Summer Entertaining Charcuterie Ideas

No appetizer does more for a party like charcuterie. Most often thought of as an assembly of meats and cheeses, most people like to arrange these on a wooden board. But these days, “charcuterie” is more of an idea than a strict set of rules! As long as you’ve got the food laid out on a board, your guests will have a great time eating.

At Rustix, we specialize in beautiful, live-edge charcuterie boards that are perfect for every occasion. Here are some great ideas for entertaining this summer!

 

The Picnic Board

 

A Rustix charcuterie board is the perfect picnic accessory on a warm summer’s day in the park. It adds a little touch of elegance to the famous checkered blanket, providing a lovely surface on which to arrange your food and use your cheese knife. Crostini bread, prosciutto, fancy cheeses like asiago, spreads and dips like red pepper jelly, hummus, guacamole… the list goes on and on. There are so many summer foods that will only be better served by an amazing charcuterie board!

 

The BBQ Board

 

The perfect appetizer for your BBQ bash is the perfect charcuterie board. Most of the ingredients can start on the barbecue and make their way to the board: peppers and cut-up sausage are good options, all put on fresh bread lightly toasted to perfection. You can even put the right cheese choices right on the grill – Halloumi and slices of aged cheddar are great and will add some original flavour. Add some olives and pickled veggies and you’ll prep everyone’s palates for burgers, dogs, and sausage.

 

The Movie Night Board

 

Movie snacks can get messy, and since they come in such large quantities, everything ends up finished. With a well-planned charcuterie board, your night in becomes much more fun and easier to clean! Put small bowls of buttery and caramel popcorn in the center, and arrange bits of everyone’s favourites – bits of cheese and crackers, pretzels, M&Ms, Swedish Fish, etc. You can even pick options straight from your favourite movies to make it a themed evening – from chocolate pleasures while watching Willy Wonka to deliciously ripe cheese for Wallace & Gromit to monkey brains for Indiana Jones And The Temple of Doom. Well, maybe not the last one. 

 

The Campfire Board – For Dinner And Dessert

 

Taking your board outdoors and by the fire is a great entertaining idea, especially because the smokey heat enhances both your dinner and dessert! For dinner, cook your favourite sausages over the flames, cut them up, and pair them with chutneys, mustards, and even dijon ketchup. After you’ve finished your meats, clean it off and throw together some marshmallow, graham crackers, and an assortment of chocolate and fruit for a delicious S’mores charcuterie board!

 

One of the best things about charcuterie is that there are no hard rules! Use our ideas as a start, but have fun and make it your own! Choose your favourite ingredients and mix things up – the little personal touches are what make charcuterie boards so enjoyable. We love adding little personal touches right on the board, too, so if you have some design ideas, let us know!