Cheese & Charcuterie Board
This is not exactly a recipe, more like, tips for when you have no time to prepare for an improvised visit (very few of those here in The Netherlands, as most gatherings happen with weeks if not month in advance of planning-and I love that-).
These are my tricks:
1. Weekly: I buy fresh cheeses, ham and charcuterie in general to make sandwiches for the week, some of it are freezer-friendly.
2. Monthly: I stock my freezer with different types of breads, for my sandwiches during the week, but I never get to eat all so I always have bread in the house. In June this year I was in the North of the country and I got some artisanal sweet breads, which I still have in the freezer.
3. This tip is the most important one (according to me), alway have walnuts, pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, sunflower seeds, any nuts and/or seeds you like, it is always a good idea to have in your freezer. Not only it is healthier snacks but if you are creating a plank it is the best accent you can give to it.
4. I like fruits, I buy weekly, there's some of fruits I even freeze and have frozen:
- Frozen Blueberries, is like eating ice-cream.
- Green Apples slices, not only they add a delicious fresh crunch, but as a matter of fact they serve to cleans the palate in
between cheeses.
- Grapes, are very special for these types of boards. I like getting seedless grapes (red or white) drizzle olive oil,
salt and pepper and bake them in a pre-heated oven for 10 min, let them cool off and add to the board, I promise you
is one of the best things in this world.
5. Another approach is to add veggies. Roasted or raw, like roasted cherry tomatoes they release their natural sugars, or raw carrot or cucumber sticks.
6. As a good middle-eastern, I always have dates, and olives at home.
7. Canned meats, like tuna of luncheon meat can be turned into "Pâté" like spread, a little seasoning and mayo can help along way.
Thats all from me!
Enjoy!
