The weather has warmed up and it’s time to entertain on the boat, at the beach or in your backyard. And one of the best ways to entertain friends and family is with a gorgeous charcuterie board filled with high quality meats, cheese and accouterments.
I spoke with Patrick James at Miles Market to get the best tips for creating boards for the summer season.
“Location is important. Is it going to be out on the boat, will you be on the beach? You have to be cautious of that. Focus on the environment and the people who are going to be there”, he said.
Once you’ve decided where you will serve your board and who will attend, it’s time to decide what to put on it. Mr James suggests going with a theme – Spanish cheeses, Italian cheeses, etc and to choose cheeses that will stand up in the heat.
Another tip is to provide options for guests who are lactose intolerant, those who are celiac and those who may not eat pork, as most salamis are made from pork.
“You probably want more cheddars, monterey jack, firmer cheeses that will stand up to the heat and some gouda. You can get the little logs of goat cheese and put some pesto on that, sundried tomato pesto. It adds a pop of colour to your board as well.
“You want some crackers and bread. Miles has a wide selection of gluten free crackers that go well. You don’t even know they are gluten free. You can use them along the board for anyone with celiac.”
He continued: “You can also add dried fruits, bags of assorted dried fruits, apricots, peaches, plums. They are great to keep in the house to snack on. You’ll want to add nuts, honey, spreads and figs. We’ve got some cool little jars of different condiments that you can use. You don’t have to open a big jar. You open it once and it’s done.”
As far as meats go, Mr James suggests adding them to the end of the board in case some of your guests don’t eat meat.
“Lots of meats that go on boards are pork. You can make your flowers and butterflies and go in between, but that’s where you need to know your guests. You can get packages of sliced cold cuts but if you are doing a small one, you can just go to the deli counter at Miles to get three different slices of salami.”
Now that we have everything to nibble on, it’s time to decide what to drink.
“For drinks, prosecco is very popular in the summer. That works great for a girls group and you can just use Italian cheese for your board. Asiago, parmesan, mozzarella balls tossed in basil and tomatoes or put them on a pick, things like that. And the harder cheese you can eat without crackers, which is a little less carbs for your bikini”, he said with a laugh.
Mr James continued: “You can do a cremant as opposed to a prosecco for a bubbly. It’s a French sparkling wine. Cremant is a great alternative to champagne and prosecco. They are smoother but still a brut. And of course, your favourite, rose or a sauvignon blanc or chardonnay.”
And if you’re still nervous about putting together a charcuterie board this summer, Mr James’ top tip is to either pick out three cheeses you will enjoy or go for something different that has a wow factor. He suggested trying triple creams instead of brie and buying anything with truffle.
Still have questions? Head over to Miles Market and ask for Mr James. He will happily give you excellent recommendations.
