Charcuterie

I only recently got serious about charcuterie. I’ve been to too many parties where people slap some cheese cubes, crackers, and cold meats on a platter and call it a day. Keep in mind that milk and I don’t get along, and a lot of different cheeses–no matter how good–isn’t a high point for me.

I didn’t fall in love with a charcuterie board until my daughters and I took a trip together to San Antonio and stopped at a local winery with the most wonderful charcuterie board I’ve ever sampled. And then it was on! For the first time, I realized I could play a lot with what I wanted to offer on mine.

If I take Prelief pills before I swallow a nibble of cheese, I can get away with ONE element of cheese. For me, it’s going to be pimiento cheese dip. I LOVE the stuff! I have a recipe that uses mayo as its base instead of cream cheese, and I make Za’atar spiced pita wedges to smear it on, then I’m in heaven. But that’s only one part of the board. I like to add spiced nuts with dried nuts to the board, usually a tapenade with crackers and bagel chips, pickles, olives, and dried fruits and sometimes grapes. I add deviled eggs on the side, besides salami and sliced meats. If I pair the boards with a main dish salad (This time I made Bobby Flay’s seared shrimp Nicoise salad), it’s a perfect light, late lunch.

But now that it’s getting hot and humid, I don’t cook as much as I usually do. So, it’s hello to salads and watermelon! On the weather channel, it looks like most of the country, maybe too much of the world, is too hot. So, I hope you keep your cool and enjoy the summer. And happy writing!

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