Charcuterie boards, grazing boards, honestly any type of food board is a lot of fun for me to make and share. Traditionally I would be sharing this when I host friends over or when my mom and aunt come to visit but with covid none of these are possible. I was lucky enough to have 2 friend gatherings at the beginning of the year before we had to go into lock down and really enjoyed putting something like together or making it a type of potluck and having everyone bring something for the board. But even though our usual gatherings are not possible at the moment it doesn’t mean you can’t create a charcuterie board of your own to have an in home date night, have a virtual happy hour or share with those who you feel safe seeing in your bubble.
It is such a simple and can be as affordable or as expensive as you want to make it. I always start with looking at what I currently have at home, and then thinking of what would pair well with it or what I am craving that would go well with it. The general rule of thumb that I follow when building my Charcuterie any season of the year is to have something sweet, acetic, salty, soft, and crunchy. I find that by sticking to this I can offer a variety of options and pairings that others can create when grazing from the board. My biggest tip is to make it fun and don’t overthink or stress about making the perfect charcuterie board, whatever you create will be sure to be be enjoyed and consumed.
MEAT: For this board I teamed up with Volpi, a local St. Louis company to create a board that I would typically share with others. I do not eat much meat myself but when I do and when I serve it to other I like to make sure it is high quality and Volpi is just that. With their new Small Bites that they sent me it was very easy to add a variety of meats without having to over think it. I’d say when picking your meats be sure to think about what cheese and cracker it may pair well with because that is the most common combo people will make when you have all three on options on the board for them.
CHEESE: Now for my cheeses I like to get something one that soft, one that is more firm, a savory one, possibly a funky one (but it’s not really my style), and a fun one- possibly something in season. I picked up all of these cheeses at ALDI and I loved that they hit every category I wanted and they had two that they only have this time of year that made this board extra fun and those were the goat cheese (blueberry vanilla) and the Boursin garlic and herb chees which is a little more on the pricey side for the size of it but it is worth EVERY penny! For me these cheese provide a great variety and are still amazing quality, of course if you wanted something a little nice you could find some at Trader Joes or Whole Foods but I really think you get your band for your buck with ALDI.
CRACKERS: My crackers are also all from ALDI but you can also find similar options at your local grocery store. For this assortment I went back to the meat and cheese that could pair well with both and this is where I landed. Everything Pretzels Slims for that for a nice salty and spices option. Artisan Crackers because they don’t have too much flavor and if you are eating a strong or flavorful cheese but want a crunch to it you want something that will not fight with the flavor. Woven Wheats because they have a nice salty flavor to them that compliments the white cheddar cheese, this is one of my favorite combos! Lastly a seasonal cracker, Raisin Rosemary Pumpkin Artisan Crackers that has a little more of a complex flavor but would also pair well with any other seasonal items I bought. Also, note that each of these crackers have a different consistency and you want to make sure you also offer variety here, try to include some crackers that have a crunch, some that break easy, etc.
FRUIT: I really enjoy offering a fresh and dry fruit on my boards, with this I try to pick what is in season if I can but this is where I like to get my pop of color on the board. Start with seeing what you already have at home and go from there!
SEEDS & NUTS: I usually tell people to offer a variety of salty and unsalted seeds and nuts but I honestly think that the salted and seasoned ones taste way better so I tend to go for those myself. I already had the roasted chickpeas (which are more on the dryer side) and the Everything but Bagel Nut Duo (which are AMAZING if you haven’t tried them- on the pricey side for sure so you probs won’t be snacking on these as you do others that you typically buy.) The pumpkin and pepita seeds bring that nice saltness that I love so for me they are a easy must have and as always affordable because they are from ALDI.
SWEETS: For this I was also able to work with a few local brands, Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate and Le Nouveau Macaron! Le Nouveau Macaron is a local small women owned business that made me like macarons again, her flavors are so unique and not over sweet and did I mention beautiful?! Be sure to check her out and support her by purchasing something to treat someone or yourself. Went with Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate so this one because they offer such a great variety of sweets in so many forms and they ship all over the US! The pumpkin popcorn was another sweet I already had in my pantry, from ALDI.
EXTRAS: Olives are a must on a board for me but didn’t know where else to place this. I am a big fan of stuffed olives like this. I also added black olives that I had from ALDI, just great to snack on. Honey of course to add to anything you want, I recommend buying a high quality honey even if it is one this small. Rosemary for décor on the board but then be sure to use it for cooking if you can so it doesn’t go to waste.
Don’t forget the wine or a drink to pair this with! I always recommend One Hope Wine (pictured above) as they donate to a charity when you make a purchase and all of them support different ones so be sure to check them out!
Just like the food you pick for your board you can go with an affordable option or or you can also go on the higher quality route. I also always suggest to have brown paper in case you don’t have a board and want an easy clean up. Here are a few affordable and higher priced boards, cheese knives, containers to consider if you are on the hunt for any. Hope this helped make your next charcutier board easy and fun!
As always, thank you for reading. Como siempre, gracias por leer.
