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March 23, 2020
Cheese Board Pairings, Right in Your Pantry
There are few worldly pleasures that spark joy like a cheese board overflowing with Wisconsin cheese and your favorite accouterments. Before you start daydreaming about cheese boards, take stock of your pantry.
We’d wager you already have some key ingredients on-hand and what you don’t have can be easily found at any grocery store. Some of these suggestions go well with cheeses; others are just plain delicious additions. As always, we invite you to experiment and create your own unique combinations—the world of cheese is yours to explore.
Cheese and Preserves
You know that jar of fruit preserves that’s been sitting unopened in your pantry for months? This is the perfect time to finally crack it open!
Chutneys, fruit jams, preserves, and pastes all add a burst of bright, fruity sweetness to your cheese board.
They can also help balance the savory and often earthy flavors of cheese.
Recommended Preserve and Cheese Pairings for a Cheese Board
- Mango chutney and aged gouda
- Tomato jam and aged cheddar
- Fig jam and blue cheese
- Apple butter and havarti
- Raspberry preserves and mascarpone
- Sour cherry jam and blue cheese
Cheese and Crackers
The humble cracker is more than just a vessel to carry cheese to your mouth (although they’re also ideal for that). Crackers make great palate cleansers while also adding a satisfying crunch to balance out the smooth creaminess of most cheeses.
Best of all? They can stay fresh for ages so when you have a cheese craving, they’ll be in your pantry ready to go. That’s why we believe crackers are a must-have for any cheese board.
No specific pairings here, we’ve never met a cheese and cracker combo we didn’t like.
Recommended Crackers for a Cheese Board
- Water crackers
- Thin breadsticks
- Wheat crackers
- Multigrain crackers
Cheese and Dried Fruits
Daydreaming of dried pineapple and GranQueso cheese? Don’t worry, that’s perfectly normal.
Dried fruits like pineapple add sweet-tangy flavors that get along swimmingly with young and aged cheeses alike.
The flavors aren’t the only good thing here, dried fruit also adds beautiful pops of color to your cheese board.
Recommended Dried Fruit and Cheese Pairings
- Dried apricots and aged gouda
- Dried pineapple and GranQueso
- Dried cherries and young gouda
- Dates and ricotta
- Raisins and aged cheddar
Cheese and Nuts
Nuts are snackable and salty treats that come in a variety of flavors and textures and are basically made to go with Wisconsin cheese.
The crunch you get from gourmet nuts is exactly what we want between hunks of creamy gouda.
You can go nuts with cheese pairing options here—they’re all good.
Recommended Nuts for a Cheese Board
- Walnuts
- Pecans
- Almonds
- Pistachios
- Cashews
- Candied nuts
- Nut brittles
Cheese and Relishes
Even if you’re not the type to enjoy some salty, briny olives between bites of cheese, we’re big believers in including some pickled or brined veggies with your cheese board.
These delish relishes cut through the richness of the cheese and help refresh your palate, so your next bite of brick is even more heavenly than the last.
Don’t worry about any particular cheese pairings here—relishes are there more as a palate cleanser and an accent note to the star of the show: the cheese.
Recommended Relishes for a Cheese Board
- Pickled asparagus
- Pickled green beans
- Pickled Brussels sprouts
- Marinated mushrooms
- Cornichons
- Assorted olives
- Pickled onions
Cheese and Chocolate
There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to pairing cheese and chocolate.
Chocolate can go well with sweeter, fresh cheeses like mascarpone, but also with earthy, savory cheeses like blue.
Try whatever pairings pop into your head—no matter how outlandish. Your tastes buds will thank you.
Recommended Chocolates for a Cheese Board
- Assorted dark chocolate bars
- Milk chocolate
- Chocolate-covered caramels
- Chocolate toffee
- Espresso beans
Cheese and Condiments
You haven’t truly lived until you’ve tried blue cheese with sweet honey drizzled over it.
Whatever your condiment of choice, a drizzle or dollop here and there can elevate your cheese tasting experience to new heights.
We’ll start your cheese board off with a few of our favorite cheese and condiment pairings, but feel free to supplement as you see fit.
Recommended Condiments and Cheese Pairings
- Assorted mustards and havarti
- Balsamic vinegar and parmesan
- Honey and blue cheese
- Fruit salsa and GranQueso
- Olive tapenade and aged cheddar
Conclusion
Armed with these pairing options, making the cheese board of your dreams will be a breeze. Ad-lib something with leftovers from your pantry, or meticulously plan every detail of an extravagant cheese board. Either way, your future looks cheesy. Don’t forget to share your cheese board with us on Facebook and Instagram.
For more pairing suggestions take a look at our meat and cheese pairing guide, or pair your cheese board with some wine options. Looking for more cheese board inspiration? Give one of our handcrafted cheese board recipes a try, or pick from our selection of over 300 recipes featuring Wisconsin cheese.
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cgh526 .
Thanks for giving me some inspiration for today's happy hour with the fam:)
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