I’m sure many of you, at one point or another, have come across the concept of Charcuterie.  If you haven’t, boy do I have a treat for you! Although the word charcuterie has come to more or less refer to a meat and cheese plate, charcuterie is actually a method of preparing meats such as bacon, ham, sausage, and other delicacies such as prosciutto and capicola. I experienced by first Charcuterie Board at Gervasi’s Bistro in North Canton, Ohio. I cannot  praise this upscale Italian dining establishment enough. Unfortunately, unless you want to head North to Cleveland, there just aren’t that many options for fine dining in Canton. Don’t get me wrong, there are some great restaurants, but in my opinion few of them are of the same caliber as Gervasi.

Being the lucky gal I am, Noah (my fiancé) took me to Gervasi for our second Valentine’s Day together. We went all out, ordering appetizers, an entree each, and a dessert of galette to share. The appetizer, our favorite part of the entire meal, is called the “GV Artisan Piatti” and had a wonderful selection of Italian meats and cheeses. My favorite part of the board are the three toppings that they serve alongside the meats and cheeses: a mustard aioli, sautéed onions with a balsamic glaze, pine nuts, and golden raisins, and finally a small bowl of sautéed peppers. I’ve oftentimes seen people indulge in the meats and cheeses that grace a charcuterie board without paying any mind to the delicious sauces. With that being said there is a correctly way to indulge in charcuterie. One is supposed to take a piece of bread and top it with a sauce, some meat, and cheese. Think of it as building your own artisan sandwich without the top layer of bread.

So now that you know how to indulge yourselves in artisan cheeses and meats, how about making your own charcuterie board? After all, spending $19 for a meat and cheese board isn’t always economically ($14 if you are willing to forfeit the prosciutto. PRO-TIP: NEVER FORFEIT THE PROSCIUTTO). The beautiful thing about building a charcuterie board is that there are tons of options and it doesn’t have to cost you a pretty penny. Plus,  it is a wonderful tool to add to your entertaining arsenal.

This Thanksgiving, Noah and I decided that we were going to take the plunge and build our own charcuterie board. We knew we wanted to somewhat mimic what we had experienced at gervasi but we wanted the board to be fuller. We didn’t want to limit ourselves to only cheese, meat, and sauces. We wanted to add nuts, and fruit, and olives. Plus, adding more than just meat and cheese made building the board more economical. So here is what we added to our board.

1. Italian meats! This one is a no brainer, but we were on a budget so we had to carefully weigh quality and cost. We ended up going to a local Italian market called Dioguardi’s and indulged in some prosciutto and pepperoni. Now, we both love prosciutto and didn’t want to leave it out BUT it is very expensive. We paid $20/lb so we ended up only getting 1/2lb  of prosciutto. We also added pepperoni which was cut very thinly. You want delicate, thin slices to go on top of your bread. We also found some salami that was prepackaged at Aldi for $2.50. Altogether we probably spent around $16 on meat BUT you definitely wouldn’t need to. Swap out the prosciutto for some more affordable capicola or nix the artisan meats all together and stick with pepperoni and salami.
2. Cheese! I’m sure some of you are cheese snobs which I totally get, but I was plenty happy with the cheese we bought at Aldi. We ended up getting the bricks of cheese and cutting them into cubes ourselves to cut down on cost. We ended up getting cheddar, pepper jack, and the Specially Selected Aged Reserved White Cheddar (this stuff is only $2.50 for 10 ounces and is absolutely delish. I highly recommend it).
3. Mustard Aioli. This one tops the list as one of my favorites AND it is completely yum. Just take any whole grain mustard you have and mix it with some mayonnaise. We like maille old style mustard which you can pick up at Walmart. We like it pretty strong so we don’t put too much mayonnaise in but you can stick with whatever ratios you, and your tastebuds, think is best.
4. Sautéed onions with balsamic vinegar- this was super simple. Just chop up some onion (finely) and sauté them. Once they are golden brown take them off the heat and add some balsamic vinegar.
5. Fig Jam! If you haven’t indulged yourself in some fig jam yet, I encourage you to do so. Fig jam is the perfect accompaniment to cheese (especially that aged white cheddar I recommended).
6. Bread. Luckily my fiancee has really gotten into bread making so he made all the bread for our Thanksgiving dinner. He made some baguettes to accompany our charcuterie board, cut them into long slices, and toasted them under the broiler with some butter. If you don’t have your own bread maker, you can find baguettes for super cheap. I like to buy mine from Giant Eagle where they are $1 each.
7. Olives. My sister and mom love olives so we definitely wanted to add this to the board. There are many options out there but we went with a jar of Kalamata that we got at Aldi.
8. Almonds. We had some raw almonds on hand so we decided to add these to the board as well. I like the fact that almonds not only add another taste to the board but also a unique texture. Add whatever nut pleases your palette most.
9. Grapes. Grapes were on sale during Thanksgiving making them my default choice but you can choose from anything you prefer. Next time, I would like to add some dried apricots or figs but grapes definitely added a fresh component that the board would have lacked without them .

As you can see we also choose to add some crackers, mixed nuts, and fresh bread on the side to make sure there were plenty of munchies to go around. As for the board itself, I picked up a granite slab at a shop in downtown Canton a couple of months ago. It was super cheap and I think it’s unique shape adds a pleasing look to the display. You could also use a wooden cutting board or a decorative platter. Be unique and use what you have on hand to build your board.

Just some last words of advice, I think the trick to building a beautiful charcuterie board is variety. Go with different tastes, shapes, textures, and colors. Overall, this was a really fun project that turned out beautifully. Now that you know the basics, challenge yourself to build your own charcuterie board. Christmas is right around the corner!

 

 

 

 

 

When I went to Europe for the first time, my tour group went to an oil refinery in the South of France. Unfortunately I no longer remember the name of this particular place, but I believe it was in Avignon. I remember being blown away by the delicious oils and vinegars that they sold. In the gift shop, they put out deliciously golden pieces of crostini and different dipping oils for us to try. That day I bought many MANY things. I bought wine, olive oil, herbs, and bread but what I remember most about that trip was the sweetness of the balsamic vinegar I purchased as a gift for my mom.

Upon my return to the United States my family treated that small bottle of balsamic vinegar as they would ambrosia. It was saved for special occasions when we would use it to drizzle atop of perfectly red strawberries and mix it with olive oil for dipping French bread.

The sad day eventually came when our balsamic vinegar from France was no more. All things must come to an end I guess. I was hopeful that we would be able to find something similar at the store so I began my quest. I was delighted when I found a large bottle of “aged” balsamic vinegar for $4 at our local giant eagle. I greedily threw it in the cart along with a pack of strawberries and eagerly raced my mom through the store so we could get back home and test my new find.

Never have I been so disappointed. The 25-year aged balsamic vinegar that I had brought home from France had a thickness to it that my Giant Eagle find was lacking. I once read that balsamic vinegar should lightly coat a wine glass when swirled. This unsatisfactory balsamic vinegar did no such thing. The flavor was more vinegary than it was sweet and the color was a flat brown instead of that rich, dark chocolaty color I had grown accustomed to. My heart was deflated and for years I went on believing that the only way to get satisfactory balsamic vinegar was either buying a $1500 ticket to Europe or importing it at a ridiculous shipping price (now that I’ve grown so accustomed to Amazon Prime, shipping fees in general throw me for a loop).

Last summer, I once again found myself on European soil and you can bet your bottom dollar that one of the first things I purchased was my idyllic bottle of balsamic vinegar. I was even able to find the exact bottle that I had purchased three years prior. I was thrilled and when it was time to come home I made sure to wrap the delicate bottle and place it securely in my luggage.

Then a great tragedy fell upon me. Upon returning home, I picked up my luggage from the trolly and was greeted by a sticky suitcase. Despite my careful packing, my sweet bottle of balsamic vinegar was…..smashed. I was very disappointed but the faces of my lovely family, who I did not get to see for almost the entire summer, distracted me from my woes.

Flash forward a couple months ago and I was in my cousin’s kitchen. She had had a particularly difficult day and I decided that I was going to take her kids off her hands for a little while. I took them back to their house, sat them in front of a movie with buckets full of popcorn, and decided to clean up her kitchen a bit (to lighten her load).

Now, I always knew my cousin had delectable taste in oil but little that I know that within her cabinetry she possessed the one thing I craved. As I reached into the cabinets to put away the olive oil on the counter, I saw a bottled of balsamic vinegar resting on the shelves. I took it down and put just a little on a spoon. My eyes went wide when I realized that I had at last found it. The bottle was from DioGuardi’s in North Canton. It is a little Italian shop that sells 25 YEAR AGED BALSAMIC VINEGAR. I now own my own bottle and use it often with homemade bread that my fiance lovingly makes me.

Moral of the story: I really like balsamic vinegar AND it is in fact accessible to everyone. With a little bit of research and perseverance you can find your own bottle of balsamic vinegar. You see, had I done a little more research I myself could have been enjoying strawberries drizzled in GOOD balsamic vinegar instead of that ghastly Giant Eagle junk.

The trick? Look for balsamic vinegar that has been aged for at least 12 years. Preferably, 25 years. Don’t fall for the label that reads “aged” balsamic vinegar. IT MUST SAY HOW MANY YEARS. Who is to say how long that bottle of “aged” balsamic vinegar has actually been properly aged. It could have been a week for all we know!

Balsamic vinegar is made from extraordinarily sweet grapes. The grapes are juiced and the juice is then heated to kill any yeast that might turn the concoction into wine. The heating process is what gives the vinegar its caramel color. Finally, the balsamic vinegar is set to age which concentrates and thickens the consistency of the vinegar. This is why it is so important to buy balsamic vinegar that has been aged properly. It is literally the most important step to create GOOD balsamic vinegar.

Now that you understand how you can find your own black gold GO OUT AND get some. Use it to drizzle onto sweets, flavor a dipping sauce, reduce into a glaze, make a cocktail, or whatever else inspires you.

 

Since my last blog post was about balsamic vinegar, I thought I would dedicate this post to Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Now, you might be wondering why someone in their right mind would dedicate an entire blog post to an oil, but stay with me. Besides olive oil’s rich history, it is also simply… and completely delicious. Now to be honest with you I never really understood the whole olive oil craze until I went to Europe. Like my beloved balsamic vinegar, the olive oil that the Italians used tasted much different than what we are used to in the states. Once I first dipped a peace of gloriously crisp baguette into a bowl of olive oil, I have been hooked.

I recently watched a documentary series on Netflix called “Salt Fat Acid Heat.” The series is based partly off of a cookbook by Iranian-American Chef, Samin Nosray. The docu-series focuses on teaching cooks, like you and me, how to master the four most important elements of cooking. Of course, in the episode that focuses on using fat in cooking, Samin starts her explanation in beautiful Italy where olive oil is harvested and refined with the utmost care. Samin (boy do I wish we were on a first name basis!)  said something that stuck with me. Olive oil is not supposed to taste like the oil that sits on top of peanut butter! If it has gotten to this point, it has gone rancid! Suddenly it hit me that this is the exact taste that I despise in olive oil! The sad fact is that most Americans enjoy the taste of rancid olive oil because that is what they are used to.

Besides the actual taste of olive oil, I feel like only recently have I discovered how you should actually cook with it. I used to pull out the Great Value Olive Oil from the pantry whenever I went to cook: I used it to sear steak, pork chops, and burgers. I rubbed it on top of my roast chicken. I put it on top of my vegetables destined for a hot oven. I used in in stir fry and to deep fry. Little did I know that I was doing it ALL WRONG. To be frank, you might be doing it wrong too BUT THAT IS OKAY because there is still time to learn how to use olive oil THE RIGHT WAY.

First, to understand why all of the above modes of cooking are not EVOO friendly we must turn to a concept referred to as the smoke point. All oils/fats have a smoke point which refers to how hot something can get before it starts to smoke, burn, and eventually catch fire. For olive oil, this temperate is only 325-350 degree which is way to low to sear your steak. In high heat, you are better of using something that has a higher smoke point such as clarified butter, canola oil, or sunflower oil.

Now that we’ve ruled out everything you should not use olive oil for…. what is left? My absolute favorite way to use olive oil is in pasta. Namely, aglio e olio (Binging with Babish has an an excellent recipe that I highly recommend!). You can also use olive oil to make excellent salad dressing, as a dipping oil for bread, as a garnish for homemade hummus, and to make your own crostini. It makes an excellent addition to toast, rice, and pasta!

Finding good olive oil at a low price can be flat out difficult in the United States. If you are lucky to live in Europe, you have a huge amount of options to chose from. Do not fear my fellow Americans, we too can enjoy delicious, peppery, fruity olive oil. Right now, I am using Dcoop Spanish Extra Virgin Olive Oil. This stuff is divine and won’t leave your wallet empty. PLUS, you can find it at your local Walmart.

You are welcome and until next time…..

The last couple of months have been hard. I’ve felt myself being dragged down to some of the deepest depths of despair. Okay. Maybe I’m being a bit dramatic, but I’ve definitely been down recently. You see, I went from being a fantastic college student with a glowing resume to an unemployed college graduate. Now, in all fairness to myself I’ve held down steady work since graduation but it hasn’t exactly been what I anticipated.

I graduated college with rosy eyed glasses. I was ready to make it big and life didn’t exactly agree with my plan. Anyhow, I took a summer pre-school position that I didn’t exactly hate, but didn’t like either. Kids can be absolutely rotten. After a summer full of candy grabbing, cranky five year-olds, I took a job as a nanny which is my current role. The girls I watch are twenty-month old twin girls. Okay? Not exactly what I went to college for, but it promised a paycheck. Plus, over the last couple months I’ve fallen head over heals with these precious little girls. So now, my days are filled with diaper changes, uneaten vegetables being thrown on the floor, and a dog that hates me. Despite my complaints, the cuddles and hugs make up for all the bad stuff.

Anyway, back to the moral of the story: cake. As I’ve mourned my 17-year career as a student and sought out multiple opportunities career wise (to no avail…yet) I’ve turned to baking and cooking. In fact, last week I did my first commissioned cake order. Woohoo! Even at times when the world is failing me (or I’m failing it) I can turn to baking to make the world seem a bit…. sweeter.

I made this cake for my sister’s halloween party last month and I think it turned out quite well. My sister’s friend raved about it. My favorite comment of the night was “This takes like chocolate ice cream.” Well, if you ask me, you can’t go wrong with chocolate ice cream. Am I right?

First, I got to admit that this recipe isn’t MINE. I discovered it while watching food gifs on Facebook. So ALL credit is due to TASTY (if you don’t know what this is, GET OFF MY BLOG). Seriously, everyone who likes to eat should know what TASTY is. Regardless of who developed this recipe, I thought it was sharing so even more people can rejoice in the crave-worthy, intense chocolate goodness this cake has to offer. So, follow this link to see the recipe: http://tasty.com/recipe/the-ultimate-chocolate-cake

As for the pumpkins, I kind of just winged that one and prayed that it would turn out. If not, my sister’s friends were going to have to just live without the delicious peanut butter dessert pumpkins on top. To make those I mixed 1/2 cup of butter and 3/4 cup of peanut butter and mixed in an entire (16 ounce) bag of confectioner’s sugar. After that, add a healthy (and when I say healthy I mean HEALTHY) dose of food coloring to get the desired pumpkiny orange color. You could either use orange food coloring or mix two of your primary colors together (red and yellow ;-)) and you magically get orange! Hip hip hooray for peanut butter…..and butter and confectioners sugar. What am I kidding? Hooray for all the delectable sweets in the world

Well, until next time. Thanks for listening to my rant (If there is actually anyone out there reading this). It’s nice to be able to express my discontentment with someone and then rejoice in good food.