Audra Nemirow/ The Hofstra Chronicle

I will accept any excuse to eat cheese, but there is something dignified about pairing it with fruit and eating it off a wooden board … it’s at least more dignified than eating it shredded and straight out of the package. This is to say that you can consume this form of cheese in front of people; you might even whip this up for a festive gathering, say, Thanksgiving, tricking your friends and family into thinking you are finally a real grown-up.

The ingredients on this list are interchangeable, but they are just some of my favorites. And you can, of course, acquire the ingredients anywhere from the most pretentious supermarkets on planet Earth (cough cough Whole Foods) to our very own Hofstra campus.

Ingredients:

3 small wheels cheese

1 bag grapes

7 figs

1 box strawberries

1 box blueberries

Olive oil (to taste)

1 loaf crusty bread (preferably some type of baguette)

Instructions: 

1.     The most essential element of a charcuterie board is the board. If you don’t have a specific charcuterie board, any wooden cutting board is fine. A really big plate is fine as well.

2.     Prepare your ingredients one at a time, starting with a small bowl of olive oil for dipping the bread. This should be placed at the center of the board.

3.     Now for the most important part: the cheese. Cut each wheel of cheese into pie-like slices and space the cut wheels evenly on the board, but make sure you leave a space for the bread!

4.     Wash the fruit.

5.     Separate the grapes into manageable bunches and place them in any large spaces between the cheese. Think of the grapes as a sort of divider between the cheeses.

6.     You can cut the strawberries and figs if you wish, but it can also look quite charming if you place them on the board as-is. Arrange strawberries, figs and blueberries around each sliced wheel of cheese.

7.     Slice your bread and place it in the empty corner you set aside for it.

8.     Place several small knives and forks around the board.

9. Enjoy!