I love a good board because they are so customizable and especially easy when feeding crowd of people! Here is a collection of my favorite charcuterie boards for any occasion with all their details, plus some tips for arranging your own.
What is a charcuterie board?
Charcuterie boards are traditionally appetizer and snack type foods that are beautifully presented on a board. Recently, they've branched out to more exotic types of boards like brunch and dessert. There's no limit to what kinds of boards you can build!
When should you serve a charcuterie board?
They are perfect for parties or any gathering. Furthermore, boards can also be made a bit smaller for the perfect special treat for a birthday, holiday, or special occasion with your family or friends.
What type of board can you use?
There are many options for boards including marble, slate or wood. It's a good idea to have a few different size and shape boards on hand so you can customize them and have a great charcuterie board for any occasion, depending on your needs.
Here are some of the boards I've created with all the details:
1. Birthday Celebration Board
Out with the cake and in with the candy board! For birthday month, I opted for a rainbow themed board, so I bought all sorts of sweets and treats that were multicolored. Pictured here are; rainbow rice Krispy treats, sour rainbow belts, gumballs, rainbow cake, button candy, gummy bears, rainbow lollipops, and little star candies to fill in all the gaps.
2. Hot dog Board
Take a traditional hot dogs sandwich and up the fun with a little board. Hot dogs, buns, fries, ketchup, mustard, pickles and baked beans all come together in this epic BBQ board.
3. Brunch Board
This board has both sweet and savory components and it's a beautiful gesture for a hosted brunch or for mother's day. This board includes; waffles, mini danishes, strawberries, blueberries, grapes, maple syrup, soft boiled eggs, lox, olives, fresh dill and jam.
4. Kids Snack Board
This snack board can be so many things, but it originated as an after school snack board for kids. It's got hummus, pretzel flats, grapes, popcorn, cheese sticks, Scandinavian swimmers candies, grape tomatoes, granola bites, animal crackers, blueberries, clementine's and peanut butter. Check out this other version that I made with Norman's dairy that includes a delightful peanut butter and yogurt dip:
The peanut butter yogurt dip is delicious and is full of protein! To make the dip, mix 1 plain Norman's yogurt with 3 tablespoon maple syrup, ⅓ cup peanut butter and 1 teaspoon of vanilla until it's creamy and smooth.
5. Fondue Board
This chocolate fondue board is especially perfect for cozy nights in. I arranged the fondue with green apple slices, peppermint marshmallows, strawberries, pretzels, wafers, and mini powdered doughnuts.
Chocolate Fondue recipe as printed in @whiskbyami
½ cup heavy cream
7 ounces chocolate chips
½ teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
Flaky salt, for garnish (optional)
Directions:
Arrange the sweets on a tray or board. Just before serving, heat heavy cream in a pot, and bring to a gentle simmer (do not boil!). Next, add chocolate and whisk until smooth and creamy. Sprinkle in cinnamon and mix well. Pour into a mini cast iron pot or ramekin and place onto the tray. Top with flaky salt, if desired. Happy dipping!
6. Apple and Honey Board
This is a special board made for Rosh Hashanah. It includes a variety of apples any honey. It's the perfect board to serve on Yom Tov night.
7. Hot Chocolate Board
Any assortment of hot chocolate items will do for this board, but this one is a special holiday themed one that is perfect for cozying up with your family after lighting Chanukah candles. It includes; sandwich cookies, marshmallows, blue sprinkles, wafer rolls, chocolate covered pretzels, chocolate coins, mini white chocolate chips and Chanukah themed chocolates.
8. The Classic Cheeseboard
Ah the classic cheeseboard. This is actually a winter themed one and I've got all the little details written up for you here.
As you can see, the options are really endless! Use what you like, what you have on hand, and whatever you desire!
Here's some tips and tricks:
- Start by placing the biggest items first, like bowls, then build around it, starting with the biggest items. Check out my Chanukah board download, where I included a little visual guide on building the board.
- Make sure you aren't placing like colors and textures too close to each other. Try to create different heights by stacking some items and laying others out in a single layer.
- Sometimes it's okay to not fill every little crack and crevice. If you want to, make sure you have something small on hand like little candies, nuts, or small fruit.
I hope this post on charcuterie boards for any occasion gave you some inspiration and useful ideas for building your own boards! If you have any questions or comments, please drop them below in the comments box!!
Until next time,
SARA
