My most prized piece of kitchen equipment is the sturdy, beautiful cutting board hand-crafted of Tennessee hardwood gifted to me by a dear artist friend. I think of him and the TLC that went into it whenever I use it to prep vegetables, which is pretty much every day.
Aside from its sentimental value and everyday functionality, I appreciate it all the more whenever I have company over. It’s amazing how easy it is to create a festive mood just by artfully arranging cheeses, charcuterie and various tidbits from the fridge on a wooden canvas.
Yasmin Fahr, a cookbook author and contributor to many food publications including NYT Cooking and Bon Appetit, is a big fan of this “fun spread situation,” as she calls it, not only during cocktail hour, but any time of day or night. Her new book, “Boards and Spreads: Shareable, Simple Arrangements for Every Meal” (Potter, $24), challenges the rest of us to think beyond the brie wheel.
She begins with a primer on choosing and caring for wooden boards, but the recipes that follow can just as easily be displayed on ceramic platters, or slabs of marble or slate. Some can be heaped directly on the main vessel; small plates and bowls of various shapes can accommodate condiments, sauces and add-ons.
Each board or spread comes with a main recipe, suggested accompaniments, and guidance on arranging them for serving. All allow for ample flexibility in mixing and matching flavor combinations, and scaling up or down to fit your crowd.
A breakfast board may consist of the vibrant makings for an egg pita sandwich, a pancake feast or homemade granola with toppings. Bread-centered boards could be built upon pizza toast, tinned fish and crackers or “crispy snacky tortillas.” For dinnertime boards, think tacos, kebabs or a salmon centerpiece. Other chapters cover salad and veggie platters, picnic spreads, accents and add-ons and dips and “more fun things.”
The stunning spreads depicted on these pages illustrate food board-style dining the way Fahr sees it: “It’s a more convenient and casual way to eat, and it looks beautiful, too.”
Susan Puckett is a cookbook author and former food editor of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Follow her at susanpuckett.com.
Sign up for the AJC Food and Dining Newsletter
Read more stories like this by liking Atlanta Restaurant Scene on Facebook, following @ATLDiningNews on Twitter and @ajcdining on Instagram.
About the Author
