Food always brings people together, I find. And for me, my family get-togethers always involve a lot of food (and alcohol). Every year, we gather at someone's house where each family is responsible for a couple of dishes. This year for Christmas, my family was in-charge of an appetizer and two mains. My mom decided to make the mains, so I had to go figure out what to get as an appetizer.
I wanted to bring something that did not require me to cook (mainly 'cause I am lazy and cannot cook lol) and something that I know everyone would enjoy. And then, it clicked. Why don't I just bring what I eat on a daily basis? Charcuterie and cheese! Haha, I know how unoriginal of me. But seriously - charcuterie boards have become an upward trend in the past year. According to Restaurants Canada's annual chef survey, the charcuterie trend has moved up from #5 in 2015 to #2 in 2016, and I can totally attest to that. It's super simple, and you can purchase everything at your nearest grocery store.
All you need:
• A board
• Charcuterie
• Cheese
• Crackers
In terms of charcuterie, I would recommend getting a selection of hard and soft textures to mix things up. An example of something hard would be Mastro Genoa salami, and an example of something with a softer texture would be San Daniele prosciutto. If you want to go even softer, you could opt for pâté!
The same rules apply for the cheeses: a selection of sharp and creamy cheese would be best to suit everyone's palettes. I personally absolutely love brie and smoked gouda! As for garnishes on the side, feel free to put whatever you fancy! I'm not a huge fan of the typical garnishes that you find on boards, like mustard and pickles, cause I am more of a simple gal. So a couple crackers to make a mini salami+cheese sandwich, and I am good to go.
So there you have it! It is seriously the easiest thing ever. To make it even easier, you can actually purchase a pre-packaged board at Loblaws that comes with a package of two Riserva Salami chubs and San Daniele prosciutto! And now, I'm giving you a chance to also win a starter package for easy entertaining.
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Happy holidays, everyone!
*Please note that the packages of San Daniele prosciutto, Mastro salami, & wooden board shown were provided by Sofina Foods & this is a sponsored post. However, as always, all my opinions made are my own.*