Summer entertaining at its finest with a delicious and easy charcuterie board. Here’s how to put together an easy meat and cheese plate that will have everyone raving.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Albertsons Companies. The opinions and text are all mine.
I love having friends over in the summer. I love it when it’s a planned party and I love it when it’s spontaneous. I love when we’re just hanging around my backyard, enjoying the warm evening, sipping wine and eating finger foods.
I think finger food and appetizers are my favorite way to eat. I could honestly eat like that every night. Sometimes my husband and I will do just that and have what we call an antipasto meal. We put together a charcuterie board with an array of meats and cheeses, some cut up veggies, pickles, olives, and some buttery salted pecans (recipe below!).
I recently discovered exclusive Primo Taglio® line in the deli department of my local Safeway and I was delighted by the wide array of hand trimmed meats and naturally aged cheeses. I loaded up to create a stellar keto charcuterie board, and was impressed by the quality and the flavor.
They had so many delicious products, I had a hard time narrowing down my choices. But in the end I grabbed:
- Dry sliced salami
- Prosciutto
- Roasted turkey breast
- Brie wheel
- Shaved parmesan
- Goat cheese
- Provolone
Then I made sure to get some olives, mini cornichon pickles, roasted pepper, and some raw pecans.
The Primo Taglio products are made with quality ingredients using time honored methods, and made without any artificial ingredients or MSG (do note, a few of the products such as the American cheese and the value meats are exceptions to this). Many of the meats use whole muscle meat with no fillers or binders, and the cheeses are aged up to 2 years. Delicious stuff!
And right now, you can save on Primo Taglio products through just for U®. Offer valid until ⅞!
How to put together a charcuterie board
It’s pretty simple and straightforward but presentation matters so here are a few tips on creating yours:
- Grab a wide selection of prepared meats and cheeses. Think a bit outside the box and don’t worry if they have very different flavor profiles. That’s what you want, so that you can have a little taste of everything. I recommend using at least 3 different meats and 3 different cheeses.
- Go for an array of textures. Soft cheeses, like brie, semi-soft like provolone, and hard like Parmesan. The meats should have different textures too, with whole muscle meat like turkey or ham paired with salami and prosciutto. Primo Taglio is perfect for this because they carry such a wide array of choices.
- Think of what your guests might like too. Just because you don’t like brie or salami doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be part of your charcuterie board. You want everyone to be able to have a bit of what they like best.
- Also grab a selection of garnishes and add-ins, like olives, pickles, pepperoncini, and roasted peppers. You could even include some tapenade or light dips.
- Crowd it all in there! A charcuterie board looks best when it’s full and looks like a cornucopia of delicious flavor. The drier meats and cheeses will be fine and the flavors won’t spread. Use little bowls for the pickles and olives so the liquids don’t run all over the place.
- Don’t forget the fresh herbs. A sprig or two of rosemary and perhaps some fresh basil to give it color and make it pop.
- Last but definitely not least, have some salted nuts in there. They go so well with a meat and cheese board and provide some delicious crunch.
As for those nuts, let me tell you that these easy salted pecans are my new go-to. I simply roast them with butter and toss them with sea salt. But they are magical when paired with a soft cheese like the the Primo Taglio brie.
My husband laughs because I make little pecan brie “sandwiches”. Sometimes I wrap some prosciutto around it too. Heavenly little bite sized keto appetizers! Check out my recipe for salted pecans below.
I purchased all of the ingredients to make my charcuterie board and the Buttery Salted Pecans at my local Safeway. But you can find all of the products, including the Primo Taglio meats and cheeses at any of the Albertsons Company family of stores, including Albertsons, ACME Markets, Jewel-Osco, Pavilions, Randalls, Safeway, Shaw’s, Star Market, Tom Thumb, and Vons.
Buttery Salted Pecans
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw pecan halves
- 2 tablespoon butter melted
- 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, toss together the pecans, butter, and salt. Spread in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake 5 to 10 minutes, keeping a close eye on them so that they don't burn. Remove and let cool on the pan.
- Taste and add more salt if desired.
Rhonda says
What would be the best way to store these after they’ve cooled? Out on the counter in a sealed bowl ok? BTW, they are so delicious!!!
Carolyn says
The pecans? Yes, that’s perfect.
Nancy says
Sorry, late to the party! Would walnuts work as a nut for this recipe? I always hear about how much better they are for us…
Carolyn says
Sure, walnuts would be fine but they can be bitter if over-cooked.
Laura says
I absolutely adore the sophistication of a Charcuterie board! We too have them for a lazy Saturday afternoon lunch as well as for the fantastic summer parties we have.
Linda says
Thank you! I’m planning a date night with my hubby and I was wanting to do a charcuterie board and wine. This is perfect timing!!
pdxgirl says
the buttered salted pecans remind me of a chicken salad recipe that my grandma used to make. I have the recipe and have made it multiple times. It’s ridiculously good and totally keto. I can share it w/you if your interested.
For the pecans, you cook them in a fry pan w/butter and salt.
Betsy says
How do you melt pecans? 😉
I love meals like this, too.
Carolyn says
Uh oh! LOL. Thank you, off to fix it now.
Melanie says
Hi! In our family we call this a poo poo platter. I heard this term one time in an Asian restaurant and thought it was funny. I just like saying it. I know – I’m silly. Your recipe for the salted pecans calls for 2 cups of raw pecan halves melted?. I love all your recipes. Thanks for all of your hard work.
Carolyn says
Yes, that was a mistake! 🙂 It’s just pecan halves, the “melted” was supposed to go with the butter.
Melanie says
????????
Danny says
LOL The pedant in me has to point out that it’s actually a pu-pu platter.