BEYOND the Cheese
Written by Anne Godenham and Kristen Boehm
Listen, everyone loves a cheese board, but sometimes you just want to break the mold! Boards are a great way to feed a crowd without having to do a ton of cooking; they can also be a beautiful centerpiece for an event and provide an activity for gatherings as people cluster around, assessing their options. And while nobody we know would ever turn their nose up at the usual spread of cheeses and meats, we wanted to get a bit more creative this time around.
If you’re feeling stuck in a Roquefort-scented rut, we’ve got six gorgeous options for you, plus a bunch of general tips and inspiration—all made with as many local, small business-made ingredients as possible, of course.
Meet the
Thorp of Geometric Forest
All of the boards we used for this feature were provided for us by Andy Thorp of Geometric Forest. Thorp is a professional woodworker with more than two decades of experience who creates wooden serving and cutting boards inspired by the patterns he sees in the world. Read more about Thorp and his Bellingham-based business on page 78.
Andy
All a-board! While cheese and cured meats get a lot of attention when it comes to boards, we North Sounders know that no foodie feature would be complete without a fabulous seafood spread. From raw oysters and cold poached shrimp to chunks of grilled local fish and high-quality tinned octopus, we’re absolutely spoiled for choice when it comes to serving up the sea on a platter. For this board, we shopped at Skagit’s Own Fish Market for most of our seafood, adding some grilled salmon from Leader Block Trattoria and smoked salmon from The Bagelry, then served all that up with a range of sauces and produce from the Skagit Valley Food Co-op, and a fresh baguette from Dough’s Bakery. The end result is an absolute stunner of a centerpiece that’s perfect for a brunch or cocktail gathering with the seafood lovers in your life.
Poached prawns
Seaweed
Smoked salmon
Grilled salmon
Put it on ice.
We didn’t bother here, because we knew we’d be eating it quickly, but if you’re planning to have a board out for a couple of hours while people nibble at it and especially if you’re serving anything raw, like oysters make sure to set the seafood directly on a bed of ice to keep it cold.
Don’t forget your accompaniments. While lemon wedges and cocktail sauce are no-brainers, it’s always good to include more options to enhance your main attraction. Pickled veggies like cauliflower or asparagus complement the briny tang of seafood, and fresh produce not only lightens the palate but also brightens the visual impact.
Keep things saucy.
If you’re using little dishes, like we did, keep an eye on (or designate someone else to monitor) your sauce levels and refill as necessary. The only thing worse than a gallon jug of mignonette at the table is an empty dish when someone wants to dose their oyster!
Tips for Serving Fresh Seafood Board
Pickled cauliflower
Herb butter
Cocktail sauce
Lemons
Nonpareil capers
Parsley
Cherry tomatoes
Sliced baguette
B a
O Board
What’s a cozier—or easier—dinner than a loaded baked potato? A loaded baked potato board! Instead of making a bunch of spuds yourself and either guessing what people would like or opting for the same old toppings, you can just bake enough potatoes for everyone and then offer your family and friends a huge range of flavors and textures to choose from. Everyone makes their own perfect dinner and you get to join in the fun instead of being stuck in the kitchen sprinkling bacon bits all by yourself.
We went the super easy route and ordered our potatoes, along with some classic toppings, from beloved local restaurant Nicki’s Bella Marina!
Then we did a swing through the Skagit Valley Food Co-op for more toppings to broaden our options, add some protein, and spice up the flavor
Pico de gallo
Whipped butter
Maldon flaky sea salt
Sliced scallions
A Light Lager or Pilsner
While baked potatoes are infinitely flexible, and therefore lend themselves to a perfect pairing with everything from sparkling white wine to an ice-cold cola, we recommend serving your board alongside an ice bucket full of local beer that won’t add to the weight of the starchy meal.
If you want to start with the heavy hitters, both Larrabee Lager Company's Larrabee Original Lager and Kulshan Brewing Co.’s Helles lager won medals in the 2024 Washington Beer Awards, as did Wander Brewing’s Czech Pils and Stemma Brewing’s Stemma Pils. Or you can ask for guidance at Elizabeth Station in Bellingham— their selection is enormous and their bartenders are very knowledgeable.
Pair with
Shredded cheese
BAGEL Board
The next time you’re looking to feed a crowd for breakfast or lunch, a bagel board is the perfect way to combine ease, versatility, and fun. Sweet breakfast lovers will adore fruity cream cheese spreads and fresh fruits, while savory breakfast truthers can load up on lox and red onions. All you have to do is set everything out and let your guests enjoy, although we do recommend having a toaster nearby for warm, toasty bagels!
Bellingham eatery The Bagelry provided almost everything for this board—with some additions from the Community Food Co-op and delicious homemade jam from Farmette Fresh and we couldn’t have asked for better help. These experts make bagels (and their softer cousins, bialy) with time-honored methods, producing bagels right here in the PNW that rival even what New York can offer. Their menu spans from simple bagel and cream cheese combos to loaded bagel sammies, like the Lox Sandwich or Chicken Salad Sandwich. They’re open for breakfast and lunch seven days a week, so if you’re getting hungry looking at this issue, don’t hesitate to go try their bagels for yourself!
Blackberries
Raspberries
Strawberries Sprouts
Italian cream cheese
Raspberry rhubarb jam
Pumpernickel bagels
Cucumber
Strawberry cream cheese
Plain cream cheese
Cinnamon raisin bagels
Blueberry bagels
Pair with
Coffee and Mimosas
To help your guests fuel up for the day even more, serve this board with these strong and flavorful beverages!
You can use your favorite drip coffee roast, but if you’re looking for something different, try local roaster Fidalgo Coffee’s Wired Wolf White Coffee. White coffee is roasted for less time, resulting in a light, nutty flavor, low acidity, and “up to 50% more caffeine” than other roasts according to Fidalgo Coffee! It’s only sold in an espresso grind, so make sure you use a high-quality filter.
If the vibe is more “get up to get down,” get the party started with mimosas! Supply your guests with a chilled bottle of Los Monteros Cava Brut and a carton of Passion Orange Guava Juice from the Community Food Co-op in Bellingham. Have a bottle of sparkling water or non-alcoholic sparkling wine on hand to make faux-mosas, too!
Pickled red onions Sesame bagels
Rosemary bagels
Vegan Grazing Board
We put together this large vegan grazing board to show you how widely appealing boards without any animal products can be. With just a few prepared dishes and fresh fruit and veg galore, this board will be tasty for everyone.
We sourced almost all of our fresh produce from the Community Food Co-op, but we also encourage you to shop at farmers markets and farm stands for seasonal produce! Local business THOROUGH//FARE provided the curry tempeh salad, and Pangea Ferments the spicy pickles and kimchi.
Red grapes
Blackberries
Blood oranges
Raspberries
Lemon tahini
Cauliflower
Green grapes
Broccolini
Lemon plums
Navel oranges
Juanita Piquante peppers
Pair with
An Herbal Refresher
To complement all these complex, plant-based flavors, we recommend an iced drink that’s herb-forward. A strong presence of mint, rosemary, thyme, or any of your other favorite herbs will compliment your guest’s choices from the board and leave their palette feeling refreshed.
For a cocktail, consider a classic mint julep! Or create your own rosemary ginger sour mocktail by mixing dry ginger ale, lemon juice, a few dashes of celery bitters, and muddled rosemary (a sprig of rosemary makes an amazing garnish). To keep it simple, have a few chilled bottles of Whole Foods Market’s Lime Mint Elderflower Sparkling Italian Mineral Water on hand.
Loose leaf lettuce
Curry tempeh salad Balsamic beets
Spicy pickles
Kimchi Squash and onion salad
Cherry tomatoes
Sweet peppers Purple carrots
Green grapes
ssam Board
Beef bulgogi
Napa cabbage
Spicy radish salad
Steamed shortgrain rice
Sliced pork belly
Sliced fresh garlic
Kimchi, Pangea Ferments
More Ways to Ssam
One of the beauties of ssam is how adaptable it is. You can use any wrapper, from lettuce leaves to perilla to seaweed—even a thinly-sliced filet of fish! Your core protein can be beef or pork or chicken or shrimp, but marinated tofu is also a great choice. The banchan options are almost endless, ranging from mild kongnamul (seasoned bean sprouts) and chewy japchae glass noodles to fiery oi muchim (sliced cucumber salad) and soft dotorimuk muchim (seasoned acorn jelly). Whatever your pleasure, there’s a ssam board for you!
Cucumber
Gochujang
Red lettuce
Saeujeot (salted shrimp) sauce
Ssamjang
Parfait Dessert
Board
Why serve one dessert when you can serve an interactive smorgasbord of sweet treats? Our dessert board allows people to build their own parfait with mini cake and cookie rounds, icing, pudding, and toppings. Your guests may also choose just to sample the bite-sized delights! We used a strawberry shortcake cookie sandwich from Antler Baking Co., and cakes, cookies, and other ingredients like frosting from Haagen, Community Food Co-op, Skagit Valley Food Co-op, and Calico Cupboard Cafe & Bakery
Breton cookie
Oat milk chocolate chips
Lemondoodle cookie
Ginger-molasses cookie
Chocolate chip cookie
Raspberries
How to Make Buttercream Frosting
Buttercream is as easy to make as you want it to be! There are fancier versions that require a little more effort, and four-ingredient versions that come together in under 10 minutes. Find recipes for more decadent desserts by friend of the magazine and local chef, Samantha Ferraro, at littleferrarokitchen. com. Her Burnt Orange Ice Cream would be an amazing addition to any dessert board!
Basic Buttercream
Your basic buttercream is a simple combination of about 4-parts powdered cane sugar (cane sugar melts better than beet sugar), 1-part unsalted butter, a tablespoon or two of cream or milk, and flavor of your choice. Start by beating the room temperature butter into a creamy paste. Sift your powdered sugar and add it to the butter in two or three batches, mixing well each time. Add in the milk and flavor, then mix everything until it’s smooth and creamy. Add in more sugar to stiffen it up, or more milk to loosen it.
Vanilla pudding
Peanut Butter Chocolate Caramel Torte
Chocolate pudding
Maraschino cherries