"I was raised in a big Italian family, and some of my fondest childhood memories are of everyone gathering around the polenta board on holidays," Collison told NBC News BETTER. "After creating an elaborate grazing board for a holiday party and seeing how it brought friends and family together, the idea for Grazing Affair was born."
From how to decide what ingredients to include on your board to creative display tricks that really elevate your spread, I got the lowdown so all of us can master the art of a charcuterie board, just in time for all of those summer celebrations.
How to select ingredients for your cheese board
My first mistake: filling two brown paper bags full of ingredients. Collison says to stick with the basics: cheese, meats, veggies, fruits, nuts and olives. Here are her guidelines for choosing foods in each category:
- Cheese: “I like to splurge on cheese, because its my favorite!" she says. "Find a local Italian store if possible; their cheeses will always be better than your local grocery store, in my opinion. Most cheeses should actually be served at room temperature, so don't worry about them sitting out." What is the magic number of varieties to offer? At least three. "I would recommend some combination of a pecorino Romano, a well-aged Gouda, Montasio cheese, an Asiago cheese (if you can find a wine Asiago, do it!) and something fun like a cheese with edible flowers in it or even a fruit,” says Collison.
- Meats: “Avoid ‘deli meats’ like turkey and ham and go for meats like prosciutto, cappicola, and hard salamis.”
- Veggies: “Go for the most vibrant colored if you can! Think about the colors of the rainbow as your guide. You'd be surprised at what you can find in your local grocery store if you really look around. Most of us go in with blinders on, grabbing food that we always buy," says Collison. "A crowd-pleaser is always rainbow carrots — people are amazed that carrots come in so many different colors. Other veggies that you can include are broccoli, asparagus (yes, raw), cauliflower (purple if you can find it), cucumbers, and green/yellow squash and Belgian endives are great for dipping.
- Fruits: assorted berries, kiwi, figs, grapes, even a melon. "You can ball the melon and put toothpicks in the balls," she adds. "If you want to get really crazy, wrap a balled piece of cantaloupe in a piece of prosciutto — delicious!”
- Nuts: “If no one has allergies, always add nuts! Pine nuts go best with cheese, but any nut will do — one of my favorites are almonds. Try to avoid nuts that guests will have to shell ... that’s no fun.”
- Olives: No discrimination here. Collison says any and every type of olive has a place on her boards.
How to arrange a cheese board so that it looks legit
Now that you have your ingredients, it's time for the hard part: arranging them. To simplify the process, Collison suggests plating your ingredients in this order:
- Largest food item
- Your "bowl" (holding a veggie dip or hummus)
- Crackers
- Fill in the space with fruits, veggies, cheeses, meats, nuts and olives
Step 1: Largest food items
“I always start with the largest food item that I'm putting on the board and build from there," says Collison. "So if I'm using a pineapple as a fruit bowl, that’s going on first; if I'm putting a loaf of Italian bread then that will go on first. And I tend to put the largest item in the middle."
Step 2: Your bowl
“Next I put on the ‘bowl’ that I will be using to hold my dip (usually a hummus)," she says. "I say ‘bowl’ because I never use an actual bowl, I use a fruit or veggie of some kind. This is where you can get creative and use a coconut, a hollowed out orange or grapefruit, or even a hollowed out lemon.”
Step 3: Crackers
Next, it's time for the crackers. (Let's be honest, you can't serve cheese without its crunchy counterpart.) "I always go to Trader Joe's for crackers." says Collison. "I get the 3-seed beet crackers (they are red), their Original Water Crackers, and their Multigrain & Flaxseed Water Cracker."
Step 4: Fill the holes
"Once you have the main items in place, you can start filling in your board with the fruits, veggies, cheeses, meats, nuts, and olives you have," says Collison. She shares some of her go-to tips for doing this.
When you're in a pinch, store-bought hummus will do the trick — just spoon it into a fruit or veggie bowl (a red pepper works great) to elevate your look. But when you have a little extra time, Collison says homemade hummus goes a long way in making your board feel personal, without taking a ton of extra time. She shared one of her go-to recipes with us:
