Individual "Jar"-cuterie Appetizers

Have you heard about or seen these brilliant “Jar"-cuterie Mason jar appetizers yet? They are everywhere online these days, in fact it feels like they are taking over the blogger/foodie world. “Jar"-cuterie simply means that instead of making a traditional charcuterie board for entertaining, that you place the same sampling of meats and cheese board foods into Mason Jars. Not only are the jar-sized charcuterie servings adorable, but they are perfect for the “no sharing food” rule during Covid times. All of your guests (if you are in a part of the world lucky enough to have visitor right now!) get to experience the full array of flavours of a traditional charcuterie board, in an individualized “Jar"-cuterie portion. Love it!

This year for Super Bowl celebrations, Vancouver (and all of BC) happens to be restricted to “family – only” groupings, so our little grouping will definitely be trying-out these cute “Jar”cuteries. I plan on making a few different jars with ingredient variations and then sharing them with some neighbours, who will also be home watching the game with their families.

One of the reasons I love serving charcuterie boards when I entertain is that it brings people together (just look for the clump of people in the room and you’ve found the charcuterie board – because who doesn’t like to chat and nibble at the same time?). Charcuterie is also a great appetizer for a gathering as there is always something on the board that people can enjoy, or eat. It’s a perfect option that is inclusive of all dietary restrictions - vegetarians, non-dairy, gluten-free, vegans and mindful meat-eaters, etc.. By providing a variety of cured meats, cheese, pickles, olives, fruit (fresh and dried), nuts, crackers (or bread), dips and/or preserves, there is bound to be something that appeals to everyone (and everyone's diet).

There are no set rules to creating a great charcuterie board or "Jar"-cuterie, but there are some frameworks I like to think about when preparing. I like to include ingredients that cover all areas of the palette – like salty, sweet, tart, briny, crunchy and soft.

A few quick tips I learning making my “Jar-cuterie:

*use a 250mL wide-mouth jar, it’s easier to access (i.e. eat from!) and fill than regular mouth jars

*if there are nut allergies in your grouping, just omit any nuts

*try to keep the rest of the ingredients visually interesting…I tried to combine ingredients of different colours and shapes onto skewers of different heights – I wanted my “Jar”-cuterie to look more sculptural that cookie cutter or topiary!

Here is a list of the ingredients I included, however the options are endless – use what appeals to you and your guests:

For The "Jar"-Cuterie You Will Need

*mason jars, 250 mL wide-mouth preferred

*skewers and decorative tooth picks – 3”-8” long (you will probably need 2-3 skewers per jar)

Ingredients

*white cheddar popcorn

*roasted almonds and pistachios (shelled or unshelled would be fun too as a base if you don’t use popcorn)

*cured meat – smoked prosciutto, genoa salami & finnochiona salami – folded into roses, triangles and meat stacks

*cheese – gouda wedges, cheddar and mozzarella cubes (mini goat cheese balls rolled in Everything Seasoning or individual mini brie wheels or bocconcini balls would be amazing here too)

*gherkins (or other pickle, or pickled pearl onion)

*olives

*fruit and veggies – Persian cucumber’s ¼’d, fresh berries, grapes, carrot sticks, cherry tomatoes

*bread – salad flavoured Pretz, tall, thick pretzel sticks (homemade puff pastry cheese straws would be amazing here too!)

*florals – rosemary and thyme sprigs

To Build Your “Jar”-cuterie:

Create a bottom, or base layer in each wide-mouth mason jar with popcorn and nuts. Using different length skewers and decorative toothpicks start to build patterned skewers filled with ingredients from list above. You will probably need 2-3 skewers per jar. Place different length skewers into each jar. The popcorn and nuts should allow the skewers to stand up-right, providing stability. Fill in all holes with taller fruit, bread, folded meats, larger cheese wedges and florals. Serve immediately or loosely cover and chill until 30 minutes before serving. You want your ingredients to be room temperature when served for best flavour.

I hope you enjoy this fun "Jar"-cuterie appetizer at your next party or family grouping! Serve with a nice local brew like local Vancouver brewery, 33 Acres (@33acresbrewing) shown in the images above, and you are set for a good time.

If you do make these, let me know in the comments below or on Instagram at #mykuratedlife, I'd love to hear what you think!

Here's to Super Bowl and future entertaining - I hope your teams wins and that you enjoy all of the commercials as much as I do.

Take care,

Krista xo