Spanish Cheese Charcuterie Board Recipes

CHARCUTERIE BOARD

Steps:

• On a large cutting board or platter, lay out the salami, ham, baguette and crackers. Place the bread sticks upright in a small glass jar. Add the olives and pickles to the board in small bowls, if you like, along with the jams in small bowls or jars. Put the Pimento Cheese on the board in a small bowl, along with a knife for spreading. Scatter Candied Pecans decoratively over the board and serve.
• Stir together the cream cheese, mayonnaise and hot sauce in a medium bowl until smooth. Stir in the pimentos, celery, Cheddar, blue cheese, onion powder and paprika. Season with salt and pepper and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Stir together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cayenne and salt in a medium bowl.
• Beat the egg white in a large bowl with a hand mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. Add the pecans and toss to coat. Add the sugar mixture and stir gently until the pecans are well coated.
• Spread the pecans in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until crisp and deep golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes, stirring halfway through. Remove the candied pecans from the oven and let cool completely on the baking sheet, about 10 minutes, before breaking them apart. They will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

SPANISH CHEESE BOARD

Steps:

• On a large serving board, arrange the olives and almonds next to the soft cheese, the jamon next to the mild cheese, and the quince paste next to the blue cheese.
• Serve with crackers on the side.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place the almonds, olive oil, paprika, rosemary and salt on a rimmed baking sheet and toss until evenly combined. Bake until lightly browned and fragrant, tossing halfway through, about 10 minutes.
• Transfer the almonds to a bowl and let cool completely. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.

HOW TO BUILD A PERFECT CHARCUTERIE BOARD

Steps:

• Place each type of meat on a different section of a large serving board. To make the slices easy to grab and visually interesting, fold and shape them in a variety of ways. You can make rosettes by folding pieces of meat in half and then rolling each up like a cigar. Pinch the cured ham into little mounds or arrange in swirls. Salamis can be rolled or folded into quarters and stretched across a section of the board in little "rivers." Add the spreads to the board next, either mounded directly on the board or in small containers or on plates with a broad knife for spreading.
• Divide the cheeses among the sections, pairing them with the meats and spreads to contrast flavors and textures. Experiment with combinations. Try a creamy burrata or Brie as a companion to salty-sweet prosciutto; match a firm or hard cheese like asiago with a soft, mild mortadella; place a mild buttery fontina with a spicy salami to mellow it out. To encourage noshing, break the hard cheese into large shards, cut a wedge or two from a full wheel and slice some of the bigger blocks into easy-to-grab pieces.
• Pour the honey into a small glass jar or bowl, sprinkle in a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes and nestle it among the meats and cheeses with a little spoon for serving. Place the quince paste on a small plate or cutting board and the fig jam in a small bowl and place them among the meats. Arrange bundles of grapes near the saltier cheeses.
• Put the pickled vegetables, cornichons and mustard in separate small bowls and add them to the board. Fill in some the empty spaces with piles of nuts and apricots. Plug other blank spots with the figs or other fresh fruit. Fill in any remaining spaces with the baguette pieces, crostini, crisps and crackers, then put any remaining in a separate dish or basket.
• Serve the board at room temperature with an assortment of knives for cutting and spreading, small forks for spearing and spoons for drizzling and scooping. The board can sit at room temperature for up to 2 hours.