The Sweet and Salty Side of the Cheese Board
A great cheese board is a study in contrast, and this is the collection that supplies it. Salt and crunch come from Spanish Marcona almonds, rounder, softer, and more buttery than the California kind, here raw, dusted with lemon pepper, or strewn with flower petals and fleur de sel by Sal de Ibiza. Sweetness and chew come from the dried fruit: plump Medjool dates, golden Calimyrna and dark Black Mission figs, glacé apricots, sultanas, and jumbo prunes. In between sit the conversation pieces, crunchy Spanish Quicos corn and Rabitos Royale figs dipped in chocolate with a whisper of brandy.
The quiet stars are the fruit logs, handmade in Valencia by the Vallés brothers from local fruit and Marcona almonds, pressed into a dense round you slice thin and serve in place of a cracker. Each flavor has a natural cheese partner: apricot with a triple crème, fig with goat's and sheep's milk cheeses, date with a bold blue. Like everything igourmet has sourced since 1997, these come from small producers who specialize, and most of this collection is pantry-friendly, shipping by ordinary ground without any cold-chain fuss.
Pairing Nuts and Dried Fruit with Cheese
The principle is simple: pair opposites. Salty, crunchy nuts flatter soft and creamy cheeses, which is why Marcona almonds beside a wedge of Manchego is Spain's most reliable tapas move, and why walnut-friendly wisdom applies just as well here: a rich, buttery nut next to a sharp aged cheese gives each one something to push against. Sweet dried fruit works the other way, taming salt and sharpness. Figs are the classic partner for blue cheese, dates do wonderful things next to aged Gouda and Parmigiano, and apricots brighten a bloomy-rind brie or triple crème.
Building a board, think in threes: one nut, two or three fruits, and something unexpected. Scatter the almonds near the hard cheeses, fan sliced fruit log against the soft ones, and let the chocolate figs sit at the end of the board where dessert belongs. Quantities are forgiving, a handful of nuts and a few pieces of fruit per guest, and everything here keeps in the pantry, so leftovers are never a worry. For the rest of the spread, our crackers and crisps collection brings the crunch and the jams and spreads collection the glossy, spoonable sweetness.
Also Worth Exploring
These pairings exist to serve cheese, so the natural next stop is the gourmet cheese collection, more than 550 specialty cheeses strong, from triple crèmes to aged blues. To round out a full grazing table, the charcuterie collection adds prosciutto, salami, and other cured meats that love the same sweet-salty company.
Nuts & Dried Fruit Pairing: Frequently Asked Questions
The Marcona is a Spanish almond variety, often called the queen of almonds, that is shorter, rounder, softer, and noticeably sweeter and more buttery than the standard California almond. Grown along Spain's Mediterranean coast, Marconas are traditionally blanched and fried in oil, then salted, which gives them a rich, almost macadamia-like character. They are a fixture of Spanish tapas, served alongside Manchego, olives, and cured meats. Ours come several ways, from raw and peeled to lemon pepper and a Sal de Ibiza version finished with flower petals and fleur de sel.
A fruit log, sometimes called fruit cake or fruit torta in Spain, is dried fruit pressed with nuts into a dense, sliceable round. Ours are handmade in Valencia by the Vallés brothers from local fruit and Marcona almonds, with no preservatives. To serve, slice it thin and use it the way you would a cracker: lay a piece of cheese on top, or fan the slices alongside a wedge. Apricot log flatters triple crème cheeses, fig log suits goat's and sheep's milk cheeses, and date log meets its match in a bold blue. Leftover slices are good in salads, over ice cream, or with coffee.