When you think of the Fourth of July, what comes to mind? Maybe it’s the fireworks display you see every year or the beach plans you make with friends. Or, if you’re anything like me, perhaps your first thought is all the yummy cookout food you’ll get to eat!
You know the staples well: burgers, hotdogs, potato salad and your ice-cold drink of choice. But this year, why not try something a little different?
Enter the red, white and blue charcuterie board. All the patriotism, no grill master required.
Shop
When shopping for charcuterie ingredients to adorn your Fourth of July board, keep a keen eye out for unassuming fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses and crackers that fall into each red, white and blue color category. Finding a well-rounded variety for each color becomes increasingly sporadic once you’ve secured the obligatory strawberries for red and blueberries for blue, so it’s your time to get creative!
For our board, we were able to find the following items for each color:
Red
- Cherries
- Strawberries
- Raspberries
- Salami
- Sopressata
- Prosciutto
White
- Brie
- Goat Cheese
- Sea Salt Crackers
- Manchego
- Macadamia nuts
Blue
- Black grapes
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
- Fig Crisps
- Purple-Rind Cheese
Assemble
Assembling a charcuterie board is all about filling space in a thoughtful way. We suggest laying out ingredients in color order, then choosing one item at a time to scatter evenly among the board before moving on to your next item. For example, if you begin with blackberries, make a few small piles in the blue section of your board, then focus on placing another ingredient. This way, everything is evenly dispersed. A more random approach may result in too much of one thing or not enough of another.
Once you’ve placed all your ingredients, look at the board from all angles to ensure there are no large blank spaces. If there are, simply fill with the ingredient of your choice. We found that crackers and nuts make the best last-second fillers.
For more summer snack goodness, check out Shop and Cook: Beach Snacks.
What’s your favorite part of a Fourth of July cookout? Tell us in the comments.
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