How to Make the Best Charcuterie Board
Simple ideas on How to Make the Best Charcuterie Board. Mix and match with your favorite meats, cheeses, nuts and fruits using various boards. This Charcuterie Board is perfect for the holidays. An absolute crowd pleaser!
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If there is one thing I absolutely adore, it is eating appetizers for dinner during the Holidays and Summer months.
What is there is there not to love about Charcuterie Boards with all the flavors, textures, colors and choices?
Also, it is perfect when you want to impress guests and you just don’t want to cook.
But here’s the deal, a really good Charcuterie Board can become extremely expensive very quickly.
However, I have learned a thing or two about keeping costs within a reasonable range while still impressing all your people.
What is a Charcuterie Board?
Originating in France, Charcuterie is a type of cooking involving prepared or cured meats. This approach has developed over the years to what many Americans know as the Charcuterie Board. In other words, a display of cured meats with fruits, cheeses, nuts, veggies, olives, breads and crackers. The beauty of Charcuterie Boards, you pick and choose your favorite finger food and/or appetizers to completely personalize this feast.
How To Make The Best Charcuterie Board
One of the most important elements to making an awesome Charcuterie Board is to incorporate at least 1-2 of the following types of ingredients; sweet, creamy, crunchy, salty and tangy. By doing this you will engage the taste buds with different taste sensations, making this feast extremely satisfying.
Additionally, many of the ingredients will fall into multiple categories. Crisp grapes and cherry tomatoes can be both sweet and slightly crunchy and olives and capers can be both salty and tangy.
Here are several options for each of these categories.
Sweet
- Grapes
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Pears
- Dates
- Roasted Red Peppers (also adds a smokey flavor)
- Honey
- Jam
- Balsamic Glaze
- Dried Apricots
- Cherries
- Candied Walnuts
- Figs
- Blueberries
- Blackberries
Creamy
- Goat Cheese
- Mozarella
- Cheddar
- Fontina
- Gouda
- Havarti
- Gruyere
- Brie
- Provolone
Crunchy
- Crackers
- Almonds
- Crusty Bread (baguettes, Tuscan loaf)
- Cucumber Slices
- Carrots
- Pita Chips
Salty
- Pistachios
- Sopressata Sausage
- Prosciutto
- Salami
- Coppa
- Parmigiano Reggiano
Tangy
- Olives
- Capers
- Feta
- Hummus
- Lemon Artichoke Dip
Tips To Keep Costs Down
One very important word of warning, Charcuterie Boards can become extremely expensive very quickly. However, you can still make a phenomenal one and keep costs relatively low with these helpful tips.
- Rather than investing in a Fancy Charcuterie Board or boards, use items you already have at home. For my setup I used a beautiful lazy Susan, Pizza peel and a bamboo cutting board. (Pro Tip: When serving many people, work with three boards or trays for an eye appealing effect and it will give you plenty of space.)
- Break up your purchases. In other words, try not to buy everything all at once but rather purchase cupboard items in advance. For example, if you know you will be serving a Charcuterie Board at Christmas, go ahead and purchase things like olives, capers, jams, honey, etc. a month in advance. Spreading out the cost helps to not feel like you were punched in the stomach on the day of purchase.
- Be selective and really stick to your families and friends favorite items. So for example, if you know your family really loves Mozzarella and Havarti, don’t bother with the other cheeses or maybe include just one other additional type for fun.
- Shop at stores that offer a discount. Often buying in bulk at Costco can be a great way to keep costs down when feeding a crowd. Aldi or Trader Joes will often carry smaller quantities for a more affordable price.
- Don’t over buy. For me personally this is one of my biggest challenges. I always want to have plenty of food to go around so I tend to always over do it. But that can mean a pretty hefty grocery bill for just one board. To keep costs down it is important to keep in mind that each person is just having a small amount of each category.
- Multi purpose small serving bowls are perfect for all the small ingredients and can be used over and over again.
More Appetizers
In addittion to the recipes mentioned above Homemade Cheeseball, Bruschetta and Tzatziki Sauce wound be a wonderful addition to this spread. However, if you are looking for more football tailgating kind of appetizers than Mango Shrimp Salsa, Simple Healthy Guacamole, Ultra Creamy Nacho Cheese and Best Ever Dry Rubbed Wings will fit the bill.
