When it comes to parties, I love the appetizers. At gatherings, my family and I tend to get full off the appetizers before dinner is even served.
The appetizer that always strikes my attention is the charcuterie board. If made right, it is different every single time, so it never gets boring. It is colorful, pretty, and tasty.
Yes, the classics are good because they are reliable; but they can also just get boring. Those cheddar cheese cubes with powder over the top of them are just not going to cut it for a deluxe board.
So, I am saying forget the basic cheese and crackers, let’s evaluate your appetizer game to a whole new level!
Here is a breakdown of what you will need for your board:
-Cheese
-Crackers and Bread
-Meats
-Sweets
The first step is getting a board. Anything will work but it is better when there are little slots you can put each food in. Some fun boards I have seen are made of all different materials, like wood or even a stone that allows you to write on it and label all the different cheeses. It is also fun (and convenient) to have little dishes to put jams or dips in.
Let’s talk about the good stuff now.
Cheese:
It is good to have a mix of different cheeses. I think it is nice to have a selection of soft, solid, strong, and mild cheese. Keep in mind that not everyone likes a strong cheese that tastes like feet.
Some great soft cheese options include:
-Brie
-Camembert
-Goat cheese (the Trader Joe’s brand with cranberries and blueberries are so good)
-Mozzarella balls
Some great solid cheese options include:
-Provolone
-Gouda
-Fresh Parmesan
-Havarti
Cheese balls
An honorable mention is adding a cheeseball to your board. This is a cream cheese based spreadable cheese that contains a variety of other flavors and cheese as well. The ball is then rolled in pecans, seeds, or dried fruit afterwards.
Some cheese ball ideas:
-Everything but the bagel seasoning
-Buffalo ranch
-Jalapeno popper
-Garlic herb
-Pimento
Crackers and Breads
This is your holder or base to all the things on this board, so it needs to be good.
Crackers:
-Toasted’s Artisan collection (shoutout to the best one which is the rosemary and olive oil)
-Toasted’s sesame
-Triscuits
Bread:
-Sliced baguette
-Sourdough
-Crostini
Meats
-Thin sliced pepperoni made into roses
-Salami
-Summer turkey sausage (or as I call, sweet meat)
-Prosciutto
Sweets
-Jams (raspberry, strawberry, peach)
-Caramel
-Chocolate covered almonds (can be spread around the board, on top of other cheeses and fruits)
-Grapes
-Apples
-Strawberries
-Cranberries
These are the basics, but you can get as fancy as you want. It is even nice to combine the ingredients, like putting caramel, dried cranberries, and pecans on brie cheese. Add pickled stuff too, like an assortment of olives and roasted peppers.
Have fun making an appetizer that will impress everyone at the party!