You’ve got the perfect selection of cheeses, perfectly balanced for flavor, texture, and milk type. They’re arranged beautifully on your best platter, glistening cheese knives ready to cut into wedges and slices. But something’s missing. What might that be? Why, the best cheese accompaniments for your board, of course. Delicious extras to enhance contrast and complement your fromages, to bring out their flavor and match their textures. We’ve got some great ideas for cheese plate accompaniments!
Cheese accompaniments can be sweet and savory. A sweet jam or preserve, or savory strong rustic mustard. The trick is to have a few options - but not too many as too overwhelm and compete with the cheese (it's a CHEESE plate, after all) - , and to let your guests decide how to pair them. Meaning: don’t drizzle or spread anything over your cheeses. Serve any accompaniment on the side, perhaps in little bowls, with separate spoons. Because although you think honey is wonderful on Gorgonzola, your guest just might adore it on goat. Leave room for innovation!
Figs are one of the quintessential cheese pairings. Whether dried, fresh or in jam form, this sweet-savory and meaty fruit always matches perfectly to so many cheeses. Figs have a flavor that is spicy and complex, a bit exotic, and it contrasts nicely with a wide variety of cheeses – whether a pungent Roquefort or a fresh chevre.
Fruit, whether fresh or dried fruit , is always a no-brain pairing for a cheese board. If fresh, it’s always best to use what’s in season – except citrus, citrus are too acid to pair with cheese, so it’s best to avoid. But dried fruit is also a good choice, with a concentrated sweetness and intensity, plus a unique, crisp-grainy texture that goes well with very soft, creamy cheeses.
But really, nuts in general. An example of a savory cheese plate accompaniment, nuts can also take on a sweet side when they’re caramelized. The combination of the meaty nut with the crunchy, caramelized exterior, gives added dimension and texture to unctuous, velvety cheeses.
Don’t confuse mustard with spicy fruit mostarda. Mostarda is an Italian sweet, sour and spicy condiment made of preserving fruit in mustard. The result is a glowing, translucent, vividly colored fruit that’s both sweet but tongue scorching spicy. The glistening Crab Apple Mostarda pairs well with fatty, buttery cheeses like Tallegio or Gouda – you want lots of creaminess and fat to offset that wallop of heat. It’s also served with meats and salami, so it’s great to add on a cheese board that also has some charcuterie on it.
Honey is sweet, pleasing, smooth, so it’s no surprise that it’s a beloved and traditional pairing for cheese. A more surprising and unique proposition is to add a whole chunk of honeycomb dripping with sweet honey. The honeycomb is pulled straight from the hives in Italy and packaged without any filtering or processing, or modification - just fresh, raw, honey in the comb. It’s delicious when eaten with earthy, nutty cheeses and pungent blue cheeses, but also with goat cheese. Set it in the middle of cheese board and cut into smaller pieces and spread the cheese directly on top the comb.
