Mellow Board (A.K.A. Charcuterie Board) -Just because it is one of those days-

Today is Tuesday the 27th day of March 2012 and it is a brie day! Brie days are sometimes complicated annoying days where you come home, take a look at your todo list, say “Fuck this” then get back in the car and go to the grocery store to buy the items on the list bellow. Or, they are days when you just feel like making something cute to snack on for you and one of your girl (or guy) friends. My old roommate, Danica, and I used to have brie days a few times each week. I actually had to cancel a date once due to a brie night. Well, more the garlic portion of the brie night. I’ll tell you about that Thrusday. Read through this whole post before you go shopping, you may want to add a few items to your list. Also, take a quick look through your cupboards and fridge for inspiration.

Your Brie Day Shopping List:
Musts:
• 2-3 bulbs of garlic
• Olive oil (This should already be in your cupboard)
• 1 wheel of brie – I buy the Monte Christo 125g from the Cheese Isle at Safeway. It is lovely and a few dollars less than the wheels in the deli.
• A nice baguette
• Some balsamic vinegar (this should also always be in your cupboard)
• 1 small tub of mixed olives from the deli section
• 1 pack of prosciutto (or 100g of something fancy form the deli)
• Crackers – Wheat thins or flax crackers are nice.
• 1 bottle of your favorite wine. I suggest a full-bodied red. (If you live near a real wine store like Bin 104 go there. Tell them you want a nice red to go with brie and smoked meats that will make you go “ahhh…”
Optional: (But sometimes musts if it was a “Fuck this shit day” not just a “fuck this” day)
• A second bottle of wine
• Your favorite chocolate
• A new album from an artist that you’ve been meaning to get for a while, (something chill)

The first thing you do when you get home is open your wine and pour a glass. I’m drinking a Chilean Cabernet Savignon. Preheat your oven or toaster-oven to 420F. Then grab a cutting board and a sharp knife then cut the tops of the bulbs of garlic. You just want to shave a ½ - 1 cm off. Enough to create about a 1-inch surface area on the top of the bulb. Make a snug little bowl out of a large piece of tin foil around the garlic, leaving excess to close the package off. If you have white wine open then pour a little splash in there making sure you get some inside the bulb around the cloves, about 1-3 tbls. If you don’t have wine it’s not worth buying or opening a bottle for. Then drizzle a little olive oil over and around the bulbs. I have a roasting oil with herbs in it that I use but you can use just plain olive oil and, if you like, add herbs and perhaps some cracked black pepper. Wrap the tin foil over the garlic and make a tight seal at the top. Put it in the oven until it the cloves are soft all the way through. This takes a few taste tests and about 30-45 minutes. The clove should pop right out of the skin and pretty much melt in your mouth. Let it cool before you test it! It really sucks if you don’t, trust me…

Alright, now you grab your cleanest prettiest cutting board or small platter, to arrange your items all neat-like on. I use a little wooden one from the dollar store. Grab a small dainty little bowl or sauce dish for olive pits and garlic skins and a small plate or bowl for crackers. You’ll need another small plate for olive oil and balsamic.

Rip off a hunk of the baguette, about 6-8 inches long, and set it aside. Pour some olive oil and balsamic vinegar in equal parts on the small plate. You will tear smaller bite sized hunks of bread off and swirl them around on the plate, soaking up a little of both liquids then pop it your mouth. You should be feeling a little less “fuck-this-ish” by now.

Take a few pieces of the prosciutto, cut them in half then roll the halves up. I had to skewer them onto tooth-picks because mine was dryer and wouldn’t stay rolled. Place them on the board somewhere then grab your brie, cut the wheel into quarters and place 1-2 quarters on the board.

I happened to have olives from the Olive Me booth at the Strathcona Farmers Market on had so I made little olive kabobs. You could just place a few olives on the board. I also had some tapenade and grainy mustard so I put a scoop of each on the board too. There was some Suho Meso smoked beef from the Cheese Factory on hand as well. I sliced up some pieces off and you guessed it, placed them on the board, right beside the olive kabobs to be precise. I cut four cherry tomatoes in half and scattered them about as well.

There was some cilantro and basil in one of my crispers so I made a little basil bed for my garlic and placed a few sprigs of cilantro around as well. When the garlic was ready I placed it then put my baguette in the oven (I bake my own bread, but store bought is fine if that’s not your thing.) See what else you have on hand. If it is snacky and looks pretty it probably qualifies.

You should now have a spread of amazing deliciousness in front of you by now. Put on CBC or CKUA, or that album you may have bought. Pour another glass of wine and nibble away.

I’m done my board-o-mellow, and the bread is smelling about done. I’m going to watch Earthship videos and stuff my face now. Happy Tuesday!