On Board

ACCOMPANIMENTS: Empire Provisions House Smoked Almonds Empire Provisions House Smoked Olives Empire Provisions Rhubarb Jam Spicy piparra peppers - from the Basque region, also known as guindilla peppers Sweety Drop peppers – teardrop-shaped and sweet Fresh strawberries and blueberries from BC Grapes, blackberries, and raspberries Gherkins and dried fruit

BY LINDA GARSON PHOTOGRAPHY BY DONG KIM

EMPIRE PROVISIONS IS A BOUTIQUE grocer and café in Haysboro, SW Calgary, co-owned by Karen Kho and Dave Sturies, and specializing in hand-made butchery specialties and locally made charcuterie from sustainably raised Alberta livestock.

For Kho, the key to a successful grazing board is that it needs to look bountiful and colourful. With a great deal of experience, she’s shared some really helpful tips for creating beautiful boards. “Add height by creating roses with the salami, and place dark fruit next to triple cream cheese,” she says.

“Don't be afraid to have items touching, and don't arrange all of the meat and cheese the same way.”

Kho also suggests balancing out the saltiness of the cured meat and cheese with contrasting flavours, such as fresh seasonal fruit, local honey, spicy pickled peppers, and gherkins. “But at the end of the day it's not just about how it looks,” she adds. “It's about the quality of the product as well.”

Empire Provision’s charcuterie board includes:

CHEESE: Oveja Con Trufa - gourmet sheep milk cheese with truffle veins from la Mancha in Spain Godminster Aged Cheddar - organic Cheddar from England with a distinctive burgundy wax in a heart-shaped truckle Tomme du Manoir au Cidre - a semi-firm fruity cheese from Quebec brushed with apple cider Saint Marcellin Grand Cru - a soft, unpasteurised, mould-ripened, nutty flavoured cheese from the east of France

MEAT:

Empire Provisions Saucisson Sec -

French-style dry cured sausage

Empire Provisions Country Paté -

a coarse pate with pistachios

Meuwly’s Abruzzo Salami -

spicy, Italian-style dry sausage

Meuwly’s Coppa -

gourmet salami, also called capicollo/ capocollo