How To Prepare A Charcuterie Board
While appetizers aren't the main dish, they have become the main focus recently, specifically charcuterie boards. This meat, cheese, and everything platter have stolen the party's spotlight, and we understand why. Hosts and hospitality connoisseurs prefer these casual hors d'oeuvres for the convenience, cost efficiency, and creativity they bring to the kitchen.
Each charcuterie board can be as diverse as you like, with meat and cheese, desserts, and candy options. There's no right or wrong way to create the ultimate charcuterie board, but sometimes it can be daunting with many choices. That's why we've developed an easy shopping list to make your prep a breeze and your company more than satisfied.
Choose Your Hard and Soft Cheeses
We prefer a blend of hard and soft cheeses for the base of the charcuterie board. There are tasty hard cheeses such as parmesan, grana-Padano, manchego, and cheddar cheese. (Our favorite is White Vermont Cheddar Cheese!)
Soft cheeses include mozzarella, burrata, feta cheese, or soft-ripened cheeses such as Camembert. You can also use brie or soft, spreadable cream cheese if you're looking for more variety!
Get creative and slice the hard cheeses in triangular or rectangular shapes. Create patterns and provide different textures and sizes to your board!
Pro-tip: Go ahead and slice the hard cheeses on the board for easing serving. People are far more apt to eat it if it's cut already!
Place the Cheeses on the Charcuterie Board
The rule of thumb is to work in odd numbers, so select 3 or 5 kinds of cheese to display on your board. Place them equally around the board, saving room for other tasty accouterments and meats to come!
If you're looking for the right size, check out out Scotsman Board Collection designed by Ben Napier!
The Meats
One way to be cost-efficient is to buy a multi-pack of meats. Our favorites are Calabrese salami, sausage, prosciutto, pepperonis, and soppressata.
A fun way to display your meat options is by folding them into different shapes. Make it easy by layering a different kind of meat next to each other or arranging each selection as a deck of cards. Make ribbons from prosciutto and fill up space where it's needed!
Add the Accouterments
Show off your style and taste with the additional accouterments on the board. These can be fruit spreads like jams and jellies, hummus, a pot of honey, pitted green olives, or tiny pickles. Add as much as you like!
When displaying the "extras," use little jars or small plates on the board to separate and create visual interest.
Bold Colors and Fresh Fruit
Every charcuterie board needs some citrusy, sweet, fresh fruit to compliment the salty, cheesy tastes. Try adding sliced apples, small clippings of grapes, fresh blueberries, and strawberries. Pair these fruits with the cheeses they would pair best with!
Pro-tip: Don't forget to add some crunch and extra sweet sentiments— pistachios, pretzels, and dark chocolate squares make for a fun surprise!
It's Getting Toasty
Provide a toasty or crunchy base for all the flavors by adding toasted bread, table water crackers, and artisan crackers on the side. Fill in blank spaces on the board and use a decorative plate on the side for the rest!
Be sure to check out our LMCo. Pantry Collection for all of the tastiest additions to your charcuterie board!
