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Charcuterie Board - How to

This guide will help you create and assemble your own charcuterie board and customize it for whatever occasion you want.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Appetizer, brunch, Main Course
Cuisine American, Canadian
Servings 8

Equipment

  • 1 Board or box for 8 people you will need a minumum 14" board
  • cheese knife set
  • cheese markers optional
  • small jars or dishes for accompaniments
  • small spoons for jams or jellies

Ingredients
  

  • Hard Cheese, such as manchego, parmesan, cheddar, swiss, gruyere, gouda, asiago choose 1
  • Semi-Soft cheese, such as havarti, muenster choose 1
  • Soft cheese, such as burrata, mascarpone, blue cheese, gorgonzola, cream cheese, goat cheese or chevre, feta choose 1
  • Cured Meats like prosciutto, salami, ham, chorizo, capricola, soppressata , mortadella, pepperoni, choose some sweet, some spicy, some plain
  • Starches such as a fresh baguette, pita crackers, crostini, whole grain crackers choose a good variety with a minimum of 3
  • Savory Accompaniments: such as nuts, pickled items such as gherkins or olives, dips or spreads such as hummus or whole grain mustard choose a variety with a minimum of 3
  • Sweet Accompaniments: such as jams or jellies, fresh fruit or berries, dried fruit or berries, chocolate

Instructions
 

  • Choose your board, depending on your party size. A 12-14" board should be sufficient to serve 8-10 people. If you need to you can use multiple boards for larger groups.
  • Start with the cheese: start with the cheese to "anchor" the board. Working in odd numbers, so, depending on the size of your party, choose 3, 5, or 7 types of cheeses to place around the board.  (I recommend 3 for a board for 8-10). Place the largest cheese just a little off center and work around it for balance. Separate the cheeses so that there is room to add the meats next.
  • Fold and add the meats: There are many ways to stack and fold meats. Depending on the thickness of the slice. For thicker meats I suggest a horizontal stack (offset each piece), For medium thickness such as genoa salami either make a meat "rose" or fold into quarters and form a row of meat. For thin meat (like prosciutto) fold them in a light and airy ribbon. Separate your meats around the board. Try to vary texture and colors as you place items.
  • Add the Accompaniments:  Fill in the gaps with both savory and sweet accompaniments. Try and separate colors in a way that allows the brightest colors to "pop" and place foods together that pair well together. For example, mustard, briny foods and nuts near salami and sopresseta, and sharp cheeses like parmesan. Pair sweet accompaniments like fresh fruit, jams, and candied nuts, near the brie cheese or goat cheese. Cheddar cheese pairs well with savory and sweet. If you want an item to be enjoyed a certain way, then place it on the board in such a manner that it must be eaten that way. For example if you have a wheel of brie and some honey you want to serve with it, pour the honey on top (nuts too if you're using them). If you have a soft cheese you want a particular jelly on, then pour it over. Make sure to set a cheese knife in or next to it so your guests know to use it.
  • Look for gaps, fill in with more fruit, nuts or garnishes such as fresh herbs or chocolate treats.
  • Refrigerate your board until 30 minutes prior to serving, you don't want it to be too cold especially for the softer cheeses.
  • Keep it simple. When starting out, don't buy super expensive cheeses as your guests may prefer the more common varieties. Try one "gourmet" item at a time until you know who likes what.
  • Keep colors in mind when you are constructing your board. Try not to have too many items of the same color next to each other.
Keyword appetizer, charcuiterie, charcuiterie board, grazing board, holiday entertaining, low carb