Cheeses
Balancing the flavor of cheeses and meats is essential.  Always try to include cheeses made from different kinds of milk -  goat, sheep, and cow and provide a variety of different textures, and sharpness.  

Meats
Select prepared meats from a lean Speck to a fatty Coppa, also consider including a Pate or two with different compositions such as a smooth duck liver with cognac and a peasant pate with a coarse grind.  Consider a selection of salami’s and cured sausages with different textures and flavors to help you round out your selections.  You can add a few meats from the following types. All meats should be sliced thin. 
  
Whole muscle meats- Prosciutto, smoked turkey, Jamon Iberico, Serrano or Bresaola

Salami and Cured Sausage selections
Italian Salami, Coppa, Mortadella, Soppressata, Toscano Salami’s.

Sun Dried and Dried Fruits
Add a variety of our Sun Dried and Dried Fruits, select fruits that complement and enhance your selection of meats and cheeses.  

Sun Dried Pears are great paired with buttery cheeses like brie, triple cream, cheddars, and blues.  Red Dragon Welsh cheddar and a Butterkase Cheese are good choices.

Sun-Dried Apricots and Sun Dried Bing Cherries pair well with tangy goat and sheep milk cheeses, blues, fragrant, floral or funky aged cheeses -  Cypress’s Purple Haze and  Lamb Chopper pair very well with these two fruits both providing different textures. 

Sun Dried Peaches pair well with sheep and cows' milk cheeses. Robert Pierre's triple cream is perfection.   Cheeses that have nutty undertones like in a Jarlesburg Swiss and Esquirrou are especially delicious with peaches.

California Medjools and Mission figs sweet flavor pair well with hard, robust cheese like Moliterno, a sheep, and goat milk cheese, its aroma is a balance of rustic and sweet fragrances. Its flavor is rich and malty with a sharp bite. Manchego is another perfect cheese with those fruits. Try it, and you'll have a symphony on your taste buds.

Sun-Dried Tomatoes are a rich component not to be missed on your board, served on top of Burrata and Grana Padano, or delicious alongside a grassy mixed milk cheese like Dream Weaver or Truffle cheese.

Fresh Fruits
If you select fresh fruits, pick a hardy fruit type that will hold its appearance thru the night’s activities.  Some recommendations are raspberry, grapes, and berries.  Orange, pineapple, and kiwi should be avoided- their acidity paired with cheeses will leave an acrid aftertaste on the palate. Save the acid for the pickles!

Accompaniments 
Crackers and bread are just the vehicles to get the cheese to your mouth, keep selections to a mild, not overpowering flavor profile- no garlic and or onion.

The finishing touches on the board can be an assortment of nuts, cured olives- variety in flavors, cornichons, and honey.

You can follow this list or create something different - a successful board is one that is put together with the goal to share with friends and family, to make memories while noshing, and chatting about the good things in life.