Easy-to-Expert Ski Level Cheese Board

While celebrating all things Alpine this winter, we couldn't help but covet the simplicity of ski slope difficulty labels. Shouldn't every cheese spread have a guide to let you know which cheeses are simple crowd-pleasers and which are for bold adventurers? That's the inspiration behind this board, which features eight cheeses ranging from Green Circle (easy: tangy Irish cheddar and sweet Annelies) to Blue Square (intermediate: piquant gorgonzola and smoky Bourbon Bellavitano) to black diamond (difficult: earthy Appalachian and funky Époisses) to Double Black Diamond (experts only: oniony Scharfe Maxx and beefy Grayson). On this board, cheese lovers of all stripes can find something they'll love, whether they choose to take it easy or go for the delicious challenge.

Featuring

prep time
20minutes
assembly time
30minutes
Serves
6people

preparation & ingredients

1/2 lb. Murray's Irish Cheddar

1 lb. Murray's Cave Aged Reserve Annelies

1/2 lb. Gorgonzola Mountain

1/2 lb. Sartori Bourbon BellaVitano

1/2 lb. Meadow Creek Extra-Aged Appalachian

1 ea. Époisses, 8 oz.

1/2 lb. Scharfe Maxx Extra

1/2 lb. Meadow Creek Dairy Grayson

1 ea. Murray’s Sopressata Salami, 6 oz.

1 ea. Northwood Apiaries Liquid Honey, 8 oz.

1 ea. Murray’s Sea Salt Crackers, 4 oz.

1 ea. Trois Petits Cochons Cornichons, 12 oz.

1 ea. Divina Fig Spread, 9 oz.

prep

Slice the Irish Cheddar, Annelies, and Scharfe Maxx into even-sized batons or rectangles, leaving about half of each wedge or block intact.

Slice the Extra-Aged Appalachian into even-sized squares or rectangles.

Cut half of the Bourbon Bellavitano into long triangular slices, leaving the rest intact.

Crumble half of the gorgonzola, leaving the rest intact.

Remove a portion of the top rind from the Époisses, to expose some of the gooey interior.

Cut the Grayson into long rectangular slices, then into smaller bite-size pieces.

assembly

Step 1

On a round board, place one larger bowl, one medium bowl, and one small bowl in a triangle formation in the center of the board, spaced a bit apart from each other. Next, place your Green Circle cheeses: the block and slices of Irish Cheddar fanning up from 7 o'clock to 9 o'clock, and the block and slices of Annelies fanning down from 11 o'clock to 9 o'clock.

Step 2

Arrange the Blue Square cheeses: Place the wedge of Bourbon Bellavitano along the edge of the board from 5 o'clock to 7 o'clock, with the slices fanning inward. Directly to the right, place the wedge of gorgonzola, with the crumbles moving toward the center of the board, reaching the large bowl.

Step 3

Arrange the Black Diamond cheeses: From 2 o'clock to 3 o'clock, place the Époisses. Between the Époisses and the gorgonzola, arrange a row of Extra-Aged Appalachian, curving around the Époisses toward the large bowl.

Step 4

Arrange the Double Black Diamond cheeses: Above the Époisses, place the wedge of Scharfe Maxx, with the back rind toward the edge of the board and the batons in a neat pile between the wedge and the small bowl. Arrange the squares of Grayson between the Scharfe Maxx and the Annelies.