Happy hour, Friday night, the weekend, a party, your mother-in-law’s birthday celebration, it’s Monday, movie night. What do all of these things have in common? They’re all a perfect reason to make a charcuterie board.
We’re thankful to the French who brought the world the art of Charcuterie so that we could make endless charcuterie boards. A charcuterie board is filled with cured meats, cheeses, nuts, olives, cornichons, dried fruits, mustards, crackers, and more. It’s a perfect snack, meal, or appetizer for any occasion. For me in my love affair with all charcuterie boards, the selection of my items and the preparation of the board is almost as fun as eating all of the cured, salty, sweet, and crunchy treasures.
Before thinking about the assembly and preparation, it’s important to consider quantity and selection. The first thing to know is that there are no rules. A great charcuterie board should be about you (and your guests, if there are guests) and your tastes. With that said, I’ve found the following to serve me well when planning a charcuterie board:
- 3 types of cured meat
- 1 type of spread (think mustards, jellies, etc.)
- 3 types of cheese
- 2 – 3 vinegary garnishes (think olives, cornichons, marinated tomatoes, etc.)
- 2 – 3 types of crackers or breads
- 1 type of crunchy item (think nuts, candied or otherwise)
- 1 type of sweet item (think dried fruit, grapes, etc.)
While the list above might seem like a lot, keep in mind that a charcuterie board can be served as an appetizer to a meal or as a main course for something like a cocktail party. If it is not the main course, factor on 2 ounces per person of the main meats and cheeses. If it is a main course, factor on 5 ounces per person of the main meats and cheeses. When thinking about what you’re going to include on your board, don’t stress. You can purchase everything, or do one or two homemade items. A charcuterie board is meant to be stress free!
After you’ve got all of your goodies ready to go, it’s time to assemble. I find it easiest to start with a large cutting board or platter; any will do, but I find that a marble slab, wood-grained cutting board or a bright white platter works best. Here’s a foolproof process to creating a beautiful Charcuterie board.
- Start with your bigger items: the meats and cheeses. Place a meat and cheese each in opposite corners, then diagonally from each other in the middle.
- Next add the crackers or breads. When placing them on the board, do so in large handfuls, in a way that starts to fill the spaces between the meats and cheeses.
- For your vinegary garnishes, start to place them in heaping piles interspersed amongst the items already on your board. Rotate colors around the board so everything is eye catching.
- Finally, add your spread(s). You can either place them in a small bowl, or add them right on the board if you have room.
There you have it! By the end of these four steps and a trip to the grocery store you’ll have an inviting, beautiful, and perfect charcuterie board that will impress everyone!
