Board Dressing Food

PUB SALAD BOARD WITH CREAMY CAPER TARRAGON DRESSING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• For the dressing: Combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, capers, lemon juice, tarragon, dill, salt, pepper and garlic in a bowl and whisk together. Set aside.
• For the salad: Lay the prosciutto on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until the edges are starting to brown and crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove and let cool slightly; the prosciutto slices will continue to crisp as they cool.
• Meanwhile, put the eggs in a small pot. Add water, covering the eggs by an inch or so. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from the heat, cover with the lid and let sit 7 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Peel and halve each egg, then set aside.
• To build the board, transfer the dressing to a serving bowl and place on a large board or platter. Add the butter lettuce in a pile, then arrange the eggs, crispy prosciutto, Irish Cheddar, beets, green beans, tomatoes and cucumbers on the open space of the board. Sprinkle the eggs, cucumbers and tomatoes with a little salt and pepper. Serve.

GRILLED CHICKEN WITH BOARD DRESSING

Steps:

• If using whole chile, toast in a dry skillet, turning often, until slightly puffed and darkened, about 4 minutes. (Do not toast red pepper flakes.) Discard stem and seeds. Finely chop chile and transfer to a small bowl. Stir in cilantro, oregano, lime zest, and 1/4 cup oil; season dressing with salt and pepper.
• Prepare grill for medium indirect heat (for a charcoal grill, bank coals on 1 side of grill; for a gas grill, leave 1 burner turned off). Brush grill rack with oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper and place, skin side down, on grill. Grill chicken, turning occasionally, until skin is crisp and browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh registers 165°, 10-15 minutes per side (move chicken to cooler part of grill if it's cooking too quickly). About 5 minutes before chicken is done, baste with some of dressing.
• Pour remaining dressing onto a carving board (or platter, if you don't have a large board) and place chicken, skin side up, on top. Let sit at least 10 minutes to rest and absorb flavor from dressing before carving. Drizzle chicken with some dressing from board and serve with limes.
• DO AHEAD: Dressing can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.

CHOPPED SALAD BOARD

Steps:

• On a large cutting board or platter, arrange the hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, bell peppers, lemons and Cheddar. Cut or tear the bacon into bite-size pieces and add it to the board. Sprinkle over the chopped parsley and serve alongside your favorite dressing.

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.