Feature Image by Derek Bissonnette, courtesy of Cider Mill Press
On Board, the latest book by Saco-based chefs, entrepreneurs, and cookbook creators Derek Bissonnette and Gabrielle Cote, demonstrates how serving boards can be kitted out for any summertime entertaining job. Does your seafood-centric cocktail party need an appetizer board? Check. Do you have a group of hungry kids hankering for pizza poolside? The Margherita Pizza Board will do the trick. Is there a bowl of perfectly ripe peaches sitting on the counter? Use the fruit in a Peaches and Bacon Board for book club.
Image by Derek Bissonnette, courtesy of Cider Mill Press
This book, published by Kennebunkport-based Cider Mill Press, includes dozens of picture-perfect boards and basic guides on how to build them. But its magic lies in the latitude to change them up and make them your own.
On Board is as much about inspiration (think strawberry crisps, caviar riding on kettle chips, prosciutto, and melon pops) as it is about step-by-step recipes for center-of-the-board proteins like beef carpaccio, spicy lamb meatballs, foie gras torchon, and Maine crab dip as well as complementary accoutrements like pickled rhubarb and raspberry chia jam. The authors show readers how to include interesting crunchy bits, like curried pistachios and honeycomb candy, to counter the texture of soft cheeses. And they provide guidance on making a variety of crackers to carry everything to eaters’ lips.
Image by Derek Bissonnette, courtesy of Cider Mill Press
We’ve featured a few of our favorite boards here and recipes for some of their components. But do your future entertaining self a favor and head to a local independent bookseller to pick up your own copy of On Board.
When Derek Bissonnette was 16 he landed his first kitchen gig, at a bakery in Searsport, Maine. He went on to study baking and pastry at the Culinary Institute of America, graduating in 2000. He got hired as the pastry chef at Kennebunk’s estimable White Barn Inn, jumped to the renowned Inn at Little Washington in rural Virginia, and then joined the kitchen at an elegant English countryside hotel, The Summer Lodge Country House Hotel and Spa. In 2009, he returned to Maine and the White Barn. In 2015, he was promoted to executive chef.
After Bissonnette took over the White Barn kitchen, he started toting a camera to work to create a visual record of dishes he and his staff came up with. Photography clicked with him. “Making food look great is something I’ve always strived for,” he says. “To do that through a fresh medium was exciting.” In 2017, he gave up his apron to pursue photography full time.
Shortly after leaving the White Barn, Derek partnered with Cider Mill Press and Countryman Press to create five cook books:
The Ultimate Books of Soups and Stews: Signed by the author
Dumplings: Over 100 Recipes from the Heart of China to the Coasts of Italy
The Maine Farm Table Cookbook: Signed by the author
Soups: Over 100 Soups, Stews and Chowders
On Board: Inspiration Ideas and Recipes for Exceptional Entertaining
On Board is as much about inspiration (think strawberry crisps, caviar riding on kettle chips, prosciutto, and melon pops) as it is about step-by-step recipes for center-of-the-board proteins like beef carpaccio, spicy lamb meatballs, foie gras torchon, and Maine crab dip as well as complementary accoutrements like pickled rhubarb and raspberry chia jam. The authors show readers how to include interesting crunchy bits, like curried pistachios and honeycomb candy, to counter the texture of soft cheeses. And they provide guidance on making a variety of crackers to carry everything to eaters’ lips.
