Hints of Spring are in the air! Can you feel the shift in your energy too? Spring is my favourite season for several reasons – the budding blooms, the season we became parents for the first time, usually a time filled with family celebrations & especially for the feeling of renewal & revival it evokes. And how about all the bright, beautiful food that pops up again as so many fruits & veggies come back in-season! Whatever you’re celebrating this season, we’ve rounded up 10 Simple Spring Grazing Table Food Ideas for ya – one of them my new fave for socially distant times. Add these to your family food menu for casual buffets, outdoor BBQs, porch hangs with your bubble, cottage & chill spread and special occasion menus!
1. Spring Love Jarcuterie Board
I’m not big on food trends, but when our friends at Stylecaster shared the JARCUTERIE idea earlier this year I was a smitten kitchenista! Inspired by creating appetizers and charcuterie boards that are anti-germ spreading-friendly, the concept is simple & super sweet – add all the things you’d typically lay out on a charcuterie or cheese board but in a mason jar mini version! Of all the trends I’ve seen come out as we all turn to our kitchens for more creative outlets, THIS one is genius &, in my humble opinion, has staying power even beyond social-distancing times!
©House of Kerrs – All Rights Reserved
We think families with fussy eaters, food allergies & intolerances will particularly love it because you can customize each jar to each family members liking (brilliant!). We adore these for family grazing tables, holiday entertaining, Birthdays, backyard BBQs, and special occasions – weddings, Baby Showers, vow renewals, Baptisms, etc. And if drive-by celebrations or outdoor porch/patio hangs are how we have to continue celebrating this season, these jarcuterie are a perfect socially-distant nibbler option!
Customize your Spring Love Jarcuterie with EDIBLE WORD KEBABS
Use your mini fruit/veg cutters to spell S-P-R-I-N-G, alternating between the cantaloupe & honey dew. You could also spell things like EASTER or your child’s name or age for their BIRTHDAY! Fun, right?!
Colour Your Charcuterie
If you want to bring a colourful twist to your charcuterie foods, check out our “Kitchen Hacks” highlight on Instagram where we share how we turned our cauliflower a purplish-pink for these jarcuterie!
Spring is my favourite season of all, so our jars incorporate all the spring-y charcuterie things in this SPRING LOVE JARCUTERIE BOARD:
Spring Love Jarcuterie Board
Equipment
- 8 oz. canning jars
- food skewers & bamboo sticks (*any - various lengths*)
- *Optional: adhesive Jute tape*
Ingredients
The Base
- Pistachios *no shell, lightly salted - we used Wonderful*
- Pretzel bites *for a nut-free base - we used Goldfish pretzels*
Charcuterie Food Skewers
- cantaloupe cut into slices
- honey dew melon cut into slices
- Raspberries
- Red Grapes seedless
- Blueberries
- Cocktail Bocconcini cheese 2 per skewer/jar
- Fresh basil leaves
- Mini pickled cucumbers "Cornichons" *we use Maille or Stonewall Kitchen*
- Prosciutto thinly sliced
- Genoa Salami thinly sliced
- Baby Figs Cut in half
- Green Olives *pitted - we used Bertolli's "Tuscan" version
- English Cucumber *sliced in circles
- Radish *cut into half-moon shape*
- Yellow Cheese *we use Babybel (light minis) or cut Friulano Cheese*
- Cauliflower *to make purplish-pink, add cut cauliflower to a jar filled with pickled beet juice the night before you make these*
Stand Alone Vegetables
- Mini Cucumbers Cut in quarters, length-wise
- Yellow Bell Peppers Cut into thin strips, length-wise
- Sugar Snap Peas sliced & opened down the center to look like flower leaves; we like the stringless ones by MANN'S
Crackers & Garnish
- Rosemary & Sea Salt Flatbreads *from Longos*
- Bread Sticks *broken in half - we love Bertozzi's Whole Wheat sticks*
- Fresh Rosemary Sprigs *1 per jar; fresh dill & chives would work as a substitute*
Instructions
Jarcuterie Prep
- Cut your vegetables, fruit & cheeses and lay out on one large board or platter with all other ingredients before you begin building your Spring Jarcuterie board.
SPRING Word Fruit Kebabs, Flower-shaped Cheese & Berry Skewers
- Use your mini fruit/veg cutters to spell S-P-R-I-N-G, alternating between the cantaloupe & honey dew. You could also spell things like EASTER or your child's name for their BIRTHDAY!Take your skewer, and add bocconcini, basil, your fruit word, basil, then another bocconcini!
- Take your sliced or unwrapped cheese + English cucumber slices & cut out flowers with a food cutter. Skewer the cauliflower, cheese + cucumber flowers & radish on a stick (*NOTE: you may need to cut the skewers shorter to fit nicely in your jars*).
- Add your favourite berries to another skewer in whatever pattern you fancy. We made ours starting with a raspberry, then 3 blueberries & finished with a red grape (which is hard to see in the image because it's at the bottom of the jar).
Cured Meats & Condiments Skewers
- Fan the salami & prosciutto, then skewer with your mini figs & top with a large green olive or Cornichons.
How to Build Your Spring Love Jarcuterie Board
- *Optional: add adhesive jute to the outside of each jar by premeasuring the length to fit around the circumference & then doing a rolling stick-on.
- Add your no shell pistachios or nut-free pretzels to the base of each jar. Then, add your pre-made meat, cheese, veg & fruit skewers/kebabs (*I added the SPRING word kebab last to keep it at the front*). Finally, add loose foods - cucumber, peppers, bread sticks, flatbreads, green garnish - staggering & playing around with them until you like where they land. Pop in your favourite Spring flower for added elegance! That's it! Fun, right?! Enjoy these Spring Love Jarcuterie Board appetizers!
Notes
©House of Kerrs - All Rights Reserved
2. Prosciutto-Wrapped Asparagus
Probably my favourite thing to make with cold leftover asparagus, just roll it in prosciutto on an angle, drizzle with balsamic glaze & enjoy!
3. Zucchini Pizza Bianca
Pizza Bianca is a great one to make ahead of having guests over and tastes dee-lish straight from the oven or at room temp. There’s no meat, so you can leave out a platter of it sliced up a while like we did for a small outdoor gathering. The combo of green and yellow zucchini makes for a pretty pie & we know it’s a crowd-pleaser.
4. Avocado Brunch Bites
This one was inspired by our family trips to Mexico and is guacaholic-approved! Warning: these Avocado Brunch Bites are SO good, you may be find it hard to not eat the whole batch in one sitting (like I almost did ;))!
Avocado Brunch Bites
Ingredients
- 3 avocados ripe
- 1/2 lime
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 4 tbsp feta in brine crumbled (*lighten up with reduced fat version*)
- 1 loaf rustic Italian bread 6 3/4 inch slices
- 6-8 grape tomatoes sliced into halves or quarters
- balsamic vinegar glaze
- pinch sea salt + ground black pepper
Instructions
- Scoop out avocado from skins and put into a bowl. Mince garlic & add to avocado. Add a dash of sea salt & black pepper (to taste). Squeeze juice from half of a lime then use a fork and press avocado + ingredient mix until desired texture achieved
- Toast bread to desired level (*tastes best near well done, not burnt*). Scoop avocado mix onto each piece of bread and smooth out with spoon. Crumble feta on top (*to taste*)
- Add chopped tomato on top and drizzle with balsamic glaze (*to taste*) That's it! 10 min prep! Serve for your Spring brunch/lunch occasions (cut toasts in half for appetizer portions!).
5. Antipasto Misto Salad
Gather all your favourite Italian antipasti & combine them in one beauty platter to make an Antipasto Misto Salad! The pairing of prosciutto & melon is a classic sweet n’ savoury Italian culinary combo – mixing it all together into a salad a fabulous way to enjoy it.
Prosciutto Melon Bocconcini Antipasto Salad
Equipment
- Melon baller scoop
- Large Serving Platter
Ingredients
- 6 handfuls fresh arugula *1 handful per person, so add more if needed*
- ½ cantaloupe ripened, scooped into balls or chopped into cubes
- ½ honeydew melon ripened, scooped into balls or chop into cubes
- 6 thin slices of prosciutto tear apart
- 4 leaves fresh basil chopped
- 8-10 small (*fresh mozzarella*) bocconcini balls or 6-8 bocconcini medallions *we use TreStelle*
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil *2-3 tbsp - drizzle*
- Coarse Salt + ground black pepper *to taste*
Instructions
- Add arugula to platter & top with melon balls/chunks, torn prosciutto & bocconcini - space out evenly.
- Drizzle olive oil over the salad & sprinkle with salt + pepper. Garnish with the fresh, chopped basil. Drizzle balsamic glaze over top right before serving. Buon appetito!
6. Arugula Fennel Salad
It’s so light & refreshing – the perfect salad to serve on your Spring/Summer grazing tables or paired with seafood or fresh bread.
Lemon Arugula + Fennel Salad
Ingredients
- 4 handfuls of fresh Arugula (or Spring Mix)
- 1 small fresh fennel bulb sliced thinly
- 1/2 cup Pecorino or Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese freshly grated
- 1 lemon
Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- juice of 1/2 a lemon
- coarse salt & ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add arugula to a large bowl or family-style platter. Toss sliced fennel over top & mix with dressing and salt + pepper.
- Sprinkle pecorino or parmigiano cheese over top & lemon wedges for garnish. That's it!Buon appetito! Tag @House_of_Kerrs on Instagram!
7. Roasted Sweet Potato & Turkey Bacon Deviled Eggs + Dip
Sweet potatoes are still in-season at the on-set of Spring, and you’ll have zero regrets adding your roasted ones to your deviled egg filling to make these Sweet Potato & Turkey Bacon Deviled Eggs & Dip – YUM!
8. Burrata & Fig Salad
If you’re looking for a hearty Spring salad that doesn’t suck, this is it! I could go on about how insanely good this Burrata & Fig Salad is…but really, you just need to try it!
Burrata + Fig Salad
Equipment
- Family-style serving platter
Ingredients
- 4 handfuls Arugula + Spinach mix *if your party size is larger, use 1 extra handful per person*
- 1 large fresh Burrata ball rip into small parts
- 5 fresh figs cut in half
- ½ cup candied pecans chopped
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil to taste - enough to drizzle over salad and have a light coating
- Balsamic reduction glaze to taste, drizzle over salad
- coarse salt + ground black pepper to taste - a few pinches will do
Instructions
- Place arugula + spinach mix on to the platter. Add ripped Burrata pieces and sliced figs.
- Drizzle with olive oil, then balsamic glaze (to taste, and enough to lightly coat your salad portion). Add chopped pecans then sprinkle a few pinches of salt + pepper. Toss before serving. Buon Appetito! Tag us @House_of_Kerrs on Instagram if you try!
9. Greek Pasta Salad
Pasta salad always makes an appearance at our family’s food table for special occasions, and this Greek Pasta Salad is the signature one I’m asked to make every time! Be warned – it’s addictive!
Greek Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 750 g Tri-Colour Rotini *we used (2) 375 g boxes by Catelli*
- 1/4 large red onion diced
- 1/2 medium red pepper chopped
- 1/2 medium green pepper chopped
- 1/2 medium yellow pepper chopped
- 15-20 grape tomatoes cut in quarters
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup feta crumbled
- 475 mL Greek Salad Dressing *we use "Greek Feta" Extra Virgin Olive Oil by Kraft
- kalamata olives pitted, to taste
- fresh oregano or parsley to garnish
Instructions
- Bring large pot of water to boil, salt like the sea, and cook pasta according to instructions. (*This is one of few recipes where I would skip "al dente" and cook thoroughly*)
- Meanwhile, rinse & chop all the veggies & grab a large serving bowl.
- When the pasta has finished cooking, drain & then immediately spray with cold water while it's still in the colander to "cool" the pasta off. Transfer the pasta to a large bowl & coat + toss with the olive oil.
- Add half of the peppers, onions & feta plus half of the salad dressing. Mix well, then add the rest of the peppers, onions & feta and also the Kalamata olives plus another quarter of the dressing. Toss, cover bowl with saran wrap & refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.
- Just before serving, add the remaining dressing (plus a bit more olive oil if the salad requires), toss & garnish with more olives, tomatoes & fresh oregano or parsley. Serve as a meal or as a side to grilled meats. TAG US @House_of_Kerrs if you try!
10. Spring-y Crostini
If you’ve followed our family food shares for a while, you know crostini makes a regular appearance. We’ve probably got a version for every season now 🙂 And it’s because they’re so versatile & simple to prep. Start with our homemade crostini recipe, then add your favourite spreads (like spreadable cheeses, hummus, tapenade, etc.), in-season veg/fruit diced up, a chopped herb for garnish, and flavour-infused oil/balsamic reduction.
Here are our favourite crostini that would be a beauty addition to your Spring grazing tables/backyard bubble bashes:
We hope we’ve inspired you to try one of these recipes for your Spring grazing tables & if you do, share your feedback in comments or tag us on social @House_of_Kerrs.
Keep well, eat well,
Such fun creative dishes for Spring. Must try a few for Easter eating too.