How to make a Winter Cheese Board with a good variety of cheeses, winter fruits, nuts, dried fruits, olives, and this delicious recipe for Blood Orange Marmalade.
Hey Friends, here’s a little Winter Cheese Board inspiration for you! What I love about building cheese boards is how fun and creative it is, how easy it is to throw together, and how you can make this 1-2 hours ahead before your guests arrive!
How to Make a Winter Cheese Board:
- Use 4-6 varieties of cheeses – pick a diverse range – from soft to hard, from mild flavored to “stinky” and at least one blue-veined cheese. Add at least one goat or sheeps cheese.)
- 1/3 cup honey
- ⅓ cup seasonal jam or blood orange marmalade ( recipe below)
- 1 cup nuts- like maple pecans, marcona almonds
- 1 cup olives or olive tapenade
- ¼ cup whole grain mustard
- 3-4 varieties of winter fruit – apples, persimmons, pears, figs, Japanese Pears, pomegranate, grapes etc.
- 1 cup dried fruit – figs, cherries, apricots, etc.
- 1 baguette
- gourmet crackers
This week I partnered with Folie a Duex – because what goes with a delectable cheeseboard better than wine? The perfect pairing is Folie à Deux, a world-class Sonoma County wine delights the senses and wakes up the palate, available both in red and white varieties.
Blue viewed cheeses pair especially well with honey and I always try to keep them together on a cheese board. In winter when fruits are limited, I often turn to dried fruits to fill the gaps, in this case – golden Moroccan apricots.
Winter citrus can easily be made into marmalade which surprisingly taste wonderful with cheese. My favorite is blood orange marmalade. 
The smell alone makes me happy and brightens up even the darkest of days.
When making marmalade, be sure to use a candy thermometer to get it to the perfect consistency.
The color of blood orange marmalade is truly lovely and flavorful. Infuse it with ginger and star anise for a touch of the exotic.
I hope you enjoy making this Winter Cheese Board. Have fun with it and get creative!
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Winter Cheese Board w/ Blood Orange Marmalade
- Prep Time: 45 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 20 mins
- Yield: 8-10
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: simmered
- Cuisine: northwest
Description
A Winter Cheese Board with a recipe for Blood Orange Marmalade, paired with cheeses, winter fruits, nuts and honey… a match made in heaven!
Ingredients
- 3-6 varieties of cheeses 3-6 ounces each (pick a diverse range - from soft to hard, from mild flavored to "stinky" and at least one blue-veined cheese. Add at least one goat or sheeps cheese. )
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/3 cup seasonal jam or blood orange marmalade ( recipe below)
- 1 cup toasted, spiced or candied nuts- walnuts, maple pecans, almonds, marcona almonds
- 1 cup olives or olive tapenade
- 1/4 cup whole grain mustard
- 3-4 varieties of fruit - apples, persimmons, pears, figs, Japanese Pears, pomegranate, etc.
- 1 cup dried fruit - figs, cherries, apricots, etc.
- 1 small baguette, sliced or sub gourmet crackers. Or both.
- --------
- Candy thermometer
- 3 blood oranges
- 1 small lemon
- 1 1/2 cup organic sugar
- Optional additions - 1 teaspoon minced ginger, star anise pods, fennel seeds,
Instructions
- Make Blood Orange Marmalade: Wash blood oranges and lemon well. Thinly slice oranges (as thin as possible, or use a mandolin), removing seeds as you go. Stack and slice them into quarters and place them in a medium pot.Zest and juice the lemon and add to the pot. Add 3 cups water and bring to a boil. Boil 10 minutes.Turn heat down to medium and simmer 40 minutes, or until rinds are tender. Add sugar, stir to combine. Bring to a boil. Turn heat to medium so it is gently boiling. Continue cooking until it reaches 220 F (check with a candy thermometer) about 15 minutes, careful not to walk away when it gets close…it’s easy to burn. At this point you could can or just cool and refrigerate. Makes 2- 2-1/2 cups
- Assemble Winter Cheese Board: Place 3-5 different cheeses in different areas on a large cutting board or platter. Either pre-slice or make sure to have a cheese knife for each cheese. Slice fruits and place around the board paying attending to color. Add small bowls of nuts, honey, orange marmalade, mustard, olives… all in separate areas on the board with small serving utensils.
- Garnish with rosemary sprigs or citrus leaves.
- Slice the baguette and either serve it on the side or tuck into space on the platter or board. Or use crackers!
Notes
- This can sit out at room temp 1-2 hours before your event – easist to make this ahead!
Nutrition
- Calories: 150
My son and I are both certified Red Jacket Cheesemasters from the Murray’s Cheese Shop program in Krogers/Albertsons grocery stores. We bring cheese boards to every holiday feast. This marmelade is a scrumptious beauty to complement SO many cheeses! If you aren’t a fan of bleu cheeses, try a creamy, mild bleu brie like Cambozola. Or, pick a firmer bleu variety with fewer specs of blue which will be milder. Rogue Creamery Smokey Bleu is another good one for those new-to-blue!
I’m going to try coriander and clove in my next batch. After that, I plan to can a batch of your amazing blood orange marmelade in mini jars for quick gifts! Maybe I can divide a spice-free double batch and make a variety of flavor combinations before they reach the jars! (Clearly, I’m excited.)
Yum!! I’d say you have risen to the challenge!!
Thank you Natasha