This post is sponsored by Castello Cheese. All opinions are my own.
With the end of March coming to a close, spring has officially made its entrance. I love this time of year because of abundance of vegetables and fruits, and what better way to eat all that fresh produce than to make a spring cheese board. Luckily, I’ve got it covered.
This cheese board features all of the best parts of spring: creamy and tangy cheese, pickled vegetables, candied meyer lemons (you must make these!), and grilled bread to scoop everything up with. I have two simple and quick recipes for the pickled ramps/green onions and candied meyer lemons which go perfectly with the cheese. While candied lemons may seem like an odd choice, I always love to include something sweet on my cheese board, and because I just can’t get enough of them right now, they turned out to be the best accompaniment. I chose two different kinds from one of my go-to brands, Castello to feature on this board. I used a creamy Danish blue and a double creme white because I thought they paired best with my accoutrements, but Castello has a huge variety of crafted cheeses so pick whichever looks best to you – they’re all delicious!
And, if you’re going to make an epic cheese board, then you must include a good wine. I used a Zinfandel and Chardonnay from Folie a Deux which paired perfectly with the cheeses.
If you need a fun appetizer (or let’s be honest, dinner) this spring, then a cheese board featuring the best parts of the season is your answer.
Finally, and one of the parts I’m most excited about, if you want a chance to win a trip to Napa filled with wine and cheese, head over to Castello now to enter!
Ingredients
- Cheese:
- Castello Extra Creamy Danish Blue
- Castello Double Creme White
- Grilled bread
- Capicola ham
- Candied meyer lemons (recipe below)
- Sliced radishes
- Spring peas
- Small peppers
- Mustard
- Pickled ramps/ green onions (recipe below)
- Watercress
- 3 meyer lemons
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 lb ramps or green onions, cleaned and trimmed
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup white wine vinegar
- 8 peppercorns
- 1 bay leaf
- 1-2 Tbsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- For the candied meyer lemons, sliced the lemons, with the rind on and set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine the water and sugar and bring to a boil. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemon slices and reduce to a simmer. Let the lemons gently simmer for 20-25 minutes. Then, let the lemons cool completely in the syrup. Remove them from the syrup after cooled and place on a wire rack to dry and let excess syrup drip off. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
- For the pickled ramps, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Place the ramps in and cook for 2-3 minutes. Drain and place the ramps into a glass jar with a seal. For the brine, mix together the water, vinegar, peppercorns, bay leaf, sugar, mustard seeds, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove from the heat and pour over the ramps in the glass jar. Seal and let come to room temperature, then place in the fridge and let sit for 2-3 days to develop the flavor.
Meyer lemon technique from Martha Stewart
In this post: cheese board // gold bowls // mini shot glasses // cheese knife // Weck jars // Riedels
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A simply gorgeous cheese board!!
Thanks so much, Lauren!