Irish Cheese Board
Ingredients
- 8 oz Dubliner or other Irish cheddar sliced
- 4 oz Cashel Blue or other Irish blue cheese left whole with a small knife
- 4 oz Irish butter softened
- 1 Granny Smith apple thinly sliced
- 1 cup red grapes
- 1/2 cup fig or apricot jam
- 1 box brown bread crackers or dark rye crackers
- A handful of fresh thyme or rosemary sprigs for filling gaps
Instructions
- Set the cheeses out at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving, cold cheese tastes muted.
- Slice the Dubliner into slabs and arrange them along one side of the board, fanning the slices slightly.
- Set the whole wedge of Cashel Blue in its own space with a small knife resting against it.
- Spoon the softened butter into a small dish and place it near the crackers.
- Toss the apple slices with a squeeze of lemon if prepping ahead, to keep them from browning, then fan them in a cluster.
- Add the grapes in a loose bunch and the jam in a small bowl with its own spoon.
- Fill any remaining gaps with crackers and herb sprigs, tucking everything in so no bare board shows.
Good to Know
Buy the cheese a day or two ahead so it has time to come fully to room temperature, but wait to slice the apple until an hour before guests arrive.