Charcuterie Lunch Board Food

CHARCUTERIE LUNCH BOARD

Steps:

• For the Dijon chickpeas: Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat and drizzle with olive oil. Add the shallots and a pinch of salt and cook until softened, adjusting the heat to medium if the shallots begin to char, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Add the chickpeas and lower the heat to medium. Add the Dijon mustard, garlic powder, cayenne and a pinch of salt. Mix with a wooden spoon until the chickpeas are fully coated in the mustard mixture. Sauté until the chickpeas develop a light golden brown crust, about 5 minutes.
• Adjust the heat to low and add the kale and a small splash of olive oil for moisture, if necessary. Cook, tossing, until the kale is wilted but still bright green, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat immediately. Transfer to a plate and top with cracked pepper and parsley.
• For the charcuterie lunch board: Put half of the Dijon chickpeas in a small bowl and smash with a fork. Transfer some to a bento-style lunchbox. Put some of the remaining whole Dijon chickpeas in a second bento-style lunchbox. (Reserve the remaining chickpeas for future meals.) Arrange the bread, roast beef and half of the Swiss cheese and piquante peppers with the smashed chickpeas. Arrange the crackers and remaining Swiss cheese and piquante peppers with the whole chickpeas. Add some Dijon mustard to 2 small serving bowls and place one in each box.

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.