• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The FreshDirect Blog

Recipes and news from the northeast's leading online grocer.

  • Recipes
  • Producer Stories
  • Nutrition & Wellness
  • Shop
  • Sustainability
  • Show Search
Hide Search

Build the Perfect Cheese Plate

Fresh Direct · November 3, 2020 ·

With the holidays coming up, it’s time to start planning for all of your feasting needs. While you might think of the main meal or dessert first, you’ve gotta kick things off right with some small bites to start. And there’s no more appetizing appetizer than a big, beautiful board filled with meats and cheeses from our deli.
Thanksgiving Cheese Board

Not sure where to start? Here’s what you need to know to make a cheese board with all the works.

Cheese

This is the fun part! There’s a wide variety to choose from and mixing and matching is our favorite way to choose our cheese. Try to pick a few from each of these categories:

Aged

Aged cheeses are allowed to mature for at least a few months. During that time, they take on sharper, more complex flavors and a firmer texture. Most are great paired with thin slices of apple or pear. Gouda, cheddar, and Parmesan, for example, have many aged varieties.

Soft

Soft cheeses are just that, soft! They are creamy, buttery, and perfect on a cracker, with many having unique flavors or overtones. Think Brie, Camembert, or Epoisses.

Blue

Blue cheeses are created with cultures that add a web of edible mold throughout and also impart deliciously pungent, vivid flavors. Classic examples are gorgonzola and Roquefort.

Firm

A wide range of cheeses fall into the firm category, from supple cheddars to nutty, buttery Alpine varieties like Gruyère. We like to include a few different varieties to sample all the cheesy possibilities.

Fresh

Fresh cheeses are ready to eat just as soon as they’re made, and show off the flavors and nuances of their milk. These include ricotta, mozzarella, and chevre.

Charcuterie

Charcuterie encompasses cured meats like salami, prosciutto, and pâté. They pack an extra punch of flavor, especially when made with herbs, spices, or smoke. Try mixing milder varieties, like ham or mortadella, with stronger ones, like chorizo or a spicy soppressata

Thanksgiving Cheese Board

Breads and Crackers

In addition to adding some much needed texture and crunch, these carbs help deliver all that deliciousness straight to your mouth. You really can’t skimp on crackers—they’re always the first thing to run out. So fill your board with breadsticks, sliced baguettes, mini toasts, and crackers with a variety of seasonings and textures.

Extras

You can create incredible flavor pairings by placing salty, sweet, or nutty add-ons next to your cheese. Make sure to grab fresh or dried fruits, nuts, olives, honey, and jams. And of course, you’ll want some wine, cider, or beer for washing everything down!

Filed Under: Appetizers, Brunch, Easy DIY, Easy Entertaining, Holidays Tagged With: charcuterie, cheese, cheese plate, fall flavors

Primary Sidebar

Search

Get Social with FD!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Browse Posts

@FreshDirect On Instagram

Think outside of the box at your next taco night w Think outside of the box at your next taco night with this recipe where everything is cooked simply on a sheet pan. We love making these tacos with salmon, but feel free to swap it with shrimp, scallops, or another fish fillet.

What you'll need:
- One third of a 7 oz can of chipotle peppers in adobo (about 1/4 cup)
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup lightly-packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup freshly-squeezed lime juice
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 small container grape tomatoes
- 1 onion, cut into wedges through root end
- 6 scallion bottoms (trim off the green parts)
- 1 poblano pepper, cut into 1-inch strips
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch strips
- For serving: tortillas, lime wedges, sour cream

What to do:
Preheat oven to 400 F. Season salmon with salt and pepper and set aside.

Place chipotles in adobo in food processor or blender, along with honey, lightly-packed brown sugar, soy sauce, lime juice, and cumin. Blend until well-combined. Set aside a few tablespoons of sauce for serving, then transfer the rest to a large bowl.

Place salmon in bowl and evenly-coat all over in sauce. Transfer fillets to a foil-lined baking sheet, leaving excess sauce in bowl. Add to bowl tomatoes, onion wedges, poblano and bell peppers, and scallions. Toss to coat in sauce, then add in an even layer to the baking sheet with the salmon.

Roast everything in the oven until salmon is done and vegetables lightly caramelized, about 10 minutes. Serve inside tortillas with lime wedges, sour cream, and reserved sauce.
Save big on Farmer Focus Chicken! Farmer Focus is Save big on Farmer Focus Chicken! Farmer Focus is a collective dedicated to bringing organic, humanely-raised, and traceable chicken to your table. Since 2014, they have been on a mission to promote and protect generational family farming. And now with our biggest chicken sale of the year, there's no better time to see and taste the difference that responsible farming makes.
This cioppino recipe is excellent for a quick and This cioppino recipe is excellent for a quick and warming weeknight meal. Typically, it would be made with whatever the catch of the day was, and you can feel free do the same here by swapping out any other fish or shellfish you’ve got—clams, crab, squid, lobster, halibut, or sea bass would all be worthy choices. 

What you'll need:
- 3 tablespoons + 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 fennel bulb, diced
- 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and chopped
- ½ cup kalamata olives, rinsed and chopped
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon chili flakes
- 2 cups dry white wine
- One 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups water
-2 lb. mussels
- One 8–10 oz. fillet of cod or other white fish (skin may be left on or off)
- ½ lb. shrimp
 

What to do:
Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add onion, fennel, capers, olives and salt. Sauté a few minutes until onion and fennel begin to soften. Toss in the garlic and sauté until fragrant, 1-2 minutes more.

Stir in chili flakes, then pour in white wine. Simmer until liquid is mostly evaporated, then stir in crushed tomatoes, ½ cup olive oil, and 2 cups water. Simmer for a few minutes, then add mussels. Cover and simmer 3 minutes.

Cut fish into bite-sized pieces and add to stew along with shrimp. Simmer uncovered a few minutes more until both are cooked through. Serve in bowls with crusty bread and salted butter.
Meet the mocktail we've got on repeat! @drinksunwi Meet the mocktail we've got on repeat! @drinksunwink's sparkling herbal tonics are just the refreshments we need as we head into a new year's reset. Each variety is crafted with super herbs known to support digestion, immunity and stress relief. Plus, 2% of all of Sunwink's sales go back to world changing organizations. Simply pour over ice and enjoy!

Footer