Few things are more practical than welcoming friends with a charcuterie board to snack on while chatting. But if you think that the concept is restricted to cheese and cured meats, you are mistaken: the traditional cold cut board has evolved to include, in addition to these items, delicacies such as jams, dried and fresh fruits, chocolates, and whatever else your imagination dictates. Want to know how to impress when receiving guests for any meal?

Pleasure, grazing table

The trend of playing with colors and textures when serving on boards comes from Australia and is called a grazing table. The tidbits served can be adapted to various occasions. For breakfast, for example, you can include cheese, charcuterie, yogurt, fruit, butter cookies, waffles, croissants and even American-style pancakes, accompanied by jam, butter and honey, for example. To drink, serve coffee, tea and juices.

For lunch and dinner, exchange the bread and cookies for quiches, pies, crudité vegetables, pâtés (eggplant, sundried tomatoes, olives) and sweets like chocolates, glazed fruit, ganache and others.

How to set it up?

Almost anything goes when it comes to setting the table, as long as the items are cold or at room temperature. For a simple board, a good tip is to arrange the food from the center to the edges, placing what is darker in the middle and what is lighter at the ends.

You can also create different levels, using jam jars, small bowls and ramekins to serve spreads or tidbits that tend to escape the hands, such as olives and cherry tomatoes.

Remember to plan for an average of 150 to 200 grams of cold cuts per person – if you want to serve toast and crackers to go with them, consider 100 grams for each guest.

Whichever cold cuts you intend to serve, don’t forget: you need a serving board. As modern as the trend of grazing tables are the serving boards in the Provence line. Made of reforested African mahogany, the board has a mineral oil finish, which leaves the material waterproof and gives it a velvety feel. Cheese boards with soapstone appliqué are ideal for sharing quality soft cheeses, lending charm and sophistication to any table gathering.

Ready to surprise at the next wine and cheese night?