Celebrity Food Stylist Shares Ultimate Cheese Board & Salad Recipes for Mother’s Day Brunch

To make mom feel special this Mother's Day, chef, celebrity food stylist, and cookbook author Ashton Keefe says this Ultimate Cheese Board and Italian Salad are perfect for a homemade brunch, or, followed by pan-seared steak, a beautiful dinner.

"You’ve seen it all over Instagram and let’s be honest, there is nothing more inviting (yet intimidating) than assembling a cheeseboard," said Keefe, author of “Lemon & Salt: A Modern Girl's Guide to Culinary Revelry."

"It’s the perfect dish to make mom feel special because it’s beautiful and requires no cooking! There are only three rules: pick a theme, divide and conquer, and more is more."

Ashton’s Ultimate Cheese Board

Serves 6–8

½ lb. Cabot clothbound cheddar
½ lb. soft triple cream brie
½ lb. Bayley Hazen or similar domestic blue cheese
1 bunch green grapes
1 bunch purple grapes
2 nectarines, peaches, citrus or persimmons depending on the season
1 honeycomb
1 package seeded crackers
½ pint Castelvetrano olives
½ pint caper berries
½ pint Marcona or regular almonds
Edible Flowers
1 bunch rosemary or thyme

Place three pieces of cheese on opposite sides of the board. Place fruit next to each piece of cheese. Repeat for stone fruit or citrus. Place honeycomb. Layer in crackers. Place olives and capers in small bowls and nestle between cheeses. Pour in almonds. Tuck flowers and herbs to fill.

There is no better season for a beautiful salad than right now, Keefe says. "Veg is all the rage and what makes a salad super ‘gram-able and perfect for mom is the combination of textures, shapes, sweetness, saltiness, crunch and acidity," she said. "This salad got a 'standing O' from a group of Connecticut moms one night at a private event. I think it’s the dressing... or the combination of all the salt. Which makes sense, since I already knew their diet included martinis."

The Italian Salad

Serves 6-8

3 shallots, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
2 lemons, juiced
¼ cup red wine vinegar
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
2–3 heads endive
1 head radicchio
½ lb. sweet and pickled Italian red peppers, roughly chopped
½ lb. Castelvetrano olives, smashed and pitted
1 lb. bocconcini mozzarella

In a large bowl, whisk shallots, garlic, oregano, salt, lemon juice and red wine vinegar. While whisking, stream in olive oil and emulsify. Add lettuces, peppers and olives to the bowl. Tear mozzarella over the greens and toss salad.