charcuterie season: mode x the market at common place

when you think of fall, what are the few words that come to mind? it could be sweaters, boots, leaves, pumpkin spice, thanksgiving... whatever you think of, the time for gathering your friends + family together is coming up! one of the most popular trends in 2020 has been charcuterie boards, a gathering board or table of different cheeses, meats, fruits, crackers, etc. for people to enjoy in close company! 

we partnered with our neighbors @marketatcommonplace to bring you some ideas for how and what to make your charcuterie board out of! they are located at 1325 N Walker Avenue in midtown, right next to us! if you're looking for an enjoyable grocery store trip, the market is the place for you! we love popping by for a sandwich and drink for lunch, or if we are on our way home after work we can stop by and grab anything from pasta sauce to cookie dough to take home for a quick meal or dessert for the family! be sure to check out their instagram too for all the new + fun product that they get in!

now, let's get into the basics of charcuterie boards!

WHEN CAN I USE A CHARCUTERIE BOARD?

there are many occasions when you can use a charcuterie board! birthdays, bridal shower, bachelorettes, basically any time that a group of people is gathering together, and you don't have the time to cook a bunch of appetizers or dinner! 

DOES IT HAVE TO BE CHEESE AND MEAT?

absolutely not! so many people have gotten creative with charcuterie boards! one of our mode babes, amanda, got creative and made a charcuterie board with all things snacks, like chocolate, crackers, and more! check out pinterest for more inspo for things like breakfast charcuterie boards, dessert charcuterie boards, and more!

STAPLES + INGREDIENTS OF A CHARCUTERIE BOARD:

- cheese: a sharp cheddar, brie, goat cheese, the options are ENDLESS! our friends at the market suggested their humboldt fog goat cheese, the tarentaise vermont (an aged cow's milk cheese), and the il Nocciolo (a 3 milk soft ripened cheese) for our cheese board! they were all DELISH (yes, we taste tested after making our board!) but the tarentaise vermont was especially yum! the market has so many different cheese options that you won't find at your regular supermarket! it's always important to pick a few different cheeses of different shapes, colors, and texture for a pretty cheese board!

- meat: pepperoni, proscuitto, ham, and salami are all perfect options for a board! the market out did themselves with this part of our collab. our first meat of choice for the board was a rosemary ham, which was moist + perfect to pair with the cheese's! the other meat we had was called speck, which we had never tried before! speck is a smoked pork belly which is from the proscuitto family, so the same look + feel, but the taste is UNMATCHED!

- fruits/veg: you can almost never go wrong with dates, grapes or olives for your charcuterie board! we decided to mix it up and add a little bright color with some fresh cut peaches! dried fruits are a perfect choice as well, we love dried apricots! not only were they delicious, but made for the prettiest picture. in the past, we have also included grapes that add a fun pop of color as well!

- bread/crackers: you have to have something to place the yummy meats + cheeses on! once again, our neighbors at the market came through with some yummy salty crackers! the best part of these crackers was that they were big enough to be able to put cheese + meat on, where as some crackers can be a little small. another alternative to crackers is a bread, such as a baguette! the market is fully stocked with all sorts of fun breads + crackers to choose from, you have to go check it out!

- nuts + more: you can't forget these finishing touches! if you're looking for a way to fill up your board a little more, grab some cute bowls and fill them with different types of nuts, jams, hummus, or honey! anything that can be used as a dip or spread really!

WHAT DO I PUT MY CHARCUTERIE ON?

is it just us, or does it feel like pretty cutting boards and wooden boards are all the rage right now? not only that, they are the perfect way to display your pretty charcuterie! here at mode, we have a few different options of boards for you to choose from!

but let's be honest, some people don't really want to invest in a board they may not use all the time! another really fun option for displaying your board is using cheese paper! it's fool proof, so you can easily create a beautiful instagram-worthy cheese board for any occasion! check out the cheese paper we carry at mode!