Last week we found ourself wracking our brains for something lovely to do on Christmas Eve. Our boys are older now, but we have always worked so hard at keeping the Christmas Magic alive. Every year, we have always done something as a family, a meal, met friends for drinks, a trip to the movies. But this year none of this was possible. But we didn’t want life and the current situation to suck the life and magic out of Christmas, I was going to go down fighting on this one. Then it struck us how much the boys had loved our recent Canapé Evening. Thus we decide to try a Sweet And Savoury Family Charcuterie Board.
I set to, researching Family Charcuterie Board Ideas, and then it dawned on me, there is no hard a fast rule. Creating the best Family Charcuterie Board is all about lovingly creating all the things you and your family love into one family sharing platter. For us it was all about creating a lovely event around food and it worked. We sat for several hours trying out combinations, chatting, laughing and snacking, thus keeping that magic alive, and sharing a lovely family moment.
What Is A Charcuterie Board?
A Charcuterie Board is nothing more than a sharing platter, but with a lot more style. It can be build out of many elements, cheeses, cooked and cured meats, fruit. It’s a great way to get really creative with food without actually cooking. They can be as big or small and any shape you choose. Thus you could build into a festive or seasonal shape, or fill a whole table should you want to? However your Charcuterie Board can also be made on a smaller scale for intimate sharing board.
Some Ideas For The Best Charcuterie Boards;
- Sweet Charcuterie Board
- Savoury Board
- Cheese And Pickle Board
- Seafood Charcuterie Platter
- Cured And Cooked Meats
- A Mix Of Everything You Love
How To Build Build A Charcuterie Board
We went for the mix of everything we love approach, we all love different things, thus building a platter with a little of everything we love, seemed the perfect way to tick every box. Additionally, it’s not only kids who love a sweet Charcuterie Board, we all adored the sweet element of the board.
What Do You Need For A Charcuterie Board?
This depends on what kind of family sharing board you want to build. However this is what I bought for my Charcuterie.
- Clementines
- Strawberries
- Raspberries
- Blueberries
- Figs
- Chocolate Buttons/Coins
- Marshmallow
- Popcorn
- Mini Popcorn
- Cheddar Cheese
- Smoked Cheese
- Mozzarella Ball
- Cranberry Cheese
- Camembert Cooked With Garlic
- Mini Pork Pies
- Cucumber
- Sun Dried Tomatoes
- Cucumber
- Salami
- Parma Ham
- Sliced Cured Pancetta
- French Bread
- Bread Sticks
- Paté
- Crackers
- Onion Chutney
- Pickle
- Butter
- Smoked Salmon
Assembling Your Charcuterie Family Platter
Choose you platter, I went for a Denby platter and bread basket, I knew I had quite a lot of food to prepare and wanted create a real feast. Thus I divided into bread and the rest. However I did keep 2 small bowls separate for the smoked salmon and Camembert as the boys are not fans. I figured if I kept them separate there would be no contamination of strong flavours.
Also put aside small bowls for any pickles, sun dried tomatoes and sauces, these can be slotted in amongst the food.
Wash and prep all the fruit and veg and lay on kitchen roll to dry. You don’t want it to be wet when you lay it onto the platter.
Next slice the french stick batons, brush with olive oil and season with salt and pop in the oven on 160 for 10 mins, you want the bread to be warm and soft with a crispy outside.
Now build your Family Charcuterie Board, my plan was to start with the sweet and blend into the savoury. I though hard about what everyone liked and disliked and was careful not to overlap. However the general idea is to overlap everting building up small concentrated areas such as blueberries and blending into other sweet treats.
I finished my sweet section with a wall of sweet/savoury popcorn and marshmallows.
Now start to build up the savoury section, simply keep layering and slotting in sections of savoury snacks. Try to layer at an angle, thus you’ll fit more on the platter. Also try scrunching meats into little rosettes and popping in, this gives the Charcuterie Board more of a dimention.
If you run out of space, start another board, or do as I did and build a separate bread platter. The main point is to build a feast that looks amazing, with everybody’s favourite snacks and then sit back and enjoy the whole family digging in.
Making a sweet and savoury family charcuterie board really is a great way to get everybody together over delicious food that looks great and keeps everyone snacking and chatting for hours. But remember, go with what you love, that is the key to making it work for your family.
Sweet And Savoury Family Charcuterie Board Ideas
Sweet And Savoury Family Charcuterie Board Ideas, how to build a family sharing platter and include all your favourite foods and snacks.
Ingredients
- Clementines
- Strawberries
- Raspberries
- Blueberries
- Figs
- Chocolate Buttons/Coins
- Marshmallow
- Popcorn
- Mini Popcorn
- Cheddar Cheese
- Smoked Cheese
- Mozzarella Ball
- Cranberry Cheese
- Camembert Cooked With Garlic
- Mini Pork Pies
- Cucumber
- Sun Dried Tomatoes
- Cucumber
- Salami
- Parma Ham
- Sliced Cured Pancetta
- French Bread
- Bread Sticks
- Paté
- Crackers
- Onion Chutney
- Pickle
- Butter
- Smoked Salmon
Instructions
Assembling Your Charcuterie Family Platter
Choose you platter, I went for a Denby platter and bread basket, I knew I had quite a lot of food to prepare and wanted create a real feast. Thus I divided to bread and the rest. However I did keep 2 small bowls separate for the smoked salmon and Camembert as the boys are not fans. I figured if I kept them separate there would be no contamination of strong flavours.
Also put aside small bowls for any pickles, sun dried tomatoes and sauces, these can be slotted in amongst the food.
Wash and prep all the fruit and veg and lay on kitchen roll to dry. You don’t want it to be wet when you lay it onto the platter.
Next slice the french stick batons, brush with olive oil and season with salt and pop in the oven on 160 for 10 mins, you want the bread to be warm and soft with a crispy outside.
Now build your Family Charcuterie Board, my plan was to start with the sweet and blend into the savoury. I though hard about what everyone liked and disliked and was careful not to overlap. However the general idea is to overlap everting building up small concentrated areas such as blueberries and blending into other sweet treats.
I finished my sweet section with a wall of sweet/savoury popcorn and marshmallows.
Now start to build up the savoury section, simply keep layering and slotting in sections of savoury snacks. Try to layer at an angle, thus you’ll fit more on the platter. Also try scrunching meats into little rosettes and popping in, this gives the Charcuterie Board more of a dimention.
If you run out of space, start another board, or do as I did and build a separate bread platter. The main point is to build a feast that looks amazing, with everybody’s favourite snacks and then sit back and enjoy the whole family digging in.
Making a sweet and savoury family charcuterie board really is a great way to get everybody together over delicious food that looks great and keeps everyone snacking and chatting for hours. But remember, go with what you love, that is the key to making it work for your family.
Notes
Some Ideas For The Best Charcuterie Boards;
Sweet Charcuterie Board
Savoury Board
Cheese And Pickle Board
Seafood Charcuterie Platter
Cured And Cooked Meats
A Mix Of Everything You Love
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