Happy Monday! Yesterday we celebrated Easter a week early (more on that later this week!), and my love of charcuterie boards paired with a special occasion, called for a little festive treat for lunch instead of our typical. Not to mention, when you're going to be eating an early dinner, I like the idea of having a snack-ier lunch to tide you over but not fill you up.
So I took the basic elements of a charcuterie board and added some extra elements for a scrumptious board. If you've never tried making a charcuterie spread, here are my tips for pulling one together in the easiest way!
The great thing about charcuterie boards is that you can put them together based on absolutely nothing or your cravings. Maybe you're hosting a special event or it's for a holiday, then you can theme your spread, which is a lot of fun! I want to share how I create a very basic board if you're just not sure where to begin.
In this instance, we had an Easter lunch charcuterie board. I kept it really simple, and applied some of my basic rules for a substantial spread that hit all the main areas. And one of my favorite ways to make a board is to incorporate a little sweet treat so that you get a nice mix of salty + sweet. Typically for this, I use nutella and waffle wafers that can be topped with any of the fruit. And since this was for a holiday, I added Cadbury eggs to the mix!
S I M P L E C H A R C U T E R I B O A R D T I P S :
- 1 meat + 1 cheese
- favorites: hard salami + white cheddar
- 1-2 crackers
- favorites: traditional butter cracker (or get a variety pack)
- 2-3 fruits
- favorites: pear, blackberries, raspberries
- 1 vegetable
- favorites: English cucumber
- 1 nut
- favorites: salted almonds
- 2-3 dips/spreads
- favorites: apple butter, nutella, and hummus
- 2-3 extras
- favorites: olives, a festive candy or chocolate, waffle wafers
I want to add that I think Aldi has a great selection of meats and cheeses, as well as fruits and spreads, for putting together a board that doesn't cost a fortune. I use the following items from Aldi for my boards:
- bite-sized hard salami
- block of white cheddar (I slice it into squares, then again down the middle into rectangles)
- package of assorted olives
- salted almonds
- fruits
- hummus
- hazelnut spread (tastes almost identical to nutella)
- variety package of crackers
- dark chocolate with sea salt bars (I break them into pieces)
One of the best ways to enjoy a charcuterie board is with a special drink...maybe wine or a hard cider. Or if you're currently expecting or maybe just don't prefer an alcoholic beverage, I love creating a fun drink. You can make a blueberry lemonata or my current obsession a virgin sparkling mimosa:
- 1 can concentrated orange juice (thawed)
- 1 liter club soda, chilled
- grenadine
- Mix the orange juice concentrate with the club soda. Pour that mixture into a class, then add a couple splashes of grenadine.
And if you're recreating a board just like mine, be sure to try a piece of the white cheddar cheese with a slice of pear and a little schmear of apple butter for a scrumptious bite of goodness! I hope you feel inspired to make your own board or create a Friday evening tradition for the warmer evenings ahead!
Here's last year's spring charcuterie board for more ideas!
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