Late Summer Charcuterie Board

Welcome back to QCK!

Something that I’ve been seeing more and more of throughout the pandemic is people going on picnics. It only makes sense considering that eating out is definitely taking a risk, but I’m really loving the new trend. It’s a great way to get together with friends safely and still enjoy food and drink outdoors without putting anyones health or safety at risk. And can we talk about the set ups for a second? People are seriously going all out. I mean seriously, place settings and gorgeous blankets, flowers, and the food… wow. I didn’t know picnics had evolved this way.

Which brings us to today’s recipe, which is more of a post and less of a recipe actually. A late summer charcuterie board. Late summer is kind of my favorite time of year, if the seasons were a week, late summer would be Sunday. Everyones taking the last of their vacations and relaxing without responsibilities before school and work and the holidays come in full swing. By this time of year I’ve usually recovered form the trauma that is winter in Minnesota. The humidity (usually) settles down a bit, and everything is in season and fresh from the garden.

But anyways, back to the whole picnic thing. This charcuterie board is the perfect edition to your late summer picnic. It’s loaded with stone fruit like cherries and peaches as well as some end of season black berries and raspberries and fresh figs, they are so good right now. Then, my three favorite cheeses, a whipped honey goat cheese, a semi-soft, creamy havarti, and everyones favorite, brie. I like to add a classic prosciutto, nutty and fatty but subtle enough to go with anyting along with a peppered salami to add a little bite to a fairly fruity board. As for crackers I like to use a few different kinds, wheat thins are my favorite, nut thins as a gluten free option and then just some salted nuts and cashews as an alternative option. Lastly, everything is accompanied by a maple, bacon and onion jam, it’s sweet and a little umami and it goes with everything. I chose to skip the fruit preserves here because there’s so much fresh fruit all over the board.

Something to keep in mind when you’re making a charcuterie board is to place items together as they would normally be eaten, but don’t be too strict leave room for creativity. Here I have the goat cheese next to the blackberries and wheat thins, because they go together well. You’ll see also the figs and prosciutto next to the brie and havarti next to the cherries. With that being said, everything is sort of touching and together because it can be eaten in anyway you like. That’s the fun of a charcuterie board, all the different combinations.

My favorite bites on this board are a nut thin with goat cheese and a blackberry and almond havarti and raspberry. My all time favorite is a wheat thin with some brie, a piece of peppered salami, a slice of peach, and some maple bacon onion jam. Yum. Flavor bomb.

Recipe

Again, not really a recipe. I’m just going to list everything that’s on it and how I prepared them. You can arrange however you like.

• Maple, Bacon and Onion Jam, in a bowl in the center.
• Fresh Cherries, washed and dried, consider adding a bowl for pits.
• Fresh Figs, sliced into halves and quarters. I like the different sizes for aesthetic.
• Blackberries, washed and dried.
• Raspberries, washed and dried.
• Peaches, pits removed and sliced.
• Prosciutto, just lightly torn into smaller pieces and folded over each other, consider serving with small fork for easier grabbing.
• Peppered Salami, thinly sliced.
• Havarti, sliced. I just used plain but there are several varieties. A dill or habanero havarti would go nicely with this board as well.
• Brie, I cut a wheel into smaller pieces, you can either do it that way or leave a knife for your guests to cut their own.
• Honeyed Goat Cheese, just leave a spoon or knife for people to take as much as they want.
• Wheat Thins, a classic, salty crunchy option.
• Nut Thins, nice for gluten free friends.
• Almonds, go with everything add salt and crunch.
• Cashews, mild flavor, soft but crunchy, pairs nicely with any cheese.

You Can Also Add

• Straberries
• Blueberries
• Plums
• Apricots
• Nectarines
• Literally any cheese you want.
• Fruit Preserves

As always, I hope you enjoyed this recipe! If you tried it out let me know in the comments. For more recipes check out my homepage and follow along on Instagram. Don’t forget to like, follow, comment and share. Thanks for reading! 

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