St. Patrick’s Day is the perfect time to create and serve a delightful St. Patrick’s Day Grazing Board filled with all kinds of green, orange, and white snacking foods!
Grazing boards are ideal for casual entertaining. There are many advantages to grazing boards. They are scalable which means they can be sized from individual, personal-sized boards to virtually any size needed. The boards can include something for everyone and all tastes. They can be customized and themed for particular events. Foods for the boards can be prepared in advance (fruits and veggies washed and dried) and no recipes are needed! The boards can be simple or elaborate, economical or extravagant, depending on what is chosen as content.
While a charcuterie board will consist primarily of, well, charcuterie, a grazing board can include all sorts of things, including charcuterie. It is common to include fruits and vegetables, nuts, cheeses, dips and spreads, crackers/breads, and sweet treats on a grazing board.
Large wooden cutting boards, as I have used are, are a traditional choice but trays or even parchment-lined baking sheets can be used. Use your imagination on both board and presentation. There are no hard and fast rules. Use your creativity!
Today, I have prepared a St. Patrick’s Day grazing board and my launchpad for the theme came from the colors in the Ireland flag – green, orange, and white – all colors that figure prominently in items strategically chosen for the board. Let’s deconstruct the board for a closer look at my choices.
I first introduced blog followers to Cahill’s Irish Porter Marble Cheese back in 2017 when I used the iconic brown and beige marbled cheese on personal-sized boards (click here to view that posting). This artisan cheese is made by Cahill’s Irish Farm Cheese in Co. Limerick, Ireland, and a couple of local supermarket chains here in PEI often carry it, especially around St. Patrick’s Day.
It’s a lovely mild cheddar, infused with Irish porter, and is super showy with its marble effect so, naturally, it was an obvious choice for the center of my St. Patrick’s Day grazing board! I also included traditional orange cheddar (seen to the left in the photo below) because the orange replicates one of the three colors of the Irish flag. Brie was also included for both taste and the white color to symbolize the white in the flag. I have incorporated lots of green on the board including the Guacamole and the Guacamole Tortilla Chips, green grapes, celery, and green pepper (cut in a shamrock shape).
Deviled Eggs are always a favorite so I frequently include them on the boards. My Deviled Eggs recipe can be found here.
Charcuterie, shaved very thin, is common to grazing boards. I like to include a variety of meats for interest and different tastes.
Veggie cheese straws in green, yellow, and orange add color and texture. Adding items like nuts and foil-covered chocolates in the shape of the Canadian loony coin are great to fill in gaps on a board.
Choose a selection of thin crackers and tortilla chips along with a couple of dips, like the Guacamole in the photo below, on the board.
Hummus makes a great dip/spread on a grazing board, too. Including different flavors adds interest to a board and ensures there is something for everyone’s taste.
When constructing a grazing board, look for different textured elements like these yogurt-covered pretzels that add shape, color, and crunch and, in the case of my St. Patrick’s Day Grazing Board, add a white element. Adding a food in a bright white color helps to brighten up the board and add contrast to foods of other colors.
Choose fruits that will fit the theme. Because this is a St. Patrick’s Day Grazing Board, I have chosen green grapes, green Granny Smith apple, and cantaloupe and orange slices. Leaving fruit, like grapes, on their natural stems gives a farm-to-table casual look. Stemmed fruit like grapes flow well and can be used to give curved lines on the board’s presentation.
Adding some blackberries helps to add some depth to the board as well as definition between items of similar colors.
Make the board lush and full, filling in gaps with smaller items like nuts, berries, candy, etc. Add some fresh flowers (I added mini green carnations to this board) or herbs for color and to fill in empty spaces on the board.
Group like items together for a more impactful board – e.g., stacks of crackers, cheeses, charcuterie, bunches of fruit, etc. Don’t forget to include stacks of crunchy veggies like celery and carrot sticks, too.
Because I wanted the board to have both savory and sweet items, I have added some French Macarons in a soft shade of green, in keeping with the board’s color scheme.
Adding some gold foil-wrapped chocolates in the shapes of coins are a fitting addition to a St. Patrick’s Day grazing board!
I hope you have enjoyed a glimpse into my St. Patrick’s Day grazing board.
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