How To Create A Delicious Grazing Board At Home
Grazing boards are a wonderful addition to a buffet or to create for the purpose of a celebration that can be enjoyed anywhere in the world.
Whether you’re home or away, making grazing boards is easy when you know what it is you’ll need to make up this delicious spread of food. For those who’ve never tried charcuterie boards before, it’s typically made up of a number of foods that most will have tried prior.
The combination of all these different textures tastes, and smells, is the perfect snacking opportunity.
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Find the right serving platter or board
First and foremost, the right serving platter is important when it comes to assembling a charcuterie board. The board or platter itself needs to be big enough to accommodate all of the food types that need to be included.
It may be worthwhile to think about including some miniature bowls and serving containers for smaller items like nuts and olives that may benefit from being separate from everything else.
We’d recommend getting a dedicated board or platter that’s specifically for household charcuterie nights!
Involve plenty of cured meats and cheese
To achieve a delicious charcuterie board, you’ll need plenty of variation when it comes to cured meats and cheese. From beef jerky to prosciutto, blue cheese, and cheddar, variety will cater to everyone who gets to enjoy the board.
There are some unusual cheeses and meat combinations that may be worth trying when creating the boars. Try to match up the flavor combinations so that they complement each other when mixing them together.
Incorporate sweet fruit
Sweet fruits are a great way to cut through the bitterness, savory or salty flavors of meats and cheeses. There’s nothing like combining fresh figs and sweet grapes with smelly blue cheese or soft cheese.
Dried fruits are also worth trying if there’s not any fresh fruit readily available. The more variety in fruit, the better. It all goes towards the five a day, right? Typical fruits to include on a charcuterie board are grapes, strawberries, apples, and figs.
Add some jams and conserves
When it comes to adding sweets to the board, it’s worth sticking to products similar to that of the fruits on the board. Jams and conserves are typically used on charcuterie boards as they can be added on top of the cheese and even some cured meats depending on the flavors used.
Serving up jams and conserves is easy enough to do so in the containers they come in. If it’s more about the aesthetic, then it’s worth getting some small containers that can have a few spoonfuls of jam or conserve.
Don’t overdo it too much when it comes to the jam. It might be worthwhile having one or two on offer.
Provide some crunch with crackers or bread
As with any meal, it’s good to have some different textures to enjoy in every mouthful. With a charcuterie board, adding a bit of crunch can help break up the softness of the fruit and cured meats.
Not only that but with crackers and bread, they can make a great base for those who love to pile up a sandwich-worthy tower of cured meats and cheese.
Just like the cured meats and cheese, think about adding a few variations of crackers and bread. That way, there’s something for everyone, rather than just offering one type to enjoy.
As with the rest of the food, think about how the food is being laid out and that any moist or wet food is being kept far away from the crackers and bread. Otherwise, it results in sogginess that won’t be as enjoyable when eating.
Don’t plate up until an hour or so before it needs to be served
When assembling the charcuterie board, it’s important to try and get plate everything up with an hour to spare before it’s served. This is an ideal time to avoid the cheese from being too hard but to also reach the right room temperature needed.
The same goes for crackers and cured meats. If it’s plated up too early on, the meats can dry up and get crispy around the ages, with the crackers and bread going stale.
Become a professional at creating charcuterie boards at home
Once you get the hang of it, it’s easy enough to create professional-looking charcuterie boards. Every experiment created will result in new and exciting changes to the foods you pick. It means every board will be new and tastier with practice.
