Peach Cheese Board

Y’all know I love a good cheese and meat plate. Naturally, for Peach Month, I had to create a cheese board inspired by fresh, juicy peaches. This board got me out of my cheese comfort zone a bit, but in the end I love how it came together.

Cheese boards have become one of my favorite things to put together. You can get really creative with the pairings, colors, and flavor combinations, and even the extra decorations and accoutrements. I’m also obsessed with burrata again this year, so of course that’s involved here. You can read more about burrata in last year’s Peach Burrata Flatbread post.

For this cheese board, I visited my local artisan cheese shop, Bleu Fox. If you’re local to Chattanooga, or planning a visit, make sure Bleu Fox is on your list. They carry a wide variety of local, domestic, and imported cheeses, plus cured meats, pickled vegetables, local products, and lots of other accoutrements. They’ll also make you an amazing cheese plate or a sandwich that’ll knock your socks off. I knew they’d have the perfect cheeses to go on my peach cheese board, in addition to the burrata (which I also purchased at Bleu Fox, for the record).

In the end, my guys at Bleu Fox suggested Bucheron, an aged goat cheese from France, and Shakerag Bleu from Sequatchie Cove Creamery, an hour or so up the road from Chattanooga.

According to Murray’s Cheese, Bucheron was one of the first French goat cheeses exported to the States. It’s shaped as a log and served in thick, circular slices with a beautiful cream line just below the rind. It’s a little tangy, a little lemony, and super smooth.

If you’ve been around the blog for a while, you know I usually don’t go for bleu cheeses. But attach Sequatchie Cove Creamery’s name to it, and I’ll eat just about anything. Shakerag Bleu isn’t as strong or pungent as other bleu cheeses, which is why I think I like it. Although it is pretty mild for a bleu, it balanced the sweetness of the peaches wonderfully.

I’m by no means an expert cheese board builder, but I enjoy putting them together, for myself or to enjoy with friends. They’re just really pretty and fun to eat! Sometimes I even make a small cheese board for lunch or pre-dinner snack. Gotta keep work-from-home meals interesting, right?

Normally, a cheese board would include several cheeses of different textures, dried or fresh fruit (or both), nuts, bread or crackers, honey or jam, cured meats, and sometimes chocolate and greenery. I didn’t put a ton of extra accoutrements on my peach cheese board, because I wanted the peaches and cheeses to be the stars. But I did add some prosciutto, salami, honey, and crackers for partaking, and some thyme from my porch garden for a little garnish. The cured meats added a nice salty element, and I love honey with stronger cheeses. And a juicy peach slice dipped in the runny burrata curds? Heaven.

Here’s the detailed breakdown of my Peach Cheese Board:

• Sliced peach
• Bucheron French goat cheese
• Sequatchie Cove Shakerag bleu cheese
• Burrata
• Avocado blossom honey
• Assorted crackers (buttery and whole grain)
• Prosciutto
• Salami
• Thyme for garnish

If I were building this board again for a group of friends, I’d fill it out with more of the Bucheron and Shakerag bleu cheese, add some olives and nuts, and maybe include some balsamic vinegar or a reduction for the burrata. But for my personal enjoyment, this was a perfect Peach Cheese Board.

I hope you’re still getting some delicious peaches where you live! I picked some up at my market this past weekend, and will be enjoying them with my last burrata ball later this week. If you build your own peach cheese board, post and tag me on Instagram @hellokaterobertson or Twitter @kate3robertson so I can see your creation!

If you need even more peachy inspiration, check out more of my favorite peach recipes here.

How do you build your perfect cheese board?