The following recipe and excerpt for Girl’s Day Charcuter-Yay Board are from “The Curated Board: Inspired Platters & Spreads for Any Occasion” by Bebe Black Carminito. It’s available for purchase on Amazon.
Sweet, salty, briny, and creamy — this classic board has something for everyone. Cured meats are served with several kinds of cheeses with different textures, such as one soft, one semi-soft and one semi-hard. Meats and cheeses are rounded out with seasonal and dried fruits, nuts, spreads, and pickles. An easy-to-make savory frico and a sweet brittle make this board even more satisfying. Add your own favorite ingredients to give this board your personal touch. This is ideal for a girl’s day with your dearest friends. You can easily keep this board gluten-free by omitting the baguette slices and choosing gluten-free crackers.
Girl’s Day Charcuter-Yay Board
Ingredients
Parmesan Frico
Cashew-Rosemary-Maple Brittle
Other Accompaniments
To Drink
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C) and line a sheet pan with a Silpat or parchment paper. Using a Microplane, grate the Parmesan into a small bowl. Using a heaping tablespoonful of the grated cheese, place mounds of cheese 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart on the prepared sheet pan. Bake until lightly golden, 6 to 7 minutes, and then cool on the pan on a wire rack for 1 minute. Using an offset spatula, transfer the frico to a wire rack to cool completely. They will continue to crisp as they cool. These are best the day they are made. Store any leftovers in an airtight glass jar at room temperature.
- BAKING TIP: Sprinkle with freshly cracked black pepper, finely chopped fresh rosemary, or red pepper flakes before baking for a delightful variation.
- MAKE IT BEAUTIFUL: Watch these carefully as they bake and don’t let them get too dark. These rustic snacks will vary in shape which is part of their charm.
- Arrange an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Line a small sheet pan with a Silpat baking mat or a double layer of parchment paper.
- Put the chopped cashews in a fine-mesh sieve and sift over a sink several times to get rid of any too-small particles; you want all of the cashew pieces to be fairly uniform in size. In a medium bowl, mix the cashews, maple syrup, rosemary, brown sugar, and kosher salt together using a rubber spatula until all of the nut pieces are coated evenly.
- Spoon the nut mixture onto the prepared sheet pan and use an offset spatula to press it into an 8 x 6–inch (20 x 15–cm) rectangle in the center of the pan. Bake until light amber in color, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the pan every 5 minutes.
- As soon as the pan comes out of the oven, sprinkle the brittle with flaky salt, if using, and place the sheet pan on a wire rack. If the edges of the brittle are darker, trim them with a small knife while the brittle is warm. Let cool for about 20 minutes; the brittle will harden as it cools. Break into shards and serve.
- If you are using a wheel of cheese, slice it in half and stack the halves on top of one another. Other cheeses can be sliced or artfully served. Arrange the cheeses and charcuterie on a large board, then fill in with fresh and dried fruits, adding the frico and brittle on the outer perimeter of the board. Fill small bowls with the pickled vegetables, olives, almonds, mustard, jam, and/or honey—and don’t forget a few small spoons. Arrange these on and around the board. Decorate with the edible flowers for a gorgeous pop of color, plus the herb sprigs and citrus leaves. We used kumquat leaves, but you can also ask your local florist for a spray of salal leaves.