![]() ![]() Basically, if you’re going to an event where you know a majority of the men will be sporting flannels and handlebar mustaches, and the women look like they dabble in Wicca, this is your winning platter. Mouthfeel plays a bigger role here than in any of the other platters with elements like dry salami and cubed bread. This cheese tray is designed with beer in mind, because charcuterie isn’t just for wine! I love this one for casual occasions, winter, and my beer-enthusiast friends. Suggested alcohol pairing: Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir A major perk of this platter is the inclusion of basic flavors with fancy sounding names - meaning you and your friends can feel sophisticated without delving into the funkiness of a bleu cheese. I prefer to make this with Manchego instead of Gouda because I think it perfectly complements a Cab Sauv, but if I want to play it extra safe, I’ll swap it out for the ever-popular Gouda. This one is my default for evening or nighttime events and he colder months, because the fuller flavors can stand up to a tannic red wine. Suggested alcohol pairing: Champagne or Brut Rose Rich and flavorful “Adventurous” Cheese: Chèvre, a soft goat cheese (Plain or one with vanilla and blueberries) The Crowd Pleaser: Brie (I often make this tray with a camembert, but a brie will work just as well) If your friends are Whole30 people, they can eat the fruit and salami on their high horse while you pour yourself a generous glass of champagne. The fact that carbs take the back burner in this set-up also means you can serve it to your gluten-free/keto friends and they’ll finally shut the hell up about not being able to eat the food you prepare. An added bonus is that due to this platter being a great mate for bubbly, it’s ideal for brunch charcuterie. If you want to include a harder cheese for balance, you can alternate the goat cheese for this Syrah Soaked Toscano. You’ll notice that this is the only cheese tray that includes two soft cheeses normally I’d try to avoid doing this, but it works well in this context. This is the cheese tray I go to when I’m pressed for time or know I’ll be around fussy eaters. Taking that into account, these four cheese trays are tried and tested, and will hopefully provide some inspiration for your own charcuterie endeavors. In a recent episode of The Sunday Scaries Podcast, host Will DeFries talked about the fundamentals of a great cheese tray and he highlighted the importance of having one cheese on your platter that everyone is familiar with. Food that looks great tastes better, it’s science. The first two have to do with how your platter tastes, and the last is simply for aesthetic pleasure. In my opinion, the main principals of building a bomb platter are variance in flavor, mouthfeel, and color. If you have neither, any grocery store should have a version of everything discussed below. If you don’t have a Trader Joe’s near you, Whole Foods is a great (albeit slightly more expensive) alternative. No, they did not pay me to write this - I’m including this detail because TJs is by far the most inexpensive way to get quality meats and cheeses, and the rotating selection leaves plenty of room to explore new flavors. My only qualifications here are four and a half years spent in wine country where charcuterie boards are a staple food group, and a passion for cheese that runs so deep, my arteries are almost certainly in some kind of danger.įirst and foremost, I do almost all my charcuterie shopping at Trader Joe’s and because of this, pretty much everything on this list can be found there. So, I thought I’d show you four simple meat and cheese trays that will provide a template for building your own. Putting together a bomb charcuterie board isn’t hard per se, but it can be overwhelming with so many options out there. They can be assembled in a number of ways to pair with an array of wines, beers, and other spirits. Auntie Margret can’t ask you if you’re ever gonna settle down and get married with a mouthful of buttery brie, after all.Ĭharcuterie boards are the unofficial party mascot of Grown Up Gatherings. One of the easiest ways to appear as if you have your shit together is to snow everyone with a fabulous cheese tray. Long gone are the days of bringing a 30-rack or a pizza to an event and calling it a night, now we have to maintain some semblance of togetherness. The holiday season is upon us, bringing about the resurgence of family gatherings, dinner parties, and celebrations with your hometown friends. ![]()
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