Father’s Day: Single Malt Whisky Food Pairing

The Foodies' KitchenJune 10, 2021

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If your grandfather, father, or husband is a whisky drinker, they will love this charcuterie board! Father’s Day is just around the corner, so this is a great idea to include into your celebration plans. Pairing certain foods with whisky elevates the tasting experience and building your own charcuterie board doesn’t have to be difficult or very expensive, keep on reading and we’ll show you how.

Whisky Pairings: Charcuterie Board for Father’s Day

We chose Cardhu 12, from the Speyside region to pair with our board, this single malt whisky is sweet and easy to drink, with the crispiness of oak and the sweet notes of honey and caramel, it is best enjoyed neat or on the rocks. Single malt whisky is malt whisky from a single distillery, mainly Scotland, although there is production in other countries. We will also find differences in the style and flavor depending on the region they are made in.

Other great single malt options are The Singleton 12, and Talisker 10: The Singleton 12 has notes of luscious brown sugar, soft, cooked apples, and creamy toffee, it can be enjoyed neat, or on the rocks. This particular single malt can also be used in cocktails because of its fruity notes and smoothness. Talisker 10 is a good option for an experienced whisky drinker. It has an intense coastal spicy, and peaty character. This is a full-bodied single malt with rich dried-fruit sweetness and smoke, with strong barley-malt flavors. You can find these and other great options at Vinoteca stores.

So, what should we use to build our charcuterie board with?

Cured Meats

Cured meats such as prosciutto or serrano ham, you do not need to buy a lot of it. One 100gm pack of a couple of options is enough to fill a 14×15 inch size board, and still have some left over. We will add lots of other food items, so you just need a little of each.

Cheese

Gouda or Parmigiano-Reggiano are good options, choose cheese with sharp flavors to pair with full bodied whiskies, and have a milder option such as brie or camembert for sweeter or citrus flavored ones.

Dried Fruits

One 8oz packet of dried fruit mix is enough for one board; you can also add sultanas and raisins to help fill out the spaces.

Chocolate

Whisky and chocolate is a match made in heaven. Good quality dark chocolate is a great option, one bar is enough to fill out your board. You can choose a simple dark chocolate option, or one with salt or caramel.

Fresh fruit

Blackberries and red grapes are good options, and they look great on our board! Apples and pears are also a great combination.

Nuts and olives

Almonds, hazelnuts or walnuts are great options. We like to use green olives; they can be stuffed or plain.

Bread

Crisp bread slices of bread sticks to complement your board and use with your ham and cheese options.

Jams

Any berry jam, or sweet and savory chutney to pair with your cheese will help balance flavors, we used a fig and apple chutney for our board.

Now that we have the ingredients, how do we fill it out?

First place a sheet of parchment paper on your board to protect it. Arrange 2-4 little serving bowls on your board and start building around them. These will contain olives, nuts, berries, and jam.
Arrange small grape bunches around the board, near the bowls.
Cut cheese into triangle or rectangle slices and arrange them in 2 or 3 different places on your board.
Continue filling spaces with the dried fruit and raisins.
Next, place ham slices to start filling out the spaces near the cheese and grapes. Try to form cones or rolls with the slices for an aesthetic look.
Finish off with chocolate squares.
Check for any spaces and add ingredients to fill them out.
Serve bread options in a different platter or basket, to avoid getting the bread soggy with the items on the board.

You’ll find step by step photos below.

Have you made this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture with the hashtag #thefoodieskitchen!

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