Fabulous Food Boards!: Simple & Inspiring Recipe Ideas to Share at Every Gathering, written by Anna Helm Baxter, features a fun variety of board ideas and accompanying treats across more than 200 pages. A few highlights include Bagels and Lox, Tropical Fruit, Grilled Vegetables, Chocolate Lovers, and Evening Picnic. I will also be sharing her recipe for Cheesecakes in Jars following the review.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from Chartwell Books in exchange for my honest review. All comments and opinions are my own. This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase something through the link, I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.
Anna Helm Baxter
Anna Helm Baxter is a recipe developer, food stylist, and mom of three. Her work has been featured in Parents, Good Housekeeping, Woman’s Day, the Today Show, and more.
She is also the Co-founder and CEO of Poppikit, a DIY baking and cake decorating kit company. Anna’s other cookbooks include Salad in a Jar, 10 Minute Desserts, Soups: Quick and Easy Soups for Every Season, and Skillet: 70 Delicious One-Pan Recipes.
Fabulous Food Boards!
Anna begins Fabulous Food Boards! with a basic guide perfect for beginners. She includes notes for picking out boards, pantry ingredients, helpful equipment, and adding in your own creativity.
Chapters are divided according to occasion: Let’s Brunch, Let’s Snack, Let’s Feast, Let’s Indulge, Let’s Celebrate, and Let’s Entertain.
I especially appreciate the level of detailing on how to bring together the different ingredients and assemble them on a board in a decorative way while also keeping serving size in mind.
In addition to creating large boards with multiple items, there is also a focus on spreads arranged with a single recipe such as Mini Pizzas, Angel Hair Nests, and Stuffed Mushrooms. This is such a great idea for celebrations, brunch, parties, and get-togethers.
Measurements are listed in US Customary and Metric. Each recipe includes a full-page photo of the finished board and notes on yield, size of the platter, tips, and variations.
Cheesecakes in Jars
These Cheesecakes in Jars were easy and yet vibrant with a fantastic variety of toppings. Softened cream cheese is beaten with heavy cream along with a splash of lemon juice and a little sugar (most of the sweetness will come from the toppings).
The mixture is divided among individual short jars (7-8 ounces, 205-235 milliliters), then refrigerated for a couple of hours to chill and set.
Before serving, two jars are topped with dulce de leche and a sprinkling of slivered almonds. Another couple of jars are topped with chocolate fudge sauce and mini chocolate chips. The final two are drizzled with honey, covered with a layer of raspberries, and a final drizzle of a little more honey.
Anna mentions other ideas such as favorite fruit sauces, salted caramel, crumbled Oreo cookies, or even lemon cream.
Dulce de Leche is a caramelized milk jam. I made a homemade version for this recipe. It is becoming more and more available in larger supermarkets with South American ingredients. If unable to locate, swap for caramel sauce.
Other Boards
I also put together the Travel Charcuterie, Kids’ Special Day, Carrot and Easter Egg Cheese Balls, and Simple Charcuterie.
The Travel Charcuterie is such a fun board for on-the-go. Crackers, cured meat, cheese, and grapes are arranged in a to-go container for a quick and easy snack. This is definitely a great one for picnics.
The Kids’ Special Day was (obviously) a favorite with the kids. In this spread, slices of bread are each topped with different animals. The kids picked the bear, fish, fox, and puppy for the photographed board. We actually ended up putting them together 3 days in a row! The recipe calls for whole wheat bread, but I went with some leftover milk bread to use up the last of the loaf.
Fabulous Food Boards! is also packed with so many seasonal and holiday-themed boards. With Easter coming up, we tried the Carrot and Easter egg Cheese Balls. Individual cheese balls are formed into an Easter egg and a carrot for a festive addition to a holiday spread.
The Simple Charcuterie comes together with easy to find ingredients and just a little time to create a beautiful platter. I appreciated the detailed instructions to help with assembly.
Fabulous Food Boards! is a great pick for those interested in entertaining or just adding a little excitement to meals at home. Nearly all the recipes I have tried so far have come together with minimal prep and a few minutes. They have also been fun to create as a family. Many involve no cooking at all, making them perfect for even the youngest of helpers.
Most of the ingredients are easily available in larger American grocery stores. A few items that may be more difficult to locate include harissa, egg roll wrappers, specialty cured meat and cheese, seasonal candy, snap pea crisps, flaxseed crackers, spring roll wrappers, dulce de leche, buckwheat flour, and tahini. Substitutions are generally simple.
Cheesecakes in Jars Recipe
Excerpt from Fabulous Food Boards!
Cheesecakes in Jars
Ingredients
- 12 ounces (340 grams) cream cheese at room temperature
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 cup (235 milliliters) heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup (85 grams) dulce de leche
- 2 tablespoons slivered almonds
- 1/2 teaspoon Maldon sea salt
- 1/4 cup (85 grams) chocolate fudge sauce
- 2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips
- 3 tablespoons honey plus more to drizzle
- 1 cup (125 grams) small raspberries
Instructions
- Using an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl until smooth.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the heavy cream. Increase the speed to high and beat until thick and stiff, about 2 minutes.
- Beat in the lemon juice.
- Divide the batter among six 7- to 8-ounce (205 to 235 milliliter) squat bulb or tulip jars. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
- To serve, spoon the dulce de leche over two of the jars and sprinkle with almonds and sea salt.
- Spoon the chocolate fudge sauce over two of the jars and sprinkle with chocolate chips.
- Spoon the honey over the two remaining jars and top with the raspberries, open sides down, and drizzle with additional honey.
- Arrange on the serving board and serve immediately.
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