An Effortless French Cheese Board
Let’s pretend we’re sipping wine in Paris or strolling through the traboules of Lyon with this gorgeous and effortless French cheese board. Featuring a variety of French cheeses, cornichons, nuts, and seasonal fruit, it’s lovely for apéro with friends! And I mean, who doesn’t love French cheese?
Anytime I need a little mental escape, I close my eyes and envision myself back in Paris sipping wine and eating cheese under the Eiffel tour with my friends. Or, I think of the time my aunt, grandma, and I found a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant in a Parisian alleyway where we ate beef bourguignon and snacked on an after-dinner cheese plate.
All that to say that I love a French-inspired appetizer like savory palmiers or this easy honey baked camembert. There’s something so elegant about an effortless hors d’oeuvre, especially a no-cook one like this cheese board.
When I was in culinary school, we took a cheese course and it sparked my love for cheese in general. But the French cheeses were some of my all-time faves. And ever since, a classic plateau de fromage has been my go-to for apéro with friends!
If you’re also in need of a little getaway, I definitely recommend a French-inspired dinner party with friends. Start with this cheese board and a bit of wine and you’re all set. Santé!
Ingredients & topping ideas
The cheeses
You’ll need 3-5 cheeses for this board. Pick a hard or semi-hard cheese, something soft or semi-soft, and a goat and/or blue cheese. For another option, pick something a bit more unique and unexpected.
- Hard or Semi-hard – comté, emmental, beaufort, cantal, mimolette
- Soft or semi-soft – brie, camembert, port salut, raclette, boursin
- Blue/goat cheese – roquefort, chèvre, Bresse bleu, Valencay, bleu de chèvre
- Unique – morbier, Le Brézain (smoked raclette), reblochon
Crackers + breads
Pick 1-2 crackers or breads to serve alongside the cheeses. I like water crackers, sliced baguette, breadsticks, herb crackers, and/or fig or olive bread.
Fresh or dried fruit
I like adding 1-2 fruits to add a pop of sweetness to the board. For some classic French options, try apples, pears, grapes, cherries, strawberries, peaches, plums, apricots, or figs. But dried is also a good option if you don’t want to worry about slicing fresh fruit!
Add-ons
Round out this French cheese platter with a few of your favorite add-ons! I always choose something pickled like cornichons, Olives Noires (black olives), or Licques Olives. Walnuts and almonds are classic in French cooking and add some nice crunch. Lastly, add some condiments like French mustard, fig jam, citrus jam, or honey.
How to assemble a cheese board
Slice any hard cheeses before adding them to the board. It makes serving much easier! For soft or semi-soft cheeses, make sure you have a different cheese knife for each so the flavors don’t mingle too much.
To make this a French charcuterie board, add 1-2 cured meats. Try saucisson, jambon, boudin, or pâté.
Wine & cheese pairings
It simply isn’t a French charcuterie board without some good wine. But, I know that pairings can get a little overwhelming with all the options out there. So here are a few of my favorite pairings to make things easy!
- Camembert and Chardonnay
- Brie with fruity, dry rosé
- Roquefort with a full-bodied red like Bordeaux
- Chèvre and Cabernet Sauvignon or Sauvignon Blanc
- Port Salut and Pinot Noir
- Comté with dry champagne
Bring the cheese to room temperature for about 30-60 minutes before serving. This will bring out all of the best flavors and textures in the cheese!
How to store & make-ahead
Place any perishable items like cheeses, meats, fruit, cornichons, etc. in airtight containers. Then, refrigerate for up to 1 week. Any non-perishable ingredients like crackers, nuts, or bread can be stored in their original packaging or airtight containers for up to 1 week.
You can also make this cheese platter up to 2 hours in advance! Just assemble the board, cover it loosely with plastic wrap or a clean linen, and refrigerate for later.
If you make this recipe, I would love it if you left a star rating and review! I read every single comment and love hearing what you think about my recipes. Thank you for supporting Sunday Table!
An Effortless French Cheese Board
Ingredients
- 3-5 French cheeses (~8 ounces/227 grams each)
- 4 ounces cornichons (112 grams)
- 1/4 cup fig jam or another sweet jam/honey/etc. (80 grams)
- 1/4 cup whole grain or Dijon mustard (60 grams)
- 1/2 pound grapes (227 grams)
- 1 apple, cored & sliced
- 1/2 cup dried apricots (80 grams)
- 1/2 cup walnut halves (60 grams)
- 1/2 cup roasted almonds (60 grams)
- 1/2 cup French olives (90 grams)
- Rosemary or thyme sprigs, for garnish
- 2-3 packages of crackers or bread (4 ounces/120 grams each)
Equipment
- 1 wood cheese board
- Cheese knives, for serving
- Charcuterie bowls
Instructions
- Start by slicing any hard, semi-hard, or semi-soft cheeses into cubes, wedges, or slices. Arrange the sliced and whole cheeses in different areas of the board for easy serving.
- Next, add bowls of ingredients like cornichons, jams, mustard, etc. next to the cheeses. Then, add grapes, sliced apples, or other seasonal fruit you like. Place piles of smaller items like dried apricots, walnuts, and almonds in-between the cheeses, bowls, & fruit.
- Fill in any gaps of the board with olives or other smaller items. Stick sprigs of rosemary or thyme in small gaps for garnish.
- If you're using cured meats, slice the meats and place them on a separate board or plate. Arrange crackers or bread on a separate board or plate as well. Serve the cheese board with French wine and enjoy!
