The Unfussy Cheese Board
Finger Foods
NotADrink

The Unfussy Cheese Board

A 3-cheese board that doesn't try too hard. Aged cheddar, creamy brie, sharp blue.

Time
10 min
Makes
Serves 6-8
Difficulty
Easy
Crowd

Method

1

Take the brie out of the fridge 30 minutes before serving. (The cheddar and blue can come straight from the fridge.)

2

Lay the cheeses on the board in a loose triangle: brie in the center, cheddar at 10 o'clock, blue at 2 o'clock.

3

Tuck the grapes in small clusters between the cheeses — not a single pile, but two or three little groups.

4

Place the fig jam in a small dish near the brie; place the almonds in a small dish near the cheddar.

5

Fan the baguette slices at 6 o'clock. Lay the rosemary branch across the top of the board.

6

Serve at room temperature. Provide a separate knife for each cheese so the flavors don't cross.

From the kitchen

Three cheeses. One jam. One nut. One bread. One fruit. Don't crowd it.

Story so far
The rule for a cheese board that doesn't look like a Pinterest fail: three cheeses from three families (one aged, one soft, one blue), one jam, one nut, one bread, one fruit. That's it. Don't crowd it. The board is a stage; the cheese is the actor. We use a 12x16-inch wooden board; the layout is a loose triangle with the brie in the center, the cheddar at 10 o'clock, and the blue at 2 o'clock. Fill the gaps with grapes in small clusters (not a single pile), almonds in a small dish, fig jam in a small dish, and sliced baguette fanned out at 6 o'clock. The rosemary goes last, laid across the top of the board as a scent marker.