I’m no expert when it comes to charcuterie, although I do love to say it with my fine french accent, and make delicious meat and cheese board for guests! I had to look up what the actual definition of CHARCUTERIE was. According to Wikipedia (the source of all my college papers), charcuterie is a method of cooking devoted to meat products. I guess that means Charcuterie boards should actually be filled with meats, while mine are focusing primary on the cheese…because cheese!
If there’s anything I do know about Charcuterie boards, it’s that they come in all shapes and sizes.
Last month I was privileged to attend an event hosted by Cabot Creamery and the Sunday Supper family. At the event we had Chef Jimmy making delicious eats featuring Cabot cheese including this Legacy Tomato Basil Mac and Cheese and BBQ Teriyaki Vegetable & Cheddar Rolls. The mac-n-cheese was a delectable fresh take on my ordinary dish and the vegetables rolls make the perfect appetizer! Both recipes, a cheesy cornbread, and many others can be found on Cabot’s website.
The last part of the event was right up my alley…creating the ultimate cheese board! (Oh, if I could do this for a living….)
Chef Tonda from La Femme du Fromage was there to give us a few pointers about working with cheese. She basically sang music to my ears and I 100% agreed with her when she said her favorite kind of cheese board is one where you barely see the board.
While there are no “rules” when it comes to making a glorious Chacuterie board, I do have some tips for you!
1. The items you can fill a cheese board up with are almost endless and completely up to your tastes
- Hard cheese (Cheddar, Asiago, Provolone)
- Soft cheese (Brie, Goat cheese, Feta, Mozzarella, Gouda)
- Cold cut meats
- Salami/Summer sausages
- Variety of crackers and breadsticks
- Pretzels
- Dried fruits (figs, prunes, apricots, strawberries, raisins, etc)
- Fresh herbs (Rosemary!)
- Grapes
- Olives
- Pickles
- Nuts and Trail mix
- Dips (hummus, tzatziki, salsa, bean dip)
- Fruit preserved and/or honey
- Fruit preserved and/or honey
2. Know Your Audience
A board created for a fancy dinner party and a board created for a kid’s after-school playdate will not look the same, although they will both have meat and cheese. I like my cheese boards full of different tastes and color, but also appreciate a more simple cheese board for smaller occasions.
3. Have a variety of tastes and textures
I like to combine sweet and salty, soft and crunchy. You can add chocolate pieces next to your pretzels or drizzle honey on your cheddar. A colorful pre-made trail mix also looks great!
4. Make it appealing to the eye by adding bowls, height, or different shapes.
You may only have one type of cheese to put on your board, but cut it in different shapes to make it look like an array of different cheeses. That half jar of sliced pickles in your fridge? Put them in a small ramkin to place on your board.
I’ll leave you with this mini charcuterie board I made for the kids after school. Isn’t it cute?!
XOXO
