This mouth-watering charcuterie board designed by Kardea Brown takes things to epic new levels of flavour. Kardea’s board features a classic assortment of meats, jams, olives and crackers — then elevates things with homemade buffalo pimento cheese and sweet-meets-spicy candied pecans.
ingredients
Buffalo Pimento Cheese
Candied Pecans
Charcuterie Board
directions
Buffalo pimento cheese yields 1 ½ cups. Candied pecans yield 5 cups.
Stir together the cream cheese, mayonnaise and hot sauce in a medium bowl until smooth. Stir in the pimentos, celery, Cheddar, blue cheese, onion powder and paprika. Season with salt and pepper and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Preheat the oven to 300ºF. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Stir together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cayenne and salt in a medium bowl.
Beat the egg white in a large bowl with a hand mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. Add the pecans and toss to coat. Add the sugar mixture and stir gently until the pecans are well coated.
Spread the pecans in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until crisp and deep golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes, stirring halfway through. Remove the candied pecans from the oven and let cool completely on the baking sheet, about 10 minutes, before breaking them apart. They will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
On a large cutting board or platter, lay out the salami, ham, baguette and crackers. Place the bread sticks upright in a small glass jar. Add the olives and pickles to the board in small bowls, if you like, along with the jams in small bowls or jars. Put the Pimento Cheese on the board in a small bowl, along with a knife for spreading. Scatter Candied Pecans decoratively over the board and serve.