Charcuterie (pronounced shar-koo-tuh-ree) boards are a nice way to display a variety of healthy food items at your next holiday get together. If you aren’t familiar with this trend, it is a tray loaded with various finger foods.
You can customize your ‘board’ to look the way you want it to, using the foods you want to include. Be creative – you can use an extra-large plate, a platter, a serving tray, or even a cutting board for displaying the food. When deciding what foods to put on your charcuterie board, consider a variety of sweet, savory, and spicy foods in various colors, textures, and flavors.
Use the five food groups on MyPlate as the basis of your display (fruit, vegetable, grain, protein, and dairy). The healthiest boards will contain plenty of fresh fruits and veggies, which are good sources of vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber. Choose smaller amounts of meats and higher fat foods and fill in the extra space with nuts and hummus. Choose whole grains, such as whole-grain crackers, along with some lower fat cheese options. Search charcuterie boards online to view some beautiful display ideas. See the list below for more ideas:
- Veggies: Cucumber slices, cherry tomatoes, mini peppers, sugar snap peas
- Fruits: Grapes, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, dates, dried apricots
- Cheeses: Fresh mozzarella (soft), brie, cheddar (semi-hard), gouda, Havarti
- Meats: Roll some deli meats such as turkey and ham, or try some turkey summer sausage
- Nuts: Almonds, cashews, pistachios
- Breads: Whole wheat crackers, baguette slices, pretzels
- Pickled Elements: Olives, pickles, pepperoncini
- Spreads: Stone ground mustard, hummus
Safe Food Handling Instructions:
- Be sure to wash and slice all fruits and veggies.
- Store perishable ingredients in the refrigerator until you are ready serve them.
Source:
Eight food ideas for your holiday charcuterie board | Illinois Extension | UIUC
Leave a Reply