Grazing Board Tips
Charcuterie boards really have a way of bringing people together in my opinion. To me, food is more than just food! Preparing it is a form of therapy to me, and nothing makes me happier than bringing friends together and serving up something yummy. A couple of weeks ago I had wine night with a few of my friends, and of course you can’t have wine night without having a grazing board! I went to Trader Joe’s and loaded up on all the fall goods to create the perfect board, and I want to share my tips with you on how to create one for yourself. Let’s get started!
Have a variety of different types of cheese, and cut them in different shapes. Cutting the cheese in different shapes adds more depth to the board and is visually appealing to the eye! Having different types is key to ensure each of your guests finds at least one that they enjoy. For this board I used double cream gouda cheese (cut into triangles), chipotle cheddar cheese (cut into cubes), and brie (cut in half and topped with pumpkin butter).
Place large items on the board first and then work around them, but don’t be afraid to move things around! Placing down larger items first makes it easy to fill in small spaces with little things. Which leads me to my next tip…
Add something small to fill in space. A full board is a beautiful board! I never like the board to be showing at all when I have my finished product. I use smaller items like pecans, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, almonds, etc. to fill in small space.
Add decorations. Depending on the season and the theme of the board you can mix this up! I recently used mini pumpkins and fake spiders for fall/Halloween, for Christmas you could do mistletoe or holly leaves, and for spring and summer fresh flowers would be the perfect addition.
Add fresh herbs. Fresh herbs are another great space filler, they look beautiful, and they smell amazing!!! Save them afterwards for recipes.
Have a variety of different dipping options. Instead of just having crackers, offer your guests other options as well! Incorporate crackers, bread, apple slices, pretzels, etc. With that, offer them something more than just cheese to enjoy. Add hummus, pumpkin butter, different types of dips of your choosing!
Lastly, and most importantly - have fun with it!!! There is no right or wrong way to present a board. Make it your own and enjoy your time with those you are sharing it with!
