Ever want to make a charcuterie board but wanted to eat it outside? On a rooftop? Or bring to a friend’s get-together as an appetizer? Why not make charcuterie boxes? During the summer, one of our favorite go-to meals is to make a charcuterie board box. These boxes are perfect to make ahead of time and are wonderful for any kind of get together, from girls night to date night, or hostess gift.
What goes into a charcuterie or grazing box?
The perfect charcuterie box is one that is individual to you and what you like to snack on. You can’t go wrong with any good mix of salty, sweet or fruity items! Our favorite additions include cheese, crackers, cured meats, nuts fresh fruit and vegetables, honey, and hummus. Grazing boxes give people plenty opportunity for creativity by because you can literally put whatever you want into your box!
Cheeses
Try to include at least one hard cheese, one semi soft cheese and one very soft cheese in each box. Be mindful that the warmer the temperature, the more quickly any semi-to-very soft cheeses may melt once you take your box outside. We like to shop for ingredients Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. Trader Joe’s always has great prices and unique seasonal cheese selections, and Whole Foods is perfect for any sort of high quality or specialty cheeses you want to include. Both stores also carry mini brie wheels and other varieties of chess in cubed/minced form, if you want to minimize the amount of cutting needed to prepare the box. Some of our favorite cheeses are:
- Mild or Sharp Cheddar
- Trader Joe’s Unexpected Cheddar
- Gouda
- Parmigiano-Reggiano
- Pepperjack
- Colby Jack
- Havarti
- Manchego
- Brie
- Goat Cheese
Meats
Cured meat is the best meat for these type of boxes or boards. Some of our go-tos are:
- Salami
- Capocollo
- Sopressata
- Pepperoni
- Prosciutto
- Chorizo
Fruits & veggies
We love to incorporate seasonal fruits and veggies into our boxes with any dips, oils, or hummus that really bring out their flavors. Some of our favorites are:
- Grapes
- Cucumbers
- Strawberries
- Celery
- Blackberries
- Raspberries
- Apples
- Tomatoes
- Dried Apricots
- Peppers
- Raisins or Dried Cranberries
- Dried Cherries
- Dried Pineapples
Crackers & bread
Crackers and breads are essential! They are the vessel for your cheese and any dips etc.. We like a variety, ranging from pita, to whole wheat crackers, sliced sourdough, and baked Italian bread sticks. If you are packaging your grazing box the night before either to wrap your crackers and breads in plastic wrap or store them separately, in order to prevent them from being stale or soggy the next day.
One of our favorite ways to level up bread and crackers is to add in some herbs into the box, which also pair really well with many of the cheeses listed above.
- Rosemary sprigs
- Basil
- Oregano
- Thyme
Nuts & sweets
Adding a few sweet and crunchy items to your cheese board balances out the salty and savory. We typically include a mix of salted nuts, chocolate covered nuts, and crunchy desserts.
- chocolate covered almonds
- chocolate-coconut covered almonds
- dark chocolate salted caramels
- chocolate covered pretzels
- chocolate covered cranberries
- cookies
- mini peanut butter cups
Preparing & assembling your charcuterie board box
Our favorite way to create grazing board boxes is to use standard pastry boxes linked here, parchment paper, and recyclable cups with caps for any hummus, honey, or olive oil.
Grazing boxes are as easy to make ahead of time. Begin by adding in some sort of food-specific focal point (in the picture above, this was the bread sticks, sliced sourdough, and pita crossing the box diagonally) and then adding in some cheeses cut into wedges going opposite directions for some visual interest, and surrounding the remaining spaces with veggies, fruits, crackers, nuts, etc. Finish off your grazing box with chocolates, candies, and maybe a pop of color with the strawberries. As a final touch, place on top any small containers of spreads/dips, and tie the box closed with twine.
And finally, what’s a cheese board without wine? Pick up some small bottles of wine and either tuck them into the boxes or tie them to the top with some ribbon or bakers twine. Enjoy!!
