Our Guide to a Perfect Charcuterie and Cheese Pairing (2024)

Table of Contents
Patetaining Spring Cleaning? Here are 3 Kitchen Aesthetics We Love Tasty Traditions: How Pâté is Enjoyed Around the World Salami Origami: How to Prep and Serve Charcuterie Puff Pastry & Pâté Pairings Freshening Up Thanksgiving Leftovers With Pâté German Cooking With Pâté Our Favorite Pâté Cookout Recipes A Summer Pâté Breakfast Spread Pâté Pairings to Help You Cool Off Pâté Pizza Party The Elevated Nacho The Perfect Open-Faced Pâté Sandwich Irish Cooking With Pâté Duck, Duck, Mousse! Pairings for Our Pâté of the Month Vegan Pâté Snacks for the New Year What We’re Toasting To in the New Year White Wine Pairings with Alexian’s Pâté Refreshing fruits pairing Summer Dinner Ideas for the Whole Family Breakfast Ideas to Whip Up for Mom This Mother’s Day Our Pâté Picks for Spring Most Underrated Breads You Should Serve with Pâté 2021 Roundup: Our Top 5 Recipes of the Year Crostini Toppers One Bite Delights! Our Gooiest Cheese Dip Recipes for the Holidays 5 Must-Have Appetizers for Oktoberfest Celebration Delicious Bagel & Pâté Pairings We Can’t Resist Easy Brunch Crepes with Pâté An Ode to the Comté et Pâté Baguette Sandwich Our Top 5 Pâté Recipes for Summer 2021: Treat Dad to these Pâté Sandwich Recipes 10 People Share their Summertime Pâté Cooking Plans Leftover Pâté Pasta Sauce? Yes, Please! The Ultimate Guide to Your Next Pâté Garden Party 5 Things You Didn’t Know About Alexian Pâté Our Favorite Pâté Quotes of the Decade Our Guide to a Festive Charcuterie Board Easy Appetizers with 5 Ingredients or Less Party of One: How to Solo Snack on Pâté Creating a Pâté Board In 5 Easy Steps An Epicurean Picnic Checklist 5 Cucumber Bite Recipes Mother’s Day With Alexian Pâté Crunchidee-Crunch! Our Favorite Crunchy Foods to Add to Pâté A Match Made in Heaven: Perfect Pâté Pairings Easy 20 minute Recipes for 2020 Holiday Dinner Party Tips from Alexian Unexpected Cracker Appetizer Ideas Mousse vs Coarse Cut Pâté: what’s the difference? (Iced)Tea Time! A delectable spread with pâté! Crostini Toppers Delicious Spreads with Alexian Crackers Make-ahead Dishes for your Spring Excursion 3-Ingredient Delicious Recipes Fresh table and dish decorations for spring Best Sandwich Recipes From Around the World Using Pâté to Transform Leftovers Creating a Pâté Board in 5 Easy Steps What to bring to the holiday office potluck Platters, boards, serving knives: new ideas for holiday gifting Cheese and jam pairings on crackers Easy & Impressive Cracker Toppings Spring Pairings: Easy, Breezy Pâté Picnic Ideas Spring Pairings: Pâté & Chutney 5 Pâté and Rosé Pairings That Will Elevate Any Meal (and Your Mood) 10 3-Ingredient Cracker Toppings Dipping Deliciously FAQs References

Our Guide to a Perfect Charcuterie and Cheese Pairing (1)

Like cheese, pâté can stand alone, but uniting the two can lead to a match made in foodie heaven.

Accordingly, we at Alexian have decided our early Holiday gift to you is drumroll, please none other than to unveil our secrets to the perfect charcuterie (read: pâté) and cheese board. Excited? You should be!

Below, we highlight our guide to a perfect charcuterie and cheese pairing.

As the name suggests, hard cheese is firm and goes perfectly well with our creamy and decadent mousse pâtés. Often savory, hard cheese can be divided into two categories: hard (such as Parmesan), and semi-hard (such as Gouda). We suggest pairing the former with Black Peppercorn, and the latter with Chicken Liver.

Conversely, when it comes to coarse cut pâtés, we suggest opting for soft cheeses. Brie is a spreadable cheese with a buttery flavor and a strong aroma, while Burrata is part of the Mozzarella family and is typically served fresh with salads, fresh tomatoes and herbs, or bread. Both are excellently paired with our coarse cut variety.

A third place winner in our books when it comes to pairing cheese with a coarse cut? None other than Camembert. First made in France, this soft cheese made from cow’s milk is similar to Brie, but softer and more buttery, with an earthy flavor. Pro tip: It’s also best paired with red wine.

Overall, we recommend pairing boldly flavored pâtés— such as Pheasant Rosemary or Duck Liver Mousse with Cognac — with milder cheeses. And when it comes to softer-flavored pâtés, like Chicken Liver or our Vegetable varieties, we suggest opting for a strong flavored cheese of your choosing.

Here’s to happy snacking!

OTHER ARTICLES IN THIS SECTION

Patetaining

  • May 2024

    Spring Cleaning? Here are 3 Kitchen Aesthetics We Love

  • March 2024

    Tasty Traditions: How Pâté is Enjoyed Around the World

  • January 2024

    Salami Origami: How to Prep and Serve Charcuterie

  • December 2023

    Puff Pastry & Pâté Pairings

  • November 2023

    Freshening Up Thanksgiving Leftovers With Pâté

  • October 2023

    German Cooking With Pâté

  • September 2023

    Our Favorite Pâté Cookout Recipes

  • August 2023

    A Summer Pâté Breakfast Spread

  • July 2023

    Pâté Pairings to Help You Cool Off

  • June 2023

    Pâté Pizza Party

  • May 2023

    The Elevated Nacho

  • April 2023

    The Perfect Open-Faced Pâté Sandwich

  • March 2023

    Irish Cooking With Pâté

  • February 2023

    Duck, Duck, Mousse! Pairings for Our Pâté of the Month

  • January 2023

    Vegan Pâté Snacks for the New Year

  • December 2022

    What We’re Toasting To in the New Year

  • September 2022

    White Wine Pairings with Alexian’s Pâté

  • August 2022

    Refreshing fruits pairing

  • July 2022

    Summer Dinner Ideas for the Whole Family

  • April 2022

    Breakfast Ideas to Whip Up for Mom This Mother’s Day

  • March 2022

    Our Pâté Picks for Spring

  • February 2022

    Most Underrated Breads You Should Serve with Pâté

  • December 2021

    2021 Roundup: Our Top 5 Recipes of the Year

  • November 2021

    Crostini Toppers

  • November 2021

    One Bite Delights!

  • November 2021

    Our Gooiest Cheese Dip Recipes for the Holidays

  • October 2021

    5 Must-Have Appetizers for Oktoberfest Celebration

  • September 2021

    Delicious Bagel & Pâté Pairings We Can’t Resist

  • August 2021

    Easy Brunch Crepes with Pâté

  • August 2021

    An Ode to the Comté et Pâté Baguette Sandwich

  • July 2021

    Our Top 5 Pâté Recipes for Summer 2021:

  • June 2021

    Treat Dad to these Pâté Sandwich Recipes

  • April 2021

    10 People Share their Summertime Pâté Cooking Plans

  • April 2021

    Leftover Pâté Pasta Sauce? Yes, Please!

  • March 2021

    The Ultimate Guide to Your Next Pâté Garden Party

  • February 2021

    5 Things You Didn’t Know About Alexian Pâté

  • January 2021

    Our Favorite Pâté Quotes of the Decade

  • December 2020

    Our Guide to a Festive Charcuterie Board

  • November 2020

    Easy Appetizers with 5 Ingredients or Less

  • November 2020

    Party of One: How to Solo Snack on Pâté

  • October 2020

    Creating a Pâté Board In 5 Easy Steps

  • August 2020

    An Epicurean Picnic Checklist

  • June 2020

    5 Cucumber Bite Recipes

  • May 2020

    Mother’s Day With Alexian Pâté

  • April 2020

    Crunchidee-Crunch! Our Favorite Crunchy Foods to Add to Pâté

  • March 2020

    A Match Made in Heaven: Perfect Pâté Pairings

  • January 2020

    Easy 20 minute Recipes for 2020

  • November 2019

    Holiday Dinner Party Tips from Alexian

  • October 2019

    Unexpected Cracker Appetizer Ideas

  • September 2019

    Mousse vs Coarse Cut Pâté: what’s the difference?

  • August 2019

    (Iced)Tea Time! A delectable spread with pâté!

  • July 2019

    Crostini Toppers

  • June 2019

    Delicious Spreads with Alexian Crackers

  • May 2019

    Make-ahead Dishes for your Spring Excursion

  • April 2019

    3-Ingredient Delicious Recipes

  • March 2019

    Fresh table and dish decorations for spring

  • February 2019

    Best Sandwich Recipes From Around the World

  • February 2019

    Using Pâté to Transform Leftovers

  • December 2018

    Creating a Pâté Board in 5 Easy Steps

  • December 2018

    What to bring to the holiday office potluck

  • November 2018

    Platters, boards, serving knives: new ideas for holiday gifting

  • October 2018

    Cheese and jam pairings on crackers

  • August 2018

    Easy & Impressive Cracker Toppings

  • June 2018

    Spring Pairings: Easy, Breezy Pâté Picnic Ideas

  • May 2018

    Spring Pairings: Pâté & Chutney

  • April 2018

    5 Pâté and Rosé Pairings That Will Elevate Any Meal (and Your Mood)

  • December 2017

    10 3-Ingredient Cracker Toppings

  • November 2017

    Dipping Deliciously

Our Guide to a Perfect Charcuterie and Cheese Pairing (2024)

FAQs

Our Guide to a Perfect Charcuterie and Cheese Pairing? ›

CHEESES. Brie or other soft cheeses: pair perfectly with honey/honeycomb, crisp apples, and olives. Sharp aged cheese: pair nicely with fresh or dried apricots and cherries. Semi-soft cheese like Manchego, Gouda, or Jarlsberg: pair with salty nuts, mushrooms, or seasonal fruits.

How do you pair cheeses with charcuterie? ›

CHEESES. Brie or other soft cheeses: pair perfectly with honey/honeycomb, crisp apples, and olives. Sharp aged cheese: pair nicely with fresh or dried apricots and cherries. Semi-soft cheese like Manchego, Gouda, or Jarlsberg: pair with salty nuts, mushrooms, or seasonal fruits.

What are the best 3 cheeses for a charcuterie board? ›

Here's some of the best cheese for charcuterie boards:
  • Hard cheese: chunks of parmesan, aged gouda, asiago.
  • Firm cheese: gruyere, comte, manchego, colby, cheddar.
  • Semi-soft cheese: havarti, butterkäse, muenster.
  • Soft cheese: burrata, mascarpone, stracchino.
  • Blue cheese: gorgonzola, dunbarton blue, marbled blue jack.

What is the secret to a great charcuterie board? ›

In general, a good charcuterie board will have 2-3 types of meat, 2-3 cheeses, 1-2 fruits, 1-2 crackers, nuts, bread, pickles, mustard and a dip or spread. The deliciousness of your board depends on the quality of your ingredients. Buy USDA Organic when possible and look for meats that are free from nitrates.

What pairs well with a charcuterie board? ›

One of the most delightful aspects of a charcuterie board is the harmonious interplay between sweet and savory. Take your board to the next level by pairing the salty allure of cured meats with sweet elements such as luscious honey, rich fig jam, or fresh fruits like plump grapes and delicately sliced pears.

How many cheese should be on a charcuterie board? ›

Plan for about 1-2 ounces of cheese per person. As with your meat selections, have your cheese sliced thin (at a 1-2 thickness) to make layering easier. If you'd like to incorporate cheese cubes, or have guests cut their own pieces, have those sliced at an 8-10 thickness.

What is the 3-3-3 rule for charcuterie? ›

Creating Interest with the 3-3-3-3 Rule

Choose three cheeses, three meats, three starches, and three accompaniments for a perfect and balanced board, every time!

What are 5 things to avoid on a charcuterie board? ›

There are a few that I would stay away from eggplants, brussels sprouts, turnips, beets, zucchini and mushrooms. Many of these vegetables taste best when cooked, and Charcuterie boards generally don't include steamed or cooked veggies.

What are two main charcuterie items? ›

Charcuterie Made Simple: 5 Components You Need For Your Board
  • Cheeses.
  • Meats.
  • Fruits and/or veggies.
  • Crackers and/or bread.
  • Spreads.

What goes first on a charcuterie board? ›

Though there are many easy charcuterie board ideas out there, the process is somewhat formulaic. Start by adding structure with little dishes, then place your ingredients on the board starting with the largest elements like the cheeses and meats, followed by smaller items like crackers and fresh produce.

What finger foods go on a charcuterie board? ›

Briny, pickled or marinated: olives, co*cktail onions, cornichons, dill pickles, pepperoncini. We love green olives stuffed with garlic or feta, and I also like including olive tapenade and bruschetta. Savory Dips and spreads: Whole ground mustard, hummus, ranch, balsamic dip. Veggies – cold cut, if desired.

What should I line my charcuterie board with? ›

Creating a Charcuterie Board

Line your board with parchment paper if the surface is not rated for food. Fabrics like napkins, tablecloths, and tea towels add a layer of interest. Create height with layering cuttings boards, dishes, platters, and bowls.

How do you mark cheeses on a charcuterie board? ›

Use cheese markers, sign holders, table signs, or flags. An easy way for your guests to identify which cheese they're eating is to insert clear, easy-to-read signage right into the cheese, whether it's a wheel of Brie or an artfully arranged stack of Manchego triangles.

How do you present cheese on a charcuterie board? ›

For hard cheeses, like the cheddar and parmesan, I prefer to cut them into slices or cubes and stack them up on the board - this makes it easier for guests to grab a piece without having to saw through a hard cheese with a cheese knife and makes the cheese plate more interesting.

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