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Eat the rainbow on a summer-themed meat and cheese board
The best way to celebrate summer isn’t with fireworks or trips to the beach. It’s with a Summer Meat and Cheese Board! Learn which cheeses and produce are best for this vibrant time of year before indulging in this packed grazing board.
Much like my step-by-step instructions for Spring Meat and Cheese Board and Fall Meat and Cheese Board, this summertime snacking board features seasonal produce and complimentary meats and cheeses. It’s a breeze to put together and the best excuse to head to your local farmer’s market. Make a pitcher of this simple party-ready white wine sangria to pair with it, then watch as your guests fall for this perfect summer snack!
What goes on a summer charcuterie board?
Whether you’re making this charcuterie board for the beach, backyard barbecues, Fourth of July, or a picnic, it needs to feature a variety of light and fresh flavors. After all, that’s what many people are into during this time of year. There’s plenty to choose from, from sharp and tangy cheeses to juicy stone fruit:
Cheese
This is the star of the show! I recommend including three to four types of cheese on your board, depending on how many people you’re serving. Buy from each of these categories to give your board complexity and personality:
- Aged cheese: Like sharp cheddar or Vermont Cheddar from Cabot. This type of cheese has been left to ripen for weeks, months, or years. As it ages, it develops a more complex flavor profile and interesting textures. This depth pairs particularly well with the cherry tomatoes on the board.
- Bloomy cheese: Bloomy cheeses are known for their white rinds with an almost “funky” flavor (in a good way!) and creamy centers. Mt. Tam from Cowgirl Creamery is a favorite of mine. It’s a triple cream cheese with a bloomy rind and salty undertones that compliments sweet and tart stone fruit, nectarines, and more (learn more about pairing fruit with cheese here).
- Blue cheese: This semi-soft cheese is known for its strong flavor, smell, and veins of blue “mold”. Point Reyes Blue Cheese is my go-to for meat and cheese boards. It’s a mild cow’s milk variety that pairs well with fruit spreads and nuts, and is perfect for introducing to blue cheese skeptics.
- Fresh cheese: AKA young, soft cheese. Fresh cheeses are usually very creamy, fluffy, and spreadable. I used small balls of mozzarella cheese (like Perle or Ciliegine) because they’re easy to grab and pair wonderfully with tomatoes. You can also use goat cheese, ricotta, or feta.
Fruits and vegetables
Summer is a magical time for produce, and we want to show that off on our board. There are almost too many seasonal fruits and veggies to choose from! You can use what you like, what will pair best with the meats and cheeses, or use this list for inspiration:
- Tomatoes - Cherry or grape tomatoes.
- Stone fruit - Apricots, peaches, plums, cherries, etc.
- Fresh figs - If you can find them. If not, fig jam is almost always available in well-stocked grocery stores.
- Berries - Blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, etc.
- Melon - Cantaloupe, honeydew, or watermelon.
- Other fruits - Grapes or nectarines.
- Fresh herbs - Basil, rosemary, or mint can fill in some of the empty space.
Are you serving this board around dinner time? Add depth and heartiness with grilled zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, summer squash, or halved peaches.
Meat
You’ll almost always find thinly sliced charcuterie on meat and cheese boards, no matter if they’re small and humble or made to impress. They’re a salty and fatty treat that goes well with everything.
Salami is always welcome on a summer charcuterie board. I used Creminelli's Sporessata and Sopressa which are both SO GOOD!
Summer produce and cheese are the real stars of this summer board, however, you can choose up to three varieties of charcuterie if you need to please a few meat lovers. In this case, go with prosciutto, soppressata or whatever you already have on hand!
Quick Tip!
- Save time when getting ready for your party by assembling your snack board the day before! Just pop it in the fridge, covered it, and then take it out about an hour before your plan to serve it!
Everything else
Last but not least, finish off the board with complimentary snacks and spreads. Fill small dishes and bowls with a variety of nuts (like Marcona almonds or pistachios), honey, fruit jams, and Castelvetrano olives. Any leftover empty spaces can be filled with crackers and easy-to-make crostini.
How to arrange a summer meat and cheese board
The #1 rule of charcuterie boards is that there are no rules! However, if you’d like the presentation to be as appealing to guests as possible, follow this step-by-step guide:
Step 1: Start with the cheese.
Place some of the cheeses near the corners and pre-slice the harder cheeses for easy grabbing. Also, include a cheese knife for the softer, spreadable cheeses.
Step 2: Place the preserves and olives in jars, then on the board.
Step 3: Now you can add the fruits and veggies.
Keep the juicier fruits (like melon) in small bowls and place the rest in piles all around the board.
Step 4: Add the crackers near the sides of the board for easy access.
Step 5: To finish, fill the empty pockets with sliced meat and nuts. Enjoy!
Tips and tricks
You’re almost ready to put your summer cheese board together! Keep these tips in mind before you grab your serving platter:
Recommended equipment
The board is the most important piece of equipment here. I love using this giant Boos block cutting board, but you don’t need anything fancy; layer everything on a serving tray or even a dinner plate. The only other pieces of equipment you need are small bowls, cheese knives, and cutlery for serving.
Serving sizes
Keep the number of guests in mind when you’re figuring out how much to put on your charcuterie board. Plan for each guest to eat around 2 to 3 ounces of cheese and 1 to 2 ounces of meat. If you plan on serving more party-ready snacks and appetizers alongside the board, cut the amounts down.
Assembling ahead of time
You can almost fully assemble the cheese board ahead of serving it. Keep any crackers or bread separate, then wrap the almost assembled board in plastic and keep it in the fridge.
Let it sit on the kitchen counter for 1 hour ahead of serving so the cheese can come to room temperature. Add the crackers and any last-minute space-fillers, then serve.
🎉 It's time to cook! 🎉
Alright, friend! It's your turn to make this delish recipe for your next get-together.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ When you do, please leave a comment and star rating below so we can hear what you think! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Recipe
Summer Meat and Cheese Board Step-by-Step
Ingredients
Cheese
- 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese like Cabot Vermont Cheddar Cheese
- 8 ounces bloomy cheese like Cowgirl Creamery Mt. Tam Cheese
- 8 ounces blue cheese like Point Reyes Blue Cheese
- 8 ounces small ball mozzarella cheese like BelGioioso Pearl Mozzarella
Charcuterie
- 5 ounces hard Sopressata cut into chunks
- 4 ounces thinly sliced Sopressa
Fruit
- 8 small stone fruit
- 6 figs
- 1 small melon
- 1 small bunch grapes
- 1 cup berries
Other
- 12 ounces crackers or crostini
- 1 cup castelvetrano olives
- 1 cup marcona almonds
- ½ cup apricot preserves
- ½ cup honey
Instructions
- Cut the sharp cheddar cheese into slices, the bloomy rind cheese into wedges, and put the mozarella balls into a small dish.
- Place the cheeses on the serving board.
- Add items in bowls or jars (jam, honey, olives, etc.)
- Start filling in gaps with fruit and vegetables.
- Fill in the remaining gaps with crrackers, charcuterie and then nuts.
- Serve immediately, or cover and chill until ready to serve.
Notes
- If chilling the cheese board before serving, remove from the refrigerator for an hour before serving so the cheese can come to room temperature.
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