Who doesn’t love a Charcuterie Board with its cured Italian meats, cheeses (the funkier, the better 😋), pickled goodness, fresh fruit/veggies with an accompanying tasty dip and bread and/or crackers. This is one of our go-tos on a Friday night or while entertaining because it hits all the taste buds and there’s something for everyone!
These food items typically appear on a charcuterie board:
- Cured meats – yum 😋
- Cheese – hard, soft, mild, funky, spreadable; make sure you have some variety
- Pickled goodness – olives and/or tasty veggies
- Nuts
- Fruit – fresh or dried
- Relish/Mustard/Jam/Pâté – something extra to make the board special
- Bread and/or crackers – variety is best
On a Friday night, I’ll usually get inspired to create a charcuterie board after a visit to the grocery store if I find fresh bread or visit their Mediterranean Bar. Typically, it’s a lazy board without all the fixings, but delicious and satisfying nonetheless 😋
As I’ve mentioned in other posts (i.e. July 4th Eats & Treats) and on Instagram, Charcuterie is perfect for entertaining and has something for everyone, even the puppies 🐾❤. This board was created for our Christmas celebration with the family and I even made a sundried tomato cheese spread, to fit with the festivities 😋
Heading into this July 4th, I decided to visit Pinterest for inspiration because I knew I’d be feeding a crowd and came across Patriotic Charcuterie Boards, which immediately beckoned me. Red, white and blue food items was a challenge made for Jackie’s Eats & Treats 😉
As usual, I began my planning:
- Red Food
- Pepperoni
- Salami
- Radishes
- Red Peppers, fresh, pickled or relish
- Tomatoes, fresh or a dip
- Strawberries, fresh or jam spread
- Watermelon, fresh or pickled
- Cherries
- Red Apple Slices, keep those skins on
- White Food
- Cucumbers, just remove the green skin and you have white
- Cheeses, of course
- Cauliflower, fresh or pickled
- White Asparagus, fresh or pickled
- Turnip, fresh or pickled
- Blue Food
- Blue cheese, one of my absolute favorites
- Blueberries, fresh or jam spread
- Berry jam or chutney
Now with my inspirational food items in my Buy Me a Pie! app, it was time to head to the store. I’m much more of a savory fan when it comes to charcuterie and that was the direction I was heading in, so blue was a challenge for me, but I think I did well in the end.
I attempted to create an American Flag, thanks Pinterest, for the inspiration. Keep strolling to read about the yumminess I included.
Ingredients included in my Patriotic Charcuterie Board:
- For the Stars
- Blue cheese, I know it’s a stretch, but one of my favorite cheeses
- Black Kalamata Olives, I know again a stretch, but you need olives on a charcuterie board, in my opinion ❤
- For the Stripes
- Red
- Radish, halved
- Red pepper, slices
- Cherubs Snacking Cherry Tomatoes – Super cute and love the rinse container
- Margherita Pepperoni – Always a crowd-pleaser
- White
- Hidden Valley Ranch Dip – You need a yummy dip for your veggies and always a crowd-pleaser
- Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar Cheese – This is a go-to in our household; super creamy and delicious
- Cucumber, skins removed and sliced for dipping
- Red/White Combined
- Daniele’s Charcuterie Panino: Hot Samale Rolled with Mozzerala Cheese – Another crowd-pleaser, with some zip. Note: It didn’t keep with the perfection of of my stripes, but well worth it 😋
- Red
- The foundation to all good bites
- Keebler’s Toasteds Buttercrisp Crackers – Perfectly simple with their buttery crisp
- Firehook Baked Sea Salt Crackers – A delicious Mediterranean cracker for cheese or dipping
I hope this post will inspire your next Patriotic or entertaining festivities, cheers 🍻