or coat pieces of goat cheese in panko breadcrumbs and fry them until golden brown to serve over a salad. Cheeses such as halloumi and Indian paneer don’t even need a coating—you can simply immerse them in the hot fat (or fry them in a layer of oil in a skillet).

Warm dip

You can dip not only into the airy whipped cheeses described above, but into melted cheeses too, of course! Sprinkle a camembert (in its wooden box, with the bottom well wrapped in aluminum foil) with chopped rosemary, thyme and garlic, or ready-made onion chutney with walnuts. Cut a delicious baguette into pieces and spin the bread through your hot cheese creation in sheer delight.

Also read:

• 6 surprising cheese boards
• Cheesy heaven: how to make Baked Brie in the oven
• Golden wine tips for your cheese fondue

Source: Food52