A charcuterie board is a perfect way to keep your hungry guests satisfied as you wrap up cooking and plating on any holiday. It is also perfect for a small gathering of friends and loved ones when you don’t exactly feel like cooking. It’s a perfect balance of meat, starch and fruit. Your grazing guests will be satisfied to pair this with just a glass of wine and good conversation.
Here are the ingredients from my board. Feel free to fill in each category on the board with your favorite choices. Be sure to watch the video of how I put the board together below.
Ingredients
- Crackers:
- Butter rounds
- pretzel crisps
- black sesame seed gourmet crackers
- mini toast crisps
- Charcuterie:
- Salami
- Pepperoni
- Maple cured ham
- Cheese:
- Sharp cheddar
- Gruyere cheese
- Manchego cheese
- Goat's cheese
- Assorted:
- Berries: Blueberries, strawberries
- Grapes: Green grapes, red grapes, purple grapes
- Fruit: Pomegranates, pears, apples
- Seed: pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds
- Nuts: pistachio nuts, almonds, cashews
- Jams: raspberry preserves, strawberry jam, apricot jam
- Honey: orange blossom honey
Instructions
- Clean the board you will use thoroughly with a damp cloth, followed by a dry cloth.
- Start by arranging cheeses on the board. Cut and present cheese in a variety of ways - cubes, wedge slices, rectangular slices, whole rounds.
- Fold and roll meats and arrange them next in one continuous line next to the cheeses.
- Arrange crackers in stacks, rows and containers on the opposite side of cheeses. (opposite to the meats)
- Start by adding large fruit pieces first such as apples, pomegranates, pears, etc. Next, add berries and grapes in large open spaces on the board. (Keep making space by pushing and rearranging things to take up less space.)
- Lastly, add honey, preserves/jams and nuts in small leftover spots on the board.
Notes
*Try to use only glass or white containers on the board. *Be sure to set down a knife for cutting cheese rounds and a spreader knife for jams and preserves. *Wash and dry the berries and other fruit ahead of time.
