Show Archive
Tuesday 25th May 2021.
May 25, 2021
It is Tuesday, sorry we missed Monday, due to the loss of a powerline in a vicious storm on Sunday afternoon.
Today at eight thirty we join Caroline Arango, to talk about sustainability in products and the environment. Carolina through her own company is always looking at ways to give materials a second life as opposed to them being put in the trash. To quote Carolina “From the extraction of raw materials to end of life of the things we buy, there is an interesting transformation of energy that has given us affluence and improved quality of life, but these transformations are now taking a toll on the very biosphere that supports this modern civilization; and the ecosystem and life forms on the planet. How much of this material transformation falls into an irrational use of energy and resources?” Instagram: trasto.casa Check out the products and purchase here.
Feisty Foodie Sara in the last hour and today? Today we have something that even I can’t burn. “As promised, this week we are going to be discussing BOARDS! No, not board meetings or board committees, but definitely something to serve at one! Charcuterie boards, Cheese plates and my kid’s favourite… Shmorgasboards!
Charcuterie boards are a huge trend right now and we’re giving our listeners the info they need to make one an EPIC one at home! So…what is in a charcuterie board and what do we need make a one?? Well, let’s go through it!
How do you say charcuterie? It’s pronounced “shahr-ku-tuh-ree” and according to Merriam-Webster.com a charcuterie is “a delicatessen specializing in dressed meats and meat dishes”.
So, essentially, a charcuterie board is a platter filled with cured meats, artisanal cheeses and some yummy snacks. In my opinion, it is the perfect appetizer or in some cases light meal! It makes people look fancy, even when they are really making their guests do most of the work! Just think about curation, balance and visual appeal!
There are no hard rules for making a charcuterie. Make it your own, change it up, think outside the box! That is what makes charcuteries so interesting and fun; they are always different. These foods typically go on a charcuterie board:
- Cured meats
- Cheese
- Olives
- Nuts
- Dried Fruit
- Crackers or baguette bread
- Jelly or jam
- Spreads including, Hummus, tapanade, babaganush or roasted pepper spread
But what exactly makes them so popular? For starters, they’re extremely flexible: you can adjust the ingredients for different preferences, scale the portions up or down based on the number of guests, make them as affordable (or high-end) as you’d like and can even tie them to a certain theme, like a color or season. But perhaps the main reason is that they require zero culinary skills to assemble. Sure, there’s an art to making a charcuterie board look as impressive as the ones you’ve seen all over Instagram and Pinterest.
It’s about flavour combinations and presentation! Grab a board and let’s follow these principles:
HOW TO BUILD THE PERFECT CHARCUTERIE BOARD
STEP 1: Choose a rustic cutting board, appetizer plate, cheese knives and small bowls (if you’re adding spreads). TIP: I prefer a wooden platter/board or even a carving board, if you don’t have don’t have a wooden platter. I also prefer to put any dips and spreads into small pretty bowls, instead of just using the package it came in.
STEP 2: Pick your cheeses! The quantity will depend on the size of your board and the number of guests, but start with one soft (like brie or goat), a semi-soft (like gouda or cheddar), and a hard cheese (like aged gouda, parmesan or pecorino). You can add a blue, if you’re feeling exotic! Lol Leave the cheeses whole and put cheese knves next to them. If you want, you can pre-slice 1 or 2 options, but only cut 3-4 slices.
STEP 3: Pick your meats! Let’s look for a curated selection of meats like Prosciutto, salami, paté, seasoned turkey, rare roast beef, speck, coppa or cured bacon. We want a nice selection of colour, texture and favour profiles.
STEP 4: Add your condiments! This will allow guest or make a mini sandwich or crostini. Different mustards, tapenades, fruit spreads, hummus or honey.
STEP 5: Add your fruits, nuts and olives! This adds a great way to cleanse your palate. Grapes, berries, cherry tomatoes, figs, apple slices are all key to give a little relief from the richness. Raw almonds or other nuts won’t add extra salt.
STEP 6: Crackers and bread! These are the vehicles to get the rest of the deliciousness in your mouth! Get a crunchy baguette and slice it in rounds, artisanal crackers, bread sticks and or crisps.
LAST STEP: Garnish with some herbs or flowers to fill in any blank spots and give it freshness. Rosemary, basil, thyme or edible flowers give it a finished look!
As an afternoon snack, I’m very into making a snack filled Shmorgasboard for my kids, especially if they had a buddy over (like in the before time)! Their eyes always open so wide when I put it on the table. I like to add a variety of things to make it exciting for them. It’s a little less curated than a Charcuterie platter because I’m always trying to throw a healthy snack (or 2) in there like yogurt tubes, granola bars, and sliced fruit. My go-to’s are marshmallows, cookies, sour patch kids, chips and or any fun snacks I can find! It’s especially fun around Halloween! Lol
I’d partner a nice charcuterie platter with a rosé, prosecco or a gin and tonic! For today, how about a Dirty Martini to feel really fancy! lol