How to Assemble a Charcuterie Board

How to Assemble a Charcuterie Board

Now that the holidays are approaching quickly, some of you may be looking for interesting hosting and serving ideas. If you’ve never heard of charcuterie boards before, or if you have but have never assembled one yourself, or just want to see if you can get new ideas for yours, read on for some helpful hints on how to make yours a hit.

 

A charcuterie board consists of a selection of cured meats and accompaniments. The beautiful thing about them (other than how delicious and fun they are to eat) is that it can be as simple or as smörgåsbord-like as you want. Have an idea first of how many people you’re feeding, as well as what your budget is. It’s not impossible to create a great charcuterie platter on a budget – there are plenty of ways to get creative.

 

Decide if you want to focus just on charcuterie, or if you want some cheeses as well. These will be the stars of the show that you build your platter around. The most important thing to keep in mind in creating a great board is to have variety and balance, not just in taste and texture, but colour and shape as well. Try to have a range of savoury, sweet, tart, and spicy offerings. Balance out the strong flavours of the meats with soft cheeses, sweet fruit, and crunchy bread or nuts. Have something light and refreshing like pickles, fresh grapes or fresh pear to cleanse the palate between bites.

 

By no means is this an exhaustive, but here’s a list of some things you may decide to include on your charcuterie board:

  • salami, prosciutto, chorizo, bresaola, coppa

  • chèvre, fior di latte, shropshire blue, smoked cheddar

  • pâtés, terrines

  • cornichons, pickles, sundried tomatoes, marinated artichokes, olives

  • dried apricots, dried cherries, dried figs

  • fresh pear, apple, figs, melon, grapes

  • almonds, walnuts, pistachios

  • red pepper jelly, mango chutney, honey, mustard

  • crostini, crackers, bread sticks

 

If you’re looking for more advice or inspiration on how to put together a great charcuterie board, check out this video by Beth le Manach from Entertaining with Beth. She puts together a beautiful, simple board (on one of our products!) in almost no time at all.

Remember, your charcuterie board doesn’t have to be super advanced, fancy, or expensive. That being said, if you’re feeling adventurous and want to make yours as interesting and weird as you can, then more power to you! The possibilities are endless. Happy eating!

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