On my bucket list: Throwing a party with a massive charcuterie board — a selection of cold cooked meats, usually served with cheese and other accompaniments — spread down the length of my grand dining room table. (I don’t yet have a grand dining room table, mind you, but I will.) What can I say? I love me a good charcuterie board. There is something insanely gorgeous about a well-placed selection of meats and cheeses.
I got to realize a bit of my dream as I created an Easter-inspired charcuterie board for my co-workers to feast on. It’s a guaranteed crowd-pleaser, and it’s surprisingly affordable. I spent a little over $100 to create this board — really not very much when you consider it was about 3 feet by 4 feet long and could feed about 20 people.
To give it that Easter flair, I accented the spread with greens, yellows and purples. I added some hard-boiled eggs, of course, and used herbs and arugula as the bed — like grass — for the scrumptious selections. All these goodies came from Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. (Edible flowers? We see you, Whole Foods.)
Some standouts on this board
Opal apples from Trader Joe’s: Not only did they perfectly complement the yellow on the board, but they also tasted amazing — like a blend of apple and pear. Out of all the items on that board, those apples were the first to be eaten, even before the aged cheddar cheese.
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Fresh baguettes from Whole Foods: I sliced these to make bite-sized bruschetta pieces. Honestly, I should have purchased about four more to go with all the meat and cheese. If you’re going to recreate this spread, don’t skimp on the baguettes. You can’t have too many.
Spreads and dips: A black-bean hummus from Whole Foods (for that gorgeous purple color) and a traditional hummus with pine nuts and herbs from Trader Joe’s added some interest and texture. Sure, you want your charcuterie boards to be a grab-and-go affair, but dips go a long way to satisfy a crowd. You can also incorporate jams, mustards and aiolis.
Cheese: Sourcing the milky deliciousness for this board was a lot of fun. Meats are mainly just various shades of pink, but cheeses come in a wide variety of colors. Purple came from the blueberry goat cheese. Dill Havarti, herbed goat cheese and blue cheese provided that grassy look. Aged cheddar and brie finished off the board with a beautiful yellow/cream hue.
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Components of our charcuterie board
Here’s everything we used:
- Arugula and rosemary springs as the base
- A variety of olives, including purple kalamata, soft yellow-green Chalkidiki and vibrant green Castelvetrano
- Rainbow carrots (purple and yellow, specifically), peeled and quartered
- Hardboiled eggs
- Avocados
- Dried figs
- Rosemary Marcona almonds
- Prosciutto
- Capocollo
- Peppered salami
- Red wine artisan salami
- Blueberry goat cheese (a beautiful purple color)
- Herbed goat cheese
- Fresh, raw asparagus
- Basil
- Dill Havarti
- Aged cheddar
- Pine and herb hummus
- Black-bean hummus
- Freshly baked baguettes cut in bruschetta rounds
- Opal apples
- Triple-cream brie
- Blue cheese
- Blackberries
- Edible flowers
- Basil
Share your Easter charcuterie creations with us by tagging @HomeOfTheHolidays or #Holidays365 on Instagram.