Celebrate spring with this stunning Springtime Charcuterie Board. It is packed with early spring produce, cheese, meats, herbs, flowers, and rhubarb two ways! The flowers, salami roses, butterfly shaped crackers, and pink hummus are all special touches that make this the perfect Mother's Day Charcuterie Board as well.
Recipe Background and Details
It's no secret that I love creating and enjoying cheese and charcuterie boards. It would not be a holiday or a birthday in our home without one. This springtime charcuterie board was especially fun to make because I focused on ingredients that really make me think of spring and of Mother's Day. I enjoy the process from the planning and imagining stage to picking and choosing the various ingredients. Then the creating and composing really fuels my inner artist and I feel like I'm painting a beautiful work of art. It is so satisfying seeing it all come together. Even if I'm just making a small cheese and charcuterie board for myself and my husband, I still try to make it as thoughtful and pretty as possible.
If you're looking for more Mother's Day inspiration, check out my Mother's Day Recipe Roundup. It's packed with some of my favorite Mother's Day appropriate recipes from breakfast to dessert and everything in between.
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Ingredients
I let nature guide many of my choices for this board: Fresh, purple-tinged asparagus spears, fragrant sage blossoms, the first roses of the season - all straight from my garden. And of course, my beloved rhubarb that is only available for a short window in early spring - featured here in my Rhubarb Chutney and Pickled Rhubarb. These special touches are what make this springtime charcuterie board so seasonal and one-of-a-kind.
here's what you'll need to create this springtime charcuterie board
- Cheese: 3-6 various cheeses. I went with 7 because I tend to get carried away when it comes to cheese! I chose a few herbed varieties, fresh burrata, and a really fun cheese called Alp Blossom Swiss that was coated in herb and flower blossoms (see below for a close-up!). I was planning to add a Brie and a blue but I just ran out of room!
- Cured Meats: Salami and Prosciutto are the prettiest pink meats, but use your favorites. Ham, pepperoni, mortadella, or even smoked deli turkey would all be really nice.
- Fresh Vegetables: Since this is a springtime board, I stuck with seasonal options like rhubarb, radishes, baby artichokes, young carrots, asparagus, and baby broccoli.
- Fresh Fruits: There aren't many fruits in season in Virginia in the spring except strawberries, so I used grapes as well since they are easy to find and always good on a cheeseboard.
- Fresh Herbs and Edible Flowers: Dill is one of the first herbs to pop up in my garden along with those beautiful sage blossoms that I cannot get over! I added a few roses and some baby's breath to add a feminine touch with Mother's Day in mind. They are both technically edible although I really just added them for looks. I just like to make sure anything I'm adding is at least not toxic. If you can find nasturtium flowers they are edible and so pretty on a cheese board.
- Condiments and Dips: I found some pretty pink lemon and beet hummus to go with the spring veggies but whipped ricotta, whipped feta, or a creamy veggie dip would work as well. Then I added honeycomb for something sweet and rhubarb chutney and rhubarb pickles for some tang.
- Crackers or Bread: My sourdough discard crackers would be really good. I love the Pepperidge Farm butterfly crackers for this one as they just add to the springtime and feminine theme.
- Nuts and Dry Fruit: I did not include any on this board, but feel free to add some.
Instructions
Building a charcuterie board is like painting a picture. Start by choosing your canvas: a large cutting board, platter, or tray. I used a large 18x15 inch marble pastry board for this one.
- Place your largest items first: I like to place round items first, including round cheeses and round ramekins/serving dishes. Then I place related items together. So for the hummus, I placed the hummus down first and then arranged the veggies around the dish. I placed the burrata on a small glass dessert plate since it is a wet cheese and I arranged prosciutto and strawberries around it.
- Make it easy to eat: Slice or cube hard cheeses and provide a small knife or spoon for soft cheeses.
- Group items together: For example, instead of sprinkling grapes or strawberries around willy nilly, I like to do one or two big bunches. As Ina would say, you don't want it looking like a dog's breakfast. The board will be much more visually appealing as well as easier to navigate if you have clusters of items rather than a big mess of mixed up ingredients.
- Fill in the cracks: I like to add crackers, herbs, and flowers at the very end once I'm happy with the way it looks. I just go around filling in any spaces and tucking herbs underneath items on the edge until it looks really abundant and very pretty.
- Salami roses: I got fancy with the salami roses with a Mother's Day charcuterie board in mind, but normally I'd either fold or roll the meats. Here is a link for how to make salami roses.
Make Ahead and Storage
Charcuterie boards can be assembled 3 days ahead, covered well with plastic wrap and refrigerated. I suggest adding crackers, fruits, fresh herbs, and flowers just before serving to prevent wilting.
Top tip
Have fun and make it yours. Take some time to really think about the flavors, colors, and textures and make this springtime charcuterie board your own unique creation. That is the best part! Your seasonal produce may be very different from what I can get here in Northeastern Virginia. So use my board as a guide, but make it your own based on your region and your preferences. And if you are making this a Mother's Day Charcuterie Board, be sure to focus on the ingredients and flavors the lucky momma loves!
FAQ
For smaller boards choose 3-4 cheeses and for larger boards choose 6-8. Be sure to vary textures (soft, hard, crumbly) and milks (cow, sheep, goat).
The 3-3-3-3 rule for charcuterie boards provides a good guide if you are feeling a bit lost. Pick out three meats, three cheeses, three starches (crackers, bread), and three accompaniments (nuts, fruits, jam, veggies). Be sure to choose a nice variety of colors, textures, and flavors.
If I could only pick three cheeses for a charcuterie board I'd choose a soft cheese such as a mild Brie, a hard cheese such as aged cheddar or Gruyere, and a blue cheese. This combination gives a good variety and provides something for everyone.
Related - more delicious appetizers
- Hot Cajun Crab Dip
- Chilled Crab Dip with Crème Fraîche + Herbs + Lemon
- Sourdough Discard Pretzels
- Sourdough Discard Pizza Crust
Mother's Day Brunch recipes
- Banana Cinnamon Rolls
- Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
- Sourdough Tortillas (discard or active starter)
- Sourdough Discard English Muffins
Springtime Charcuterie Board
Celebrate spring with this stunning Springtime or Mother's Day Charcuterie Board. It is packed with early spring produce, cheese, meats, herbs, flowers, and rhubarb two ways! This beautiful meat and cheese board is perfect for Mother's Day, Easter, or any springtime grazing opportunity.
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6-12 servings
Ingredients
3-6 cheese varieties (I used herbed goat, Alp Blossom swiss, Gruyere, Humboldt Fog, Burrata, dilled havarti, herb and garlic Boursin)
8 ounces each of 2-4 meats (I used Genoa salami and Prosciutto)
a variety of fresh vegetables (asparagus, radishes, cucumber, endive, snap peas, carrots, broccolini)
6 ounces marinated baby artichoke hearts
a variety of fresh fruit/berries (strawberries, grapes, etc.)
7 ounces hummus or other dip
6 ounces rhubarb chutney
6 ounces pickled rhubarb
small block of honeycomb and extra drizzle of honey if desired
2-3 types of crackers and/or baguette slices
herbs, edible flowers for garnish
Instructions
Arrange cheeses and ramekins first on large board or platter and then fill in the board with remaining ingredients. Add herbs and garnishes last to fill in any cracks. Provide a spoon, knife, serving utensil for cheeses, sauces, condiments, etc.
Allow cheese to come to room temperature for about an hour before serving for best flavor and texture.
- Place your largest items first: I like to place round items first, including round cheeses and round ramekins/serving dishes. Then I place related items together. So for the hummus, I placed the hummus down first and then arranged the veggies around the dish. I placed the burrata on a small glass dessert plate since it is a wet cheese and I arranged prosciutto and strawberries around it.
- Make it easy to eat: Slice or cube hard cheeses and provide a small knife or spoon for soft cheeses.
- Group items together: For example, instead of sprinkling grapes or strawberries around willy nilly, I like to do one or two big bunches. As Ina would say, you don't want it looking like a dog's breakfast. The board will be much more visually appealing as well as easier to navigate if you have clusters of items rather than a big mess of mixed up ingredients.
- Fill in the cracks: I like to add crackers, herbs, and flowers at the very end once I'm happy with the way it looks. I just go around filling in any spaces and tucking herbs underneath items on the edge until it looks really abundant and very pretty.
- Salami roses: I got fancy with the salami roses, but normally I'd either fold or roll the meats. Here is a link for how to make salami roses.
- Charcuterie board can be assembled 3 days ahead, covered well with plastic wrap and refrigerated. I suggest adding crackers, fruits, fresh herbs, and flowers just before serving to prevent wilting.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: n/a
- Category: appetizer, Mother's Day, Easter, Spring
sam says
This is beautiful! I want to dig right in =)
anita | wild thistle kitchen says
Aw thank you sweet Sam! I would love to enjoy a cheese board with you!! xoxo - Anita