The only cheese board you will need to get you through the cold-weather season.  Filled with bold, smooth cheeses, dried fruit, honeycomb, and more. Turn to this cheese board game-plan for both parties and nights in.

Close up image of honeycomb on a cheese board

A good cheese board is like…a glass of good red wine, bold in flavor, nuanced in texture, perfectly balanced, and absolutely satisfying. That was my goal when I set out to create the perfect winter cheese board.

Here, I chose to reflect the seasons in the types of cheeses I included. And instead of following the hard-and-fast rules of including cheeses with different textures (one each of soft, semi-hard, and hard) and made from different milks, I opted to focus on the flavors they lent. I know. Put down those tomatoes!

overhead image of a wood cutting board piled high with cheese, olives, clementines, rosemary and honeycomb

Hear me out. I wanted to create a cheese board that was a bit more hearty in texture while covering the spectrum in flavor. I started with a familiar, yet essential component — Parmesan — for its nuttiness and saltiness.

In keeping with the nutty component, I added an Asiago, but chose one that was flavored with rosemary and olive oil for a fruity-, wintery-herb note. Then to piggyback off the frutiness from the Asiago I added a merlot Bellavitano. It inherently has fruit notes, thanks to the wine it is immersed in, while also having a bit of tang, which is a nice addition.

And finally, in our household, no cheese board is complete without a wedge of bold, funky cheese. Since I wasn’t adding a light, creamy cheese, I decided to stick with a funky cheese that wasn’t, well, too funky. I opted for a sweet milk gorgonzola that is a bit more creamy and somewhat milder than other gorgonzolas.

Then to round out the board, I chose all things winter like dried black mission figs, clementines, Castelvetrano olives (for their incredible texture and mild flavor), toasted walnuts, cornichons, and honeycomb. Can’t forget the honeycomb.

overhead image of a wood cutting board piled high with cheese, olives, clementines, rosemary and honeycomb

If you’re looking for something to steal the show, grab some honeycomb for the cheese board. Not only is it just gorgeous, but it’s incredibly flavorful and adds even more texture to the cheese board.

And, depending on the season that the honeycomb is harvested, it can take on different flavors and colors all due to what bees are feeding on at the time they created the honey. You’re always in for a treat when it comes to honeycomb!

Then all that’s left is a bottle of red. Cheers!

overhead image of a wood cutting board piled high with cheese, olives, clementines, rosemary and honeycomb
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Winter Cheese Board

  • Author: Lauren Grant of Zestful Kitchen
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Total Time: 15 mins
  • Yield: 4 as an appetizer 1x
  • Category: Appetizer

Description

The only cheese board you will need to get you through the cold-weather season.  Filled with bold, smooth cheeses, dried fruit, honeycomb, and more. Turn to this cheese board game-plan for both parties and nights in. 


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 square of honeycomb
  • 4 ounces sliced merlot Bellavitano (Sartori)
  • 4 ounces sliced rosemary Asiago
  • 4 ounces Gorgonzola
  • 2 ounces sliced aged Parmesan
  • 2 clementines, peeled and segmented
  • ½ cup Castelvetrano olives
  • ½ cup toasted walnuts
  • ½ cup cornichons
  • 4 dried figs, halved
  • Rosemary sprigs, for garnish (optional)
  • Crackers or homemade pita chips
  • Red wine of choice

Instructions

Arrange honeycomb and cheeses around corners of board, slightly fanning cheese slices.

Fill in large areas with clementines, olives, and walnuts then fill in smaller areas with cornichons, figs and rosemary sprigs (if using).

Serve with crackers or pita chips and red wine, of course.


Notes

Don’t like blue cheese? No problem, swap in a soft cheese like goat cheese or even Brie. Not a fan of dried figs? Add dried apricots, or cherries. Use this recipe as a guide for amounts and flavor pairings, then make it your own with your favorite ingredients.

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I received free samples from Sartori. As always, all opinions and content are my own.

Overhead image of a wooden cutting board f=piled high with cheese olives, figs, clemetines, rosemary

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About The Author

Lauren Grant is a professional culinary food scientist, food writer, recipe developer, and food photographer. Lauren is a previous magazine editor and test kitchen developer and has had work published in major national publications including Diabetic Living Magazine, Midwest Living Magazine, Cuisine at Home Magazine, EatingWell.com, AmericasTestKitchen.com, and more.

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