Summer Charcuterie Board | Summer Date Night

Summer’s in full swing, and we’re sharing what’s on our summer charcuterie board which is great for date night or summer entertaining. Get all the details below.

Summer Charcuterie Board | Summer Date Night

Last summer, we created an outdoor living space where we’ve spent most of the previous summer and this summer. The W has been home to outdoor gatherings and summer date nights. With so many restaurants experiencing shortages and limited seating, we’re spending most of our date nights at home.

One thing we enjoy having on the menu for our date nights is a delicious meat + cheese board, also known as a charcuterie board. We’re sharing what’s on our summer grazing board.

Need some summer date night ideas? Our summer bucket list for couples has a list full of ideas.

Summer charcuterie board ingredient list:

Cheese. At least three types of cheeses work best. I recommend serving one soft like brie, Burrata, Camembert, or a soft goat’s cheese like chevre. Add a combination of semi-soft and hard cheeses and call it good. Here is a list of some of my favorite cheeses for a charcuterie board. Brie, Smoked Gouda, Blue cheese, Cheddar (from mild, sharp, or extra-sharp cheddars). Honey is excellent on aged cheeses Gruyère, Parmigiano-Reggiano, tangy cheddars, and if you fancy, drizzle honey on a nice Comté.

Seasonal fruits. for this board, I used blueberries, strawberries, and orange sections. But fruits like blackberries, sliced apples, peaches, and pears and a good fit too. Bring the fancy as by adding figs, plums, or dried apricots.

Seasonal Vegetables. I used garden-fresh tomatoes and sliced Serrano peppers. But you can also use cucumbers, a variety of cherry tomatoes, radishes, snap peas, carrots, celery, and sweet peppers. When possible, we like to pick fresh vegetables from our garden to add to our summer charcuterie board.

Assorted Nuts & Savories. I used pistachios, praline pecans, and mixed nuts but feel free to choose the kind of nuts you and your guest love eating. Walnuts, macadamia, and cashews are all excellent choices. Savories like a variety of olives also counter the sweet or fruits, jams, and honey.

Meats. I used Prosciutto, Sopressata, and salami. But you can also choose from deli meats as well, like thinly sliced roast beef, smoked chicken, and turkey. Want even more variety? Add a shrimp cocktail or smoked salmon to elevate your charcuterie board to the nines.

Tips on creating a charcuterie board

If you’re planning on adding a lot of meat, cheese, fresh produce veggies, and other appetizers on your charcuterie board, you’ll want to use a board that is big enough to hold all of the food. If not, consider doing smaller, individual-size charcuterie boards like the ones we recently shared here.
Put suggested pairings next to each other (complimentary example: aged gouda & fig spread. Contrast example: blue cheese & honey. Terroir example: Manchego & a Spanish Rioja
Since this is a summer charcuterie board, use fresh produce and veggies that are in season.
Use combinations that you like or will be a hit with your guests.
Don’t put yourself in a box. This is your charcuterie board; feel free to be creative.
Add various textures (example: whole-grain crackers instead of plain crackers) and colors to create a vibrant charcuterie board.
Splurge on those cheeses + meats.

Easy summer mocktail idea

We’re also sharing a summer mocktail drink that is super delicious and using one of my favorite flavors, guava!

Guava + Grapefruit Mocktail

Ingredients:

1-ounce simple syrup or triple sec
2 ounces fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice
3 ounces guava soda
ice
grapefruit garnish and fresh marjoram

Directions:

Into a cocktail shaker, add simple syrup, fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice, and ice.
Secure the lid and shake for 3seconds.
Strain into a standard rocks glass and top with guava soda.
Garnish with a wedge of fresh grapefruit and a fresh sprig of marjoram.
Serve.

To make this into a cocktail, add 1 1/2 ounces white rum to the cocktail shaker when adding the other ingredients.

Love grapefruit? Try one of our popular cocktails: Grapefruit Gin Martini

Making charcuterie boards are one of our go-to easy entertaining ideas. Creating food boards, such as salad boards, fresh fruit boards, and veggie boards, are great for easy + light summer meal ideas in the summer months. You can check out some of our other favorite charcuterie boards below.