What’s Cooking: Italian cheese board
Chef Franklin of Uncle Giuseppe's Marketplace joins News 12's Lily Stolzberg how to make an Italian cheese board.
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Four Italian cheeses — from nutty and crystalline to creamy and blue — balanced with ripe pear, grapes, nuts and honey on one wooden board.
Serves: 6–8 as an appetizer · Prep time: 20 minutes · Board: 12 × 16 in. wooden board with handle.
The Cheeses
Parmigiano Reggiano- Hard, aged cow's milk (Emilia-Romagna), nutty, savory, crunchy crystals
Leave as a wedge; break into rough chunks with a short cheese knife
CasArrigoni Taleggio- Soft washed-rind cow's milk (Lombardy), buttery, mild, fruity; aromatic rind
Square pieces, rind on; cut cold
Toniolo Bastardo del Grappa- Semi-firm mountain cow's milk (Veneto), Mellow, milky, lightly sweet
Thin triangles or slim wedges
CasArrigoni Gorgonzola Dolce- Soft, creamy blue cow's milk (Lombardy), Sweet, spoonable, gentle blue tang
Small block; serve with a spreader
Shopping list
Parmigiano Reggiano, 4–6 oz wedge
CasArrigoni Taleggio, 4 oz
Toniolo Bastardo del Grappa, 4 oz
CasArrigoni Gorgonzola Dolce, 4 oz
2 ripe pears (Bartlett or Bosc)
1 small bunch red grapes, plus a few green
½ cup roasted almonds
¼ cup shelled pistachios
¼ cup pecans or walnuts
2 tbsp dried cranberries
2 tbsp fig or apricot jam
2 oz honey (wildflower or acacia), in a small cup
Long thin flatbread crackers
Round thin crisps
A few sprigs fresh thyme
Step by step
1. Temper the cheese. Take all four cheeses out of the fridge 30–45 minutes before serving. Cut the Taleggio and Gorgonzola while still cold, then let them warm up.
2. Anchor the corners with the big cheeses. Set the Parmigiano wedge at the top left, near the handle. Place the Bastardo del Grappa wedge at the top right.
3. Place the soft cheeses low. Set the Taleggio pieces and the Gorgonzola Dolce at the lower left, where guests reach first. Give the Gorgonzola its own small spreader.
4. Stand the crackers up. Lean the long flatbread crackers against the Parmigiano so they rise behind it, like a backdrop.
5. Add the pear. Keep one pear half whole for height on the left side. Slice the other half thin and fan the slices next to it. Brush with a little lemon juice if the board will sit out.
6. Pile the grapes. Snip the grapes into small clusters and pile them at the center right, against the Bastardo wedge.
7. Fill the center with nuts. Spill the almonds, pistachios and pecans in a loose line between the cheeses and the grapes.
8. Shingle the round crisps. Overlap the round crisps in a row down the center of the board.
9. Add the sweet touches. Drop a spoonful of jam beside the Taleggio and scatter the dried cranberries around it. Set the honey cup with a small spoon next to the board.
10. Garnish and serve. Lay a few thyme sprigs across the center, over the nuts and grapes. Serve right away.
Tips and pairings
Taste mild to bold: Bastardo del Grappa, then Taleggio, then Parmigiano Reggiano, then Gorgonzola Dolce.
Best bites: Gorgonzola Dolce with honey and pear; Parmigiano with a drizzle of honey and an almond; Taleggio with jam on a round crisp.
Wine: Prosecco or Pinot Grigio for the lighter cheeses; Valpolicella or a sweet Moscato d'Asti alongside the Gorgonzola.
One knife per cheese so the blue doesn't travel to the others.
Leftovers: Wrap each cheese separately in parchment or cheese paper, not plastic, and refrigerate.
