Food Made Fresh: Charcuterie, appetizer board, etc.: Call it whatever you want, as long as it's good

Charcuterie boards, meat and cheese trays, and crudité platters make the perfect holiday snack or appetizer. And recently, the big trend is “butter” boards. Yes, if you haven’t heard of them, you read that correctly. But as much as I love butter, I don’t love the idea of eating smears of seasoned butter, scooped up with crackers and bread off of a community board. In fact, I’m pulling back this year on the heavy items altogether. I’d like to prepare a board filled with dazzling treats that won’t fill me up.

In times past, I could easily just make a meal of the charcuterie, and then I’m not hungry when it’s time for the actual meal to be served. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve done that. And I usually go ahead and eat the meal, too. That’s why it’s always necessary to have the stretchy pants to change in to. But not this year. I’ll snack and graze, but still be able to fully enjoy the meal, since these board ideas will be like having our cake and eating it, too, only without the heavy, overly full feeling.

We can accomplish this by creating a board filled with lighter, fruit and vegetable-based items. Eliminate the sugary treats, and the meat and cheese selection. But still find satisfying offerings such as an assortment of olives, stuffed dates, marinated artichokes, and for a little more substance, roasted almonds, and other nuts. Balance is key, provide a variety of savory and sweet, with various textures. The ones I have in this recipe reflect some of the flavors of fall, whereas in the spring and summer, I might choose an entirely different array of mainly fresh fruits and vegetables. 

These items make a beautiful presentation. They remain light without including a single raw veggie. And this doesn’t require a fancy tray or board. Look around the house and come up with a serving tray, or even a slab of wood you can use to arrange the various items. Have a stack of cocktail napkins next to the board, and perhaps a small container filled with cute toothpicks or little skewers – no plates or flatware necessary, making the clean up super easy.

Technically, this selection can’t be called “charcuterie” without meat, or “crudité” without vegetables. But we can call it whatever we want, as long as it’s good, and doesn’t make me get too full before the dinner. Let your imagination run wild with creativity when it comes to putting together a, shall we say, “appetizer” board, and enjoy food made fresh!

Appetizer Board

Assorted amounts of:

Marinated artichoke hearts

Stuffed olives

Pickled okra

Sundried tomatoes

Roasted nuts

Dehydrated fruit

Dried fruit

Sliced red pear

Dark chocolate

Stuffed dates

Crackers to serve

Optional: Cashew-chive spread (recipe follows)

Arrange desired quantity of each ingredient on a tray, platter, or cutting board and serve with crackers.

Prepare cashew-chive spread to serve with crackers if desired.

Cashew-Chive Cream

1/2 cup raw cashews

1/3 cup water

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

3 tablespoons chopped chives, divided

Place cashews, water, lemon juice, and all but 1 teaspoon chives into a highspeed blender. Pulse a couple of times, then blend on high until smooth and creamy. Place into a serving dish and top with remaining teaspoon of chopped chives. Store leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

ANGELINA LARUE is a food writer, recipe developer and author of “The Whole Enchilada Fresh and Nutritious Southwestern Cuisine.”