From the Kitchen: Caribbean Charcuterie Board
Curious as to what we make in our kitchen? We’ll you’re in luck! Check out this recipe for our Caribbean Charcuterie Board. This is part of the From the Kitchen series - these are tasty recipes that we try at home. After all, the only thing better than making food, is eating it! Don’t miss a recipe. Sign up here to get our recipe alerts!
Being in the midst of holiday season, it’s been such a busy time of the year for us! While we’re looking forward to making our traditional Trinidadian treats for Christmas, we took a moment to make our very own charcuterie board. The boards are all the rage for the holidays and we see why. These boards are elegant, yet simple to make. They’re the perfect way to round out an evening – whether you’re celebrating with a small gathering of friends or using for a more intimate occasion. These aren’t your average cheese boards either – made with a hodgepodge of ingredients, they can easily be customized to fit your preferences. In addition to the usual meats, cheese, crackers, fruits, and nuts, we made our charcuterie board culturally relevant by including foods that we absolutely adore such as pepper sauce and our Caribbean Fruit Cake (black cake). The sauce pairs perfectly with the meats on the boards, adding a nice kick and some freshness due to the peppers and vegetables. It also adds some much-needed wetness to the mix so that you’re not just chomping down on dry ingredients. The cake, which can be cut into small slices, adds just a nice bit of decadent sweetness to the board.
We encourage you to get creative and enjoy the process of making your own charcuterie board. Arranging it was just as fun as eating! See below for the ingredients that we used. If you want a more detailed guide on how to put together your board – we recommend this one from Britney Breaks Bread. Now let’s get to the fun part!
Charcuterie board served with our Island Medley Pepper Sauce and our Caribbean Fruit Cake
Ingredients
This by all means is not an inclusive list, nor are the ingredients below required. This is what we used to make OUR board. We recommend using ingredients that you love. You can include different types of cheeses, fruits/vegetables, nuts, meats, and something sweet. Make your board extra special by adding a sauce. Our pepper sauces and chutneys work perfectly with this!
Blackberries
Crackers (choose your own – we recommend going with an entertainment set for variety)
Grapes (we did a mix of red and green)
Goat cheese (try using a flavored type to take things up a notch)
Herbs (for garnish)
Honey-roasted pistachios
Kalamata Crown Figs
Prosciutto
Roasted almonds
Salami
Sharp cheddar cheese
Steps
This is the fun part. Arrange in whatever order you’d like. We laid out the fruits and other dry ingredients (ex. crackers/biscuits) before placing the meat on the board. However, if meat is the main attraction on the board, you may want to lay that out first. You may want to place the sauce in the center of the board, or at least near the meats and cheeses. Place the sauce in a ramekin. Alternatively, you can leave it in the small jar and place on the board, along with a mini serving spoon.
Then, we recommend filling in any nooks and crannies with nuts. For the cake, we placed small slices in a corner – that way the slices could easily be grabbed without disturbing the rest of the board. To top of the board, arrange herbs around the ingredients. This adds a pop of color and much needed freshness. Using herbs such as rosemary also adds a nice aromatic scent to the arrangement, but the beauty in customization is that you can add whatever herbs you like!
Take it up a notch
Want to know how to elevate your charcuterie board? See below for some options on how to enjoy:
Pair with a nice bottle of wine
Serve with Ponche de Creme or coquito
If you try this recipe, be sure to tag us on Instagram @CamellasKitchen and use #BeCamellaSaucy.
Camella’s Kitchen is run by two ladies from Trinidad and Tobago. Based out of Prince George’s County, Maryland, we’re living our sauciest lives by bringing our bold Caribbean flavors to you! How will you #BeCamellaSaucy? Tell us on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, or YouTube!
