Charcuterie boards are all the rage right now! It seems like every holiday party we attend this year has some variation of party platter and they are always a huge hit. Whether they are gigantic like this one or small and quaint for just a few people building a charcuterie board can be a bit overwhelming if you haven’t done it before. So, today we’re sharing our 5 easy tips for building the ultimate holiday charcuterie board this season so you can entertain in style without the stress!
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Mix up your palette || Instead of one large slate cheese board swap it up this holiday season by using an assortment of boards, dishes, and platters in various shapes and sizes to create a mosaic effect on the table top. Not only does this make building your charcuterie board easier and way lighter when you’re trying to carry all of those goodies from the kitchen to the dinner table, but it also is a great way to separate ingredients by dietary preference. Since we have an eclectic group of vegetarians and omnivores sitting around our holiday table, this allows for us to serve some boards that contain meat and dairy and others that don’t without the fear of cross contamination.
Variety is the spice of life! || No matter what size your finished charcuterie board will be, make sure to plan to have a mix of both savory and sweet eats. Guests with more adventurous palettes love briny, spicy, and pickled eats, but that isn’t always the case for guests with more sensitive palettes. It also ensures you won’t have a ton of leftovers if there is someone for everyone to snack on!
Go semi-homemade for this year’s charcuterie board || Take it easy on yourself! You don’t have to make every single thing from scratch to build an impressive board. For our charcuterie boards we made homemade slow cooker pumpkin butter and pickled cranberries, but mixed in some of our favorite store-bought indulgences like goodnessknows snack squares. goodnessknows snack squares come in 3 amazing flavors & are divided into four snackable squares per serving (all for just 150 calories)
- cranberry, almond, dark chocolate
- apple, almond & peanut, dark chocolate
- peach & cherry, almond, dark chocolate
goodnessknows snack squares are nestled in a layer made with dark chocolate, and one individual, two-bite square contains approximately 40 calories. In addition to being delicious, goodnessknows is now gluten free. Click here to find where you can purchase goodnessknows near you. Who knows, maybe you’ll turn your guests onto a fabulous new snack for 2017!
Opposites attract || Tempt your guests with both fresh and dried fruit options, little salty nibbles like Inca corn, and sultry sweet bites like a really good quality chocolate bar. You will surely receive ooh’s and ahh’s when the guests see pistachios and peanuts in their shells as well as nuts like pecans and almonds out of the shells, they really love the variety and let’s just be honest sometimes at family gatherings you just need something to distract you from that awkward conversation.
Remember the K.I.S.S. method! || One of my favorite teachers in high school always talked about the K.I.S.S. method ( you know, keep it simple silly! ) and I think this is one place in life it really applies. Pairing meats and cheeses can be intimidating and downright expensive. Opt for pairings you know will work like a classic good quality cheddar paired with apple chips or an aged Manchego cheese with thin slices of chorizo.
If you’ve made an EPIC cheese board using these tips or any of the other recipes on our site, don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know what you think in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, TWITTER, and PINTEREST to see more.
