Charcuterie stretched

January 26, 2023 11:12 AM

I ordered a charcuterie board for an event this weekend and it just arrived. It all looks great, but there is not enough for the number of people I have. Can you recommend side dishes, extras, additions to round it out? Only dietary limitations are no dairy and no shellfish. I already planned on adding: cornichon, olives, nuts, roasted garbanzos, spreads, crackers, baguette, veggies, fruit. Thank you!
posted by papergirl to Food & Drink (25 answers total)

what's on the one you already ordered? Is it mainly just meat? I think you could just double up on what you're adding and place one set of everyone on one side and one set on the other.
posted by dawkins_7 at 11:25 AM on January 26, 2023

Best answer: Dried fruit, especially stuffed dates, would pair nicely with what you have.

Smoked salmon would almost make a nice addition, as would thinly sliced roasted vegetables (red pepper, zucchini, eggplant, onions). Warm edamame pods also.

Sweet breads (banana bread, lemon-cranberry loaf, etc.) would add to your bread elements without encouraging people to pile the charcuterie on top.

If you don't have a dessert tray that will cause people to slow down at the charcuterie.

If you have time/equipment, a slow cooker of a hearty soup (thai sweet potato or butternut squash or pea soup) with smaller cups for serving + spoons will help fill people up and provides almost a second main. But totally get if that's too complex at this point.
posted by warriorqueen at 11:26 AM on January 26, 2023 [5 favorites]

Best answer: You have a great list already with veggies and dips, fruit, nuts, and breads.

I would also consider a variety of pickled things (asparagus, green beans, carrots), stuffed grape leaves, and spiced nuts.
posted by happy_cat at 11:42 AM on January 26, 2023 [1 favorite]

Good hummus is nearly always welcome, and can be accompanied by raw vegetables, ribs of endive to be used as scoops, and good bread. Pita is traditional.
posted by citygirl at 11:43 AM on January 26, 2023 [10 favorites]

caramelized onions
fried shallots
a jam/jelly/preserves
honey
posted by mmascolino at 11:43 AM on January 26, 2023 [5 favorites]

Not knowing what's on the board you have, I would say going with some sweet stuff is the way to go. We have some folks in our group that love a good charcuterie board, but the non-CB lovers tend to like sweets. Madeline cookies, macarons, cream puffs, chocolate dipped strawberries.

Another fun thing is hummus cups. Just a clear plastic cup filled with hummus at bottom and veggies (cucumbers, peppers, carrots, celery all cut longways).
posted by jraz at 12:00 PM on January 26, 2023

Best answer: Those thin little pretzel chips are great alone, and they're even better with hummus or a cheese dip.
posted by JoeZydeco at 12:01 PM on January 26, 2023

Best answer: Hummus, babaganouj, muhammara or any other Mediterranean dip would be perfectly cromulent.
posted by slogger at 12:10 PM on January 26, 2023 [2 favorites]

- Big pot of chili or soup - it's very easy to make this vegetarian, gluten free, etc. Plus, it's very easy to make, as long as you have time to cut up veggies and/or can buy them pre-cut (I'm not above tossing in some frozen green beans).

- Use mugs to serve it. That makes it easy to carry around with charcuterie, as long as you have plenty of places to set down the mugs. It also keeps the party casual.

- Soup and chili are filling and relatively healthy.
posted by amtho at 12:14 PM on January 26, 2023

Best answer: Those thin little pretzel chips are great alone

I put those on my boards all the time, and they're a big hit. Small qualification: most of the time when I do charcuterie, it's just for myself. ;)
posted by kevinbelt at 12:20 PM on January 26, 2023 [3 favorites]

Best answer: Mini roast potatoes
Cherry tomatoes
Mozzarella balls (ciliegine)
Deviled eggs
Pistachios in their shells
Squares of chocolate
Chunks of pomegranate
posted by olopua at 12:27 PM on January 26, 2023 [5 favorites]

For the dessert? Halvah.
posted by spinifex23 at 12:28 PM on January 26, 2023 [1 favorite]

Wirdly one of the most memorable charcuterie additions for me was pickled caper berries. They unique enough to be fun and exciting. You don't see them very often.

Jam to balance out the savory meats and crackers.
posted by CleverClover at 12:46 PM on January 26, 2023 [1 favorite]

Smoked fish of any variety -- smoked trout should be easy to find, but you might have regional goodies too. I like to serve it with a dijon mustard aioli, but it's not vital.
posted by credulous at 12:54 PM on January 26, 2023

If you are anywhere near a Trader Joe's, I highly recommend going there to pick up additional noshes for the board. In particular, they have a great selection of crackers, spreads, and nuts, as well as canned/jarred stuff like artichoke hearts and peppadews and cornichons and such. For a non-dairy crowd, I highly recommend the Romesco Dip and the Vegan Kale, Cashew, and Basil Pesto. I also second the above suggestions of jam. Fig spread is very traditional; I personally love a bit of apricot jam with a charcuterie board.

For supplementary side dishes, I'm thinking about lighter things to balance out the rich/starchy stuff on the board.
- You can't go wrong with a fennel-orange salad.
- If you have an immersion (stick) blender, carrot-squash soup is very simple to make. When I make it, I skip the sage, non-dairy milk, and celery, and instead add 2-3 tablespoons of garam masala. Almost any squash will do -- it doesn't have to be butternut.
posted by ourobouros at 1:09 PM on January 26, 2023 [4 favorites]

Green grapes, preferably seedless. They take up room and are also nice to look at.
posted by seawallrunner at 1:49 PM on January 26, 2023 [2 favorites]

Seconding the above Trader Joe’s suggestions and adding in their marcona almonds specifically (YUM).
posted by lovableiago at 1:59 PM on January 26, 2023 [3 favorites]

Artichoke hearts are delicious and pair well with the flavor profiles of many of the things on your list. You can get them relatively cheaply in a can. I'd drain very well, maybe using paper towels, before putting them on a charcuterie board.

Otherwise, I agree with many of the suggestions above. Trader Joe's has lots of fun nut flavors, and I also specifically recommend the rosemary marcona almonds or the truffle ones. They also have chili lime nuts that pack a flavor punch, everything bagel nuts, and various other kinds. All of those would be interesting pairings with the other items on your list. I also agree with fruits - grapes, maybe some mandarin segments, etc.
posted by ClaireBear at 2:05 PM on January 26, 2023

TJs has an Artichoke/Japaleno dip that is insanely good.
posted by JoeZydeco at 2:23 PM on January 26, 2023 [1 favorite]

Tapenade

(Jesus, I think my saliva glands activated as I read all these ideas!)
posted by wenestvedt at 6:37 PM on January 26, 2023

Red and green pepper jelly poured over a block of cream cheese, served with butter crackers. Looks weird but people won't stop eating it until it's gone.

Cheese twists made from puff pastry, you can buy or make your own out of frozen or canned dough.

More cheese, in general. My rule of thumb is something old, something new, something goaty, and something blue.

Cowboy candy, aka candied jalapeño slices. Very addictive.

Spinach dip. Everyone loves a good dip.

Here's a super rich one, of you're feeling inspired and like maybe your arteries are a bit too clear:

20 oz frozen spinach, thawed, cooked, and wrung out in a kitchen towel
1 block cream cheese (or 2 if you have a lot of people coming over)
8 oz grated cheddar
1 pack of bacon, cooked and crumbled.

Mix everything in a baking dish, saving some cheddar and bacon to put on top. Bake at 350 until bubbly. Serve with sliced baguette or crackers
posted by ananci at 7:08 PM on January 26, 2023 [1 favorite]

if you're making the Trader Joe's run folks are recommending and which I enthusiastically co-sign, make sure you hit their pastries section and get a couple of their date-zucchini loafs. They are the perfect size and consistency for you to cut into thin half-slices and add to the board.
posted by fingersandtoes at 8:24 PM on January 26, 2023

nice mustard (bonus points for making your own which you probably don't have time to do if you've already picked your board up)
posted by mmascolino at 6:04 AM on January 27, 2023 [1 favorite]

Call the vendor, see if they can help.
posted by shock muppet at 10:39 AM on January 27, 2023

Response by poster: Just wanted to report back, thank you so much for your many fantastic suggestions. I had way too much food, but having the additional smoked salmon, deviled eggs, fruit, nuts, and dips, made me feel much better. Really appreciate your help!
posted by papergirl at 5:22 AM on January 30, 2023