Going to a Friendsgiving this week and don’t know what to bring? Look no further than a Charcuterie Board:(AKA Cheese board)
Cheese boards are arguably the best appetizer to bring to any gathering for many reasons:
- Budget Friendly: You probably already have most of the ingredients in your pantry/fridge to make one, but if you dont, a quick trip to the grocery store can fix that at very low cost (More on that below).
- There is No Wrong Way to Make One: You can be as Pinterest Fancy or as low key as you want. A cheese board is hard to mess up as there is typically no cooking involved. All you need is your creative whims to guide your placement.
- Everyone Will Pick Off It: Whether you like meat or not, there is typically something on every cheese board that anyone in your party will munch on.
- You Can Pull it Off Last Minute: Ingredients aren’t necessarily seasonal and can be picked up last minute (like say on your way to party!) and it’s totally fine cause everyone would know all ingredients are fresh.
The Basics:
The “Bones” of your cheeseboard are: Cheese. Fruit. Deli Meats. Crackers. (see? Budget friendly)
Meats: Pepper Salami, Hot Capocollo, and Hot Calabrese. Prosciutto is my go to Deli though.
Cheese: Blue Cheese, Brie, Sharp Cheddar, Cranberry white cheddar, Cranberry and Cinammon goat cheese and smoked gouda.
Crackers: I typically do an assortment of crackers but good alternatives are pretzels, crisps, toasted french baguettes, etc.
Other: Olives, Pickles, Peppers, sliced apples, grapes, nuts, and raisins, etc.
Sine we are talking about a Thanksgiving board here, having seasonal seeds/fruits helps. Some to consider for your Thanksgiving Cheese Board: Pumpkin Seeds, Pomegranate, Figs, Walnuts, Roasted nuts.
Here is my cast of characters:
Which turns into:
*I typically like to separate dairy/meats in one location so that those who are not keen on those can pick off one side of the board.
There you have it folks! The appetizer everyone in your party will thank you for bringing!