Elements of a Summer Charcuterie

FoodLifestyle

Jun 17

I’m trying to step out of my comfort zone and be more social. Navigating my third decade in life has been a beautiful thing, but it’s also been weird in the world of social relationships. Caleb and I have moved around a lot making it hard to stay social off the internet. My mamaw had a group of ladies that would get together often for dinner parties, bridge games, and play dates with their children. I’ve been feeling nostalgic for that type of community. Cue an afternoon of suburbanism charcuterie!

I invited a couple of neighbors over for a Saturday afternoon of wine and charcuterie. It felt fancy, yet casual. The lost art of conversation was in full swing, kids played in the background, wine was sipped, and everyone was home by 7pm. Now it’s our thing- mamaw will be so proud.

Fancy, But Casual.

I want to be fancy, I really do. I believe making the everyday things in life beautiful and special is a lost art. It’s not about going over the top or trying to be perfect- it’s balancing the mundane with beauty. For this reason I used my great grandmother’s fine china platter.

Use that beautiful piece of pottery that’s collecting dust in your pantry to display fruit. If you want to wear a sundress, wear the damn thing! We save the dress or the good china for an opportune time when the perfect opportunity is a random Saturday.

Food We Ate.

I wanted the charcuterie to be light and a good companion for the wine. For fruit I chose blackberries, cherries, green grapes, and dried apricots. The cheese and meat selection consisted of goat cheese, espresso aged BellaVitano, gruyere, prosciutto, and salami. I passed on heavy crusty bread for water crackers instead since they’re a lighter option, and garnished with white chocolate, pistachios, and honey.

Wine We Drank.

I’m usually an old world red drinker, but it’s a hundred degrees outside in Florida right now so who wants the heaviness of a red at 4pm in this heat? Instead I went with a gewurztraminer for it’s dry(ish) slightly sweet floral bouquet of flavors, and a Côtes du Rhône rosé because I can’t stray too far from my usual wine. (Which is generally a good ole everyday Côtes du Rhône red.)