How to Make the Perfect Snack Board – Even Without Cheese
When it comes to food oriented boards, cheese and / or cold cuts are usually the first choice. I love both of these things, but they shouldn’t be the centerpiece of a diner, especially when there are so many other types of snacks.
According to GOOP (I know, I never thought I would write this either), the German version of this board is called the “evening board,” and it consists of “a feast of little snacks that relieves the host of the heat.” the kitchen and gives you more time to sip your aperitif. ” (Sidebar: Did you know that “GOOP” stands for “Gwyneth Orson Welles Orson Welles Paltrow?”
Does this mean that no meat or cheese should be placed on this board? Of course not. Creating such an evening board is not about following a strict set of rules, but a paradigm shift. When you ditch cold cuts and fancy cheeses, two things happen. First, you are much more creative with your snacks. Second, you eat a lot more pickles. Instead of thinking, “Will pickled onions go with this cheese?” Someone thinks “What creamy stuff goes best with this pickled onion ?”
As with any board, creating an evening board is a matter of balance. You need to choose salty, sweet, sour and pungent tastes, and you want to provide some delivery systems that will bring salty, sweet, sour, and savory food to your mouth. If you can’t think outside the meat and cheese box, don’t worry, I have suggestions:
- Potato chips with crème fraîche and caviar
- Bubble shishito or padron pepper
- Endive with a spoonful of blue cheese pasta
- Pickled or stuffed eggs
- Green onions fried in bacon vinaigrette
- Whatever fruit is in season, plus grapes, because grapes are the best fruit for a snack.
- Dried fruits, especially figs or dates, spread with goat cheese and possibly wrapped in prosciutto
- All pickled and pickled vegetables (if you’re stumped, start with gherkins, olives, and pickled mushrooms).
- Fish in banks
- Dolma
- Radish with butter and Maldon salt
- Hummus and really good pita bread
- Nduja, or this nduja-like namaz
- Labne sprinkled with olive oil and sprinkled with Kalamata olives
- Pimento cheese, pub cheese, fort from fort , smoked salmon mousse or any kind of creamy spread
Surround all of your little bites with your favorite breads, crackers, and small bowls of seasoned olive oil and vinegar for dipping. Spiced honey is also a good condiment. (If you want to add ham in there, feel free to; I won’t tell Gwyneth.)