Charcuterie Board

Charcuterie Board

Creating a charcuterie and cheese platter can be intimidating, how do you begin to determine what to use? It’s important to have enough variety throughout the board: sweet and salty, smooth and crunchy, fresh and dried. I wanted to make sure that the cheeses, wines, and accompaniments paired well together. I like to create little pairing moments throughout the whole board.

Let’s talk cheese. How do you decide what to use? How many options should you have? When choosing cheeses, go with you palate. Chances are you don’t like every type of cheese, so start with some that you love and that will complement your favorite type of wine. I currently am obsessed with goat cheese and chardonnay. They pair well together and are a wonderful pre-dinner snack with crackers and a sweet pepper jelly. I would have at least 2-3 cheeses on every board since not everyone has the same taste. If you are really concerned about it, just ask your guests their preferences and go from there.

What about crackers? Choose crackers according to the types of cheese that are going on them. Softer cheese is great on toasted bread slices, while harder cheese goes well with plain wellington crackers. You want the cheese to stand out, so I suggest keeping the bread and crackers on the plain side.

How do you choose the meats? This is a preference choice again. I enjoy prosciutto and soppressata so I knew I would want them on my charcuterie board.

What about other accompaniments? How many should you have, what should you use? Some things went on the board just as options, while others were “pairing moments”. Dried fruit and pepper jelly go well with goat cheese, while things like olives and grapes would be more of a universally preferred options.

Now to the really fun part, wine! What tips can you offer for the perfect pairings? I chose chardonnay to go with the goat cheese, a red blend to go with the pecorino romano and manchego, and sparkling rosé to go with the gruyere. 

{Excerpt from Social South Magazine}

Charcuterie, Cheese, & Wine Choices

plain goat cheese | herb crusted goat cheese | pear slices | wellington crackers | gruyere cheese | rosé sparkling wine | sun dried tomato | stuffed olives | kalamata olives | pistachios | grapes | pecorino romano | manchego | whole grain Dijon mustard | strawberry pepper jelly | toasted bread slices | almonds | la panzanella crackers | chardonnay | craisins | apricots | soppressata | red wine blend |  prosciutto

Spinach, Artichoke Pizza

Spinach, Artichoke Pizza

For the dough:

• 1 ball store bought pizza dough

For the sauce:

• 1 tbsp. butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
• ½ cup whole milk
• ¼ cup half and half
• ¼ tsp. kosher sea salt
• ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
• pinch paprika
• 1 oz. original cream cheese
• 2 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

For the crust:

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• For the toppings:
• 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup seasoned grilled chicken (optional)
• 1 bunch spinach, coarsely chopped and wilted
• 1 (6 oz.) jar marinated artichokes, drained and coarsely chopped
• ¼ cup shaved parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a medium saucepan set over medium-low heat, add butter. When the butter has melted, add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook, stirring frequently for about 1 minute. Whisk in flour and cook for about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk, half and half, salt, pepper and paprika. As the sauce thickens, turn heat up to medium and cook for 2-3 minutes. Whisk in the cream cheese and parmesan until melted, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Meanwhile, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the pizza dough into a 14-inch circle. Transfer to a parchment-lined pizza pan. Fold over the extra inch of dough to form the crust, pressing to seal. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Dock the center of the pizza with a fork to prevent large bubbles from forming. Place in the oven and bake for 5-7 minutes, remove and set aside. Spread the warm sauce over top, then half of the mozzarella cheese. Add the chicken, spinach and artichoke, then top with remaining mozzarella. Place in the oven and bake for 7-10 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes, then sprinkle with shaved parmesan and grated parmesan. Allow to cool for 2-3 additional minutes, then cut and serve.

Tasty Tuesday: Rosemary Pecan Handpies

Rosemary Pecan Handpies

• 4 rolls refrigerated pie dough 
• 1 cup light corn syrup 
• 1 cup sugar
• ¼ cup packed brown sugar 
• 3 eggs (beaten) 
• 1/3 cup butter (melted) 
• ½ t salt 
• ¾ t vanilla extract 
• 1 ½ cups pecan (finely chopped) 
• 2 T rosemary (chopped)

Spread out pie dough, cut out as many rounds as you can. Transfer to parchment paper–lined baking sheets and refrigerate 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, combine the corn syrup, sugars, eggs, butter, salt, vanilla extract, pecans and rosemary.

Grease a 9x13" baking pan. Pour pecan filling into the pan and bake for 30 minutes. Scrape out into a bowl and stir gently to combine. Refrigerate until chilled, approximately 1 hour.

Brush the pastry rounds with some of the beaten egg. Add 1 to 2 T of the pecan filling onto each round and add another pastry round over to create a hand pie. Press edges to seal and crimp closed with a fork. Repeat with the remaining dough rounds.

Brush tops of the pies with beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 40 minutes, until golden brown. Cool before serving.

Tasty Tuesday: Beer Punch

BEER PUNCH

• 4 strawberries (chopped) 
• ¼ cup blueberries 
• ¼ cup sugar 
• 2 T grenadine 
• 2 T lime juice 
• 2 (12 oz.) bottles cold beer (Corona)

In a bowl add fruit, sugar, grenadine, and lime juice. Stir to dissolve sugar. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.

When ready to serve, divide evenly between 4 low-ball glasses. Pour half of the beer into each glass and gently stir.

Tasty Tuesday: Seven Layer Mediterranean Dip

Seven Layer Mediterranean Dip

• 8 oz. hummus 
• 1 tomato (diced) 
• ½ cup cucumber (diced) 
• ½ cup Greek yogurt 
• 1/8 t salt 
• ¼ t paprika 
• 2 canned artichoke hearts (chopped) 
• 2 roasted red peppers (diced) 
• ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese 
• 2 T flat-leaf parsley (minced) 
• 3-4 Kalamata olives (chopped, optional)

In a glass serving bowl, layer in the hummus evenly on the bottom. Spread out the tomatoes and cucumbers on top.

Place several large dollops of the yogurt over the tomatoes and cucumber and spread out evenly. Season with salt and paprika.

On top of the yogurt, layer the artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers and feta cheese.

Sprinkle with parsley and garnish with olives.

Serve with fresh vegetables and pita chips.