Save I discovered this idea while standing in front of my kitchen window one evening, watching the city lights flicker against the darkening sky. My daughter had just asked if we could make our cheese board look like something more than just arranged slices, and I thought: what if we built a skyline? That night, I grabbed my sharpest knife and a block of cheddar, and suddenly our appetizer became architecture. It felt silly at first, but when those little cheese towers started standing upright on the platter, something magical happened—everyone who walked into the kitchen stopped mid-conversation to stare.
I made this for a small dinner party last spring when a friend moved into her new apartment with a view of downtown. She kept mentioning how much she loved the skyline from her living room, so I decided to bring her dinner that looked back at her. Watching her face when she saw the cheese towers standing in formation—that was the real appetizer. Everyone gathered around the platter before sitting down, and we spent twenty minutes just admiring it like it was art before anyone ate anything.
Ingredients
- Sharp cheddar, block (120 g): The workhorse cheese—bold and forgiving when you're carving, and its golden color adds warmth to your skyline.
- Gruyère, block (120 g): Brings sophistication and a subtle nuttiness that makes people think you've really thought this through.
- Emmental, block (120 g): The creamy dreamer of the bunch, with enough firmness to hold a shape but enough personality to stand out.
- Havarti, block (120 g): Buttery and slightly springy, it slices cleanly and adds a touch of Danish elegance to your cityscape.
- Gouda, block (120 g): The caramel-toned anchor that ties the whole visual together with its warm, rounded character.
- Seedless grapes, small bunch, washed: These sit at the base like little parks, adding freshness and a pop of color between the cheese buildings.
- Apple, small, sliced: A crisp, subtle note that keeps people from feeling too full on just cheese, and it catches light beautifully on the platter.
- Pear, small, sliced: Softer than apple, it adds a creamy textural contrast and fills gaps where you need a little more greenery.
- Assorted crackers, 12-16 (gluten-free if desired): The foundation your skyline stands on—choose ones sturdy enough to hold cheese without crumbling.
- Honey or fig jam, 2 tbsp: The final touch that makes people realize this wasn't just arrangement, it was composition.
Instructions
- Chill and slice your cheese blocks:
- Spend 15–20 minutes getting your cheese cold enough to hold its shape. You want it firm but not so rigid it shatters—use your sharpest knife and let the blade do the work, slicing each block into vertical pieces about 1 cm thick.
- Sketch out your buildings:
- If you're nervous, grab a piece of paper and sketch a few iconic shapes first—a triangle for the Eiffel Tower, a rectangle with a stepped top for the Empire State Building. Tracing these silhouettes onto your cheese slices gives you a roadmap.
- Cut your shapes:
- Use a paring knife for the details, letting your hand guide the blade in small, confident movements. Cookie cutters can help with clean geometric shapes if you want less freehand carving.
- Build your skyline:
- Stand each cheese building upright on your large platter, arranging them so the tallest towers catch the eye first. Lean them at different angles if one won't stand perfectly—asymmetry feels more like a real city anyway.
- Tuck in the greenery:
- Nestle your grape clusters, apple slices, and pear slices around the base, filling the gaps and creating the impression of parks and vegetation between the buildings.
- Add the finishing touches:
- Place your crackers nearby and set a small ramekin of honey or jam off to the side, letting everyone dress their own bites the way they like.
Save There's a particular kind of quiet that falls over a room when people see food that's been treated as art. My neighbor actually stopped eating mid-cracker and asked if she could photograph it before touching anything, and I realized then that presentation isn't shallow—it's another language for saying you cared about the moment.
Choosing Your Cheese Wisely
The cheeses you pick are the difference between a platter that impresses and one that amazes. I learned early on that softer cheeses like brie or fresh mozzarella don't hold a carved shape—they just surrender and collapse into themselves. Harder aged cheeses have enough structure to stand tall, but they also need to be flavorful enough that people don't feel like they're eating wax. The five cheeses listed here are the sweet spot: firm enough to carve, interesting enough to savor, and varied enough that every bite offers something new. Think of them like instruments in a small orchestra—each one plays a different note, but together they create harmony.
Building with Intention
When you're shaping your cheese towers, there's a surprising amount of rhythm to it. The first few cuts feel tentative, like you're not quite sure if this is going to work, but by the time you're halfway through, your hands understand the motion. I've found that thinking about famous buildings—their proportions, their distinctive angles—actually helps you carve more confidently. You're not just randomly cutting shapes; you're recreating something recognizable, which changes the whole energy of the work. It becomes less about being perfect and more about capturing the essence of a place.
The Art of the Presentation
A skyline is only as good as how it sits on the platter, and I've learned that spacing matters more than you'd think. You want enough room between towers so each one feels like its own building, but close enough that they read as a unified cityscape. The fruit isn't just decoration—it's the breathing room that keeps your eye moving across the whole composition. Arrange it so no two identical cheeses sit next to each other, and place the brightest colors where your eyes naturally land first. This transforms a simple cheese board into something that tells a story about design and intention.
- Stand your tallest towers toward the back or center so shorter ones don't get visually lost.
- Use the grapes as anchors to break up the geometric lines and add organic movement.
- Remember that you can always rearrange—there's no rule saying it has to be perfect on the first try.
Save The best part about making this is that it turns a simple appetizer into a moment worth savoring. Whether you're hosting a dinner party, celebrating a move, or just wanting to eat cheese with a little more joy, this skyline reminds everyone that food doesn't have to be complicated to be memorable.
Recipe FAQs
- → What cheeses are best for shaping into silhouettes?
Firm block cheeses like cheddar, Gruyère, Emmental, Havarti, and Gouda hold shape well when sliced vertically.
- → How can I make cutting the cheese easier?
Chilling the cheese blocks for 15–20 minutes before slicing firms them up and helps cut cleaner shapes.
- → What tools help create precise cheese silhouettes?
A sharp chef's knife, a paring knife, and small cookie cutters or paper templates assist in carving detailed building shapes.
- → What fruits pair well with this cheese display?
Seedless grapes, apple slices, and pear slices add fresh contrast and visual appeal when arranged at the base.
- → Are there suggested accompaniments for this platter?
Assorted crackers, ideally gluten-free if needed, paired with honey or fig jam complement the cheese silhouettes perfectly.
- → Can this platter accommodate dietary restrictions?
Using gluten-free crackers and vegetarian cheeses makes this suitable for gluten-free and vegetarian preferences.