Summer Dinners - no. 6

Last week, we had a string of rainy days and our al fresco dinner of this Charcuterie Dinner for Four went from the deck to indoors fast, as the rain came pouring down. There are a lot of how-to articles on building a great charcuterie board, but I’m going to share the simplest way possible. It doesn’t involve elaborate lists or a great knowledge of cheese. But it’s really just a matter of knowing the right questions to ask yourself, as you stand before the gourmet cheese section of your local store, and as you wander its aisles searching for just the right elements to create a tasty and tantalizing charcuterie board.

Someday, I’d like to have a great knowledge of cheese, but it’s not today. And I don’t want to be hindered in creating a knock-out charcuterie board because of my lack of knowledge. So, I’ve devised my own way of doing it. This method has worked for me time and again, for large parties and for family dinners, like this one, where I built a charcuterie dinner on the Classic White Platter available here.

Here’s how I build a charcuterie board:

I begin by having a mental list of the basics: crackers, meats, cheeses, nuts, olives, pickles, fruit. Although I always grocery shop with a written list, I never do when I’m building a charcuterie board. I really don’t want to be hemmed in by particulars, but to pull together whatever strikes my fancy as I see it.

I cruise through the aisles of our local grocery store and start adding anything that fits in those basic categories. And when I think I’ve got enough, and enough variety, I stop to look it over and ask myself some questions. And this is where the magic happens! Here is where visual interest and flavor meet for the first time. I look at everything I have in my cart and ask myself the following questions (using the charcuterie platters pictured above for reference for the answers):

Q.: Do I have proteins? A.: Yes, meats, nuts, and cheeses.

Q.: Do I have grains? A.: Yes, crackers.

Q.: Do I have fruits or vegetables? A.: Yes, fruit.

Q.: Do I have a mix of soft and semi-hard cheese? A.: Yes, Boursin and several semi-hard.

Q.: Do I have cheeses that differ in taste? A.: Yes, a peppery one. An earthy truffle one. A sweet one with mango and ginger. And an herb cheese.

Q. Do I have sweet elements? A.: Yes, fruits and the mango and ginger cheese.

Q.: Do I have spicy elements? A.: Yes, the peppery cheese, the peppered salami, the olives.

Q.: Do I have anything sour? A.: Yes, the cornichons.

Q.: Do I have anything salty? A.: Yes, crackers and meats.

Q.: Are my crackers all slightly different? Yes, buttery wheat, plain, and salted.

Q.: Are there fresh/light elements and earthy/heavy elements? A.: Yes, fruit and dried fruit. Also light tasting cheese, like the herb or the mango/ginger AND earthy truffle cheese.

Asking yourself these simple questions and swapping out elements that are too often repeated in favor of more variety will ensure you are creating a flavorful and interesting charcuterie platter. If you want to know exactly how to create the Charcuterie Dinner for Four seen in the photos above, here are the ingredients I used.

Charcuterie Dinner for Four

Columbus Peppered Salami

Trader Joe’s Uncured Applewood Smoked Salami

prosciutto

Trader Joe’s Toscano Black Pepper Cheese

Boursin Shallot & Chive

White Stilton with Mango and Ginger

Whole Foods’ Moliterno Al Tartufo (black truffle cheese)

marcona almonds

cornichons

whole wheat crackers

Carr’s water crackers

Firecracker Sea Salt Crackers

citrus-pepper olives

dried mango

cherries

blackberries

strawberries

This week’s pizza is a vegetarian flatbread recipe using summer’s most prolific vegetable…the squash. Wondering what to do with all those zucchini and yellow squash your vegetable garden is producing? Here’s another use for them! Cut into thin ribbons, they absorb the garlicky goodness of the pesto sauce for a flavorful flatbread. Pizza Peel and Mezzaluna available here.

Pesto Pizza with Squash Ribbons

1 pizza crust

1 small zucchini

1 small yellow squash

1 T. olive oil

kosher salt

freshly cracked pepper

3/4 c. pesto (homemade or store bought)

1—8 oz. tub pearl mozzarella

1/4 c. sliced red onion

fresh basil leaves

red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

With a vegetable peeler (or a mandolin), slice zucchini and yellow squash into thin ribbons. Place ribbons in a small bowl. Toss with 1 T. olive oil, kosher salt, and freshly cracked pepper. Set aside.

Place pizza crust on a baking sheet. Spread pesto over pizza crust. Sprinkle about 3/4 of pearl mozzarella balls over pesto. Arrange squash curls and red onion slices on top of crust, and top with remaining mozzarella pearls.

Bake at 500 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and top with fresh basil leaves and a sprinkling of red pepper flakes.

Makes one 12-14” pizza.

This week’s conversation starter is all about some vacation dreaming. Where would you go?

Do I have a treat for you this week for dessert! For a little summer indulging in THE most chocolate-rich popsicle you’ve ever tasted, here is the Hot Chocolate Popsicle! Hot chocolate is our family’s favorite late night treat…pretty much year round. But if it’s just too hot to bear the thought of a hot beverage, than hot chocolate can come to you in popsicle form. This is just about as good as it gets! Classic Popsicle Mold and Summer Popsicle Sticks available here.

Hot Chocolate Popsicle

1—3.6 oz. pkg. Godiva Dark Chocolate Pudding mix

3 1/2 c. milk (divided use)

1 c. heavy whipping cream

1 t. vanilla extract

1 1/4 c. semisweet chocolate chips

In a medium saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups milk, heavy whipping cream, and vanilla extract. Heat to steaming over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Put chocolate chips in a medium bowl. Pour heated milk/cream over and whisk until chocolate chips are melted. Allow to cool slightly.

Using remaining 2 cups of milk, make the pudding mix as per the package directions, but do not refrigerate.

Pour hot chocolate into pudding and mix thoroughly, scrapping bottom and sides to smooth out any thick pudding.

Pour into popsicle molds. Insert sticks. Freeze.

Makes 10 popsicles.

I can’t wait to hear what you think of this popsicle! Do leave me a comment and let me know!