Holidays and celebrations are a time when friends and family gather together to enjoy delicious food and great company. An appetizer board is an interesting way to surprise guests with different palettes of flavors, while making the festive table more glamorous and also saving space on the festive table. “Maxima Latvija” taste experts have compiled five tips on how to prepare a snack board.
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1. Variety in the basis of the snack board
The variety in the range of products, the palette of flavors and textures is especially important in creating a rich snack board where everyone can find something tasty. To complement the snack board with different bouquets of flavors, we recommend placing both meat and cheese, fresh products such as vegetables and fruits, and pickles such as pickled olives or cucumbers on it.
Variety can also be created in the range of products, for example, by choosing three different meat products on the appetizer plate – cured sausage, smoked ham and dried sausage. It is also important to place cheeses of different textures on the snack board – hard cheese, soft cheese and blue cheese, which will also go well with fruit. Soft cheese will go well with pears or apples, while mature hard cheese will go well with grapes or dried fruits – apricots and plums.
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2. Placement of snacks on the board
When thinking about preparing a festive appetizer board, you need to choose an appropriate board and plan the arrangement of the appetizers. When arranging products, it is important to start with the ingredients that take up the most space, and then gradually add smaller snacks. The components that take up the most space should preferably be arranged diagonally or in pairs. Larger base products such as meat and cheese placed on the appetizer board will also act as a “barrier” to prevent smaller appetizer board components from rolling off the board.
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3. Visually aesthetic snack board
When choosing products for a snack board, consider the contrast of colors and shapes to create an interesting and harmonious overall look of the board. For example, combine hard cheese with slices of meat in contrasting colors, or use different shaped cheeses to create a dynamic composition.
Hard cheeses are recommended to be crumbled or broken into larger pieces, Cheddar-type cheeses can be cut into cubes of similar size, and soft cheeses such as Brie into irregularly shaped triangles. Slices of meat can be beautifully folded, creating an aesthetic appearance of the board.
In addition, it is recommended to prepare the appetizer board shortly before the arrival of the guests, so that the appetizers do not get cold. To keep the appetizers fresh for a longer time, you can cover them with a wet paper towel and put them in the refrigerator until the guests arrive. The moisture on the paper towel will help retain moisture in the snack board products, so they won’t freeze.
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4. Take into account the wishes of the guests
To make the appetizer board a truly successful addition to the party, take into account the wishes of the guests, as well as the theme of the appetizer board. Choose products that everyone can enjoy and avoid too strong or specific combinations of flavors and aromas. If you want to include products that may not be to everyone’s liking or that are too juicy, you can put them in a separate dish, creating a composition around it so that it fits into the overall plate.
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5. A wallet-friendly snack board
To create a wallet-friendly snack board, use seasonal produce like fruits and berries, and explore store bargains. Also, the advantage of snack boards is that you can freely vary the products that are included on the snack board.
