The Super Bowl calls for the ultimate snacks, and what is easier than creating a grazing board chock full of your favorite cheeses, cured meats, dips, and spreads? Cheese platters don't have to be complicated. We love creating a board by layering plates and bowls and filling it all in. There are no rules when making a grazing board. Add a dip, fruit, veggies, cured meats, or whatever you have on hand. Super Bowl parties scream for crowd-pleasers like aged gouda and cheddar, since they pair beautifully with your favorite beer. Below you will find our picks for the perfect Super Bowl cheese board and remember keep it simple and let the quality of the cheese speak for itself.
L'Amuse Signature Gouda
We work closely with cheese selector and importer Essex St. Cheese to source this incredibly aged gouda. The cheese is produced in northern Holland by the Cono Co-op and then is aged by affineur and cheesemonger Betty Koster. Betty ages these wheels at a slightly warmer temperature than typically aged gouda. The result is a deep flavor, plenty of tyrosine crunch (proteins) and a texture that is not too dry and brittle. It is creamy with distinctive hazelnut flavor and deep caramel notes.
Farm/Producer/Importer: Cono Co-op/Fromagerie L'Amuse/Essex St Cheese
Place: Beemster region, The Netherlands
Style: Hard
Milk Type: Cow
Rennet: Traditional
Age: 24-26 months
Pairing: Cabernet Sauvignon, double IPA
Shelburne Two Year Cheddar
Located on the shores of Lake Champlain in Shelburne Vermont, Shelburne Farms is a 1,400 acre working farm, nonprofit education center for sustainability, and National Historic Landmark. Shelburne Farms is home to a herd of Brown Swiss cows whose high quality, raw milk is turned into their signature block cheddar. Shelburne Farms Cheddar is available in several ages, the two year being our favorite. It has a crumbly, dense texture that melts in your mouth, and grassy, fruity flavors with a big, savory finish. Shelburne Two Year Cheddar is at home on a cheese board and in the kitchen. Try it in mac and cheese, on burgers, and omelets and top your Super Bowl chili.
Farm/Producer/Importer: Shelburne Farms
Place: Shelburne, VT
Style: Firm
Milk Type: Raw Cow
Rennet: Traditional
Age: 2 Years
Pairing: Pinot Noir, IPA
Winnimere
Winnimere is a take on Jura Mountain classics like Vacherin Mont d’Or or Försterkäse. In keeping with tradition, this decadent cheese is made only during winter months when the cows are giving rich, hay-fed raw milk. Young cheeses are wrapped in strips of spruce cambium, the tree’s flexible inner bark layer, harvested from Jasper Hill Farm’s woodlands. During aging, the cheese is washed in a cultured salt brine to help even rind development. At 60 days, this cheese is spoonably soft and tastes of bacon, sweet cream, and spruce.
Farm/Producer/Importer: Jasper Hill Farm
Place: Greensboro, VT
Style: Washed
Milk Type: Raw cow
Rennet: Traditional
Age: 60 Days
Pairing: Apremont, Porter
Great Hill Blue
Located in Marion, Massachusetts, the farm at Great Hill Dairy has been in the Stone family since the early 20th century. The dairy sits on the shores of Buzzards Bay, about 50 miles south of Boston. The milk for Great Hill Blue is sourced from their herd of Guernsey cows, making it a farmstead cheese. The milk is not homogenized, which gives the cheese a full flavor and smooth texture. The flavors are bright and acidic, with a peppery bite and a hint of butter from the high fat Guernsey milk. We love Great Hill Blue after dinner with a nice glass of dessert wine, but it is also delicious in a wedge salad, burger.and in your favorite blue cheese dressing.
Farm/Producer/Importer: Great Hill Dairy
Place: Marion, MA
Style: Blue
Milk Type: Raw Cow
Rennet: Vegetarian
Age: 3-4 Months
Pairing: Alsatian Riesling, Tawny Port, Barleywine
