Anonymous wrote:

Are you serving dinner? If so, I would just make brushetta and put out a bowl of Trader Joe’s Marcona almonds with rosemary. No one needs a big platter of listeria and I find a lot of people aren’t very adventurous eaters. Many aren’t big fans of goat or blue cheese and don’t try spreads they can’t recognize. I have wasted a lot of money on charcuterie boards.

You're more likely to get listeria from bruschetta than you are from pasteurized cheeses and cured meats. I agree to skip the blue cheese but goat cheese logs with some kind of jam seem to go much more quickly than other cheeses like cheddar.

I’m doing one for tonight with a selection of Spanish cured meats (Whole Foods) and then I have a soft cheese (like a Brie), a blue (for those who like it) and small squares of sliced cheese (cheddar, Monterey Jack, etc). I will have some honey and another sweet jam, crackers, sliced baguette, and 2 dips with sliced carrots.

Ideas or just order one

https://www.cheezmd.com/products

Triple cream Brie - Trader Joe’s
Salami (google how to shape like a rose) 1/4 lb
Table water crackers
prosciutto 1/4 lb
capicola ham or soppressata
Cashews
Celery, red pepper for color
Smoked Gouda
Havarti
Another cracker … I use sweet potato cracker from Trader Joe’s
Grapes
Olives
Fig jam or honey

Brie!

charcuterie - For adults raised on lunchables. 😂

Anonymous wrote:

Are you serving dinner? If so, I would just make brushetta and put out a bowl of Trader Joe’s Marcona almonds with rosemary. No one needs a big platter of listeria and I find a lot of people aren’t very adventurous eaters. Many aren’t big fans of goat or blue cheese and don’t try spreads they can’t recognize. I have wasted a lot of money on charcuterie boards.

Lol pp.

I like when dolma is served, most ppl seem to.

Are you serving dinner? If so, I would just make brushetta and put out a bowl of Trader Joe’s Marcona almonds with rosemary. No one needs a big platter of listeria and I find a lot of people aren’t very adventurous eaters. Many aren’t big fans of goat or blue cheese and don’t try spreads they can’t recognize. I have wasted a lot of money on charcuterie boards.

Watermelon radish
Dried mango
Use the rosemary fig crackers from TJ

Pick a few from each category:

Cheeses: go to Trader Joe's and get the 3-pack of triangle slices (they're all light colored), a goat cheese log, and a bonus cheese. I like expected cheddar, or the cottswold with chives, or perhaps a Boursin container.

Meats: again, TJs. A salami, a prosciutto. Perhaps a mortadella you can roll into little cigars. Sometimes I omit the meats completely.

kalamata olives
marinated artichokes
roasted red peppers
green olives
cornichons
sweet gherkins
pickled green beans or carrots or asparagus

fancy tiny colorful carrots (again, TJs)
small bell peppers
grape tomatoes
grapes
dried fruits

marcona almonds
cashews

hard crackers (I like TJs fig and olive or similar)
soft crackers (anything...ritz, triscuits, everything crackers....)
baguette slices

fig jam
pepper jelly

I put a mushroom jerky on mine that was a huge hit.

People always love the Dalmatia fig jam too. It has the orange paper top.

We always put two kinds of crackers -- one is always the GF Mary's Gone Crackers.

Usually some mix of:
--different cheeses
--salami
--nuts
--fruit -- grapes, raspberries, blueberries, green apples sliced thin to sub for crackers
--cornichons
--We don't do dried fruit or olives b/c we each do not like one of those, but they're on a lot of boards.

I also suggest getting a couple of sprigs of rosemary to make it look festive.

Boursin cheese always goes quickly.

Hosting people this weekend. I have never put together one before.

Can you recommend your favorite items to put on a charcuterie board?

Specific brand items from specific stores would be greatly appreciated.