Crafting a stunning charcuterie board is an art form that blends flavors, textures, and visual appeal into a culinary masterpiece. Local board artist Del Salisbury of DelChuterie shares some must-know tips. When making your charcuterie board, the 3 3 3 rule helps you along: select 3 meats, 3 cheeses, and 3 accompaniments. Depending on the size of your board, you can do less or more, allowing for adjustments to include fewer or more elements as needed. Whether you're hosting a casual gathering or an elegant soirée, a well-crafted charcuterie board is a delightful centerpiece that invites guests to indulge in a symphony of savory delights.
MEATS:
Choose a variety of meats that are easy to eat with your fingers.
examples include Salami, Peperoni, Prosciutto, Soppressata, Mortadella.
CHEESE:
Buy a variety of cheeses that range from mellow to sharp in
flavor. Don’t get scared to experiment. Slice them into different
shapes; Rustic chunks, cubes, triangles, wedges or use a cookie
cutter to make fun shapes or letters. Include a variety of hard / semi hard cheeses like
Manchego, Aged Cheddar, Gouda and soft / semi soft cheeses
like brie, goat cheese, havarti or blue cheese.
BREAD & CRACKERS: At least 1 cracker per slice of meat
Crostini, water crackers, grain crackers, or thin slices of toasted
baguettes are perfect for spreading and scooping!
FRUITS & NUTS
Fresh fruit like grapes, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries,
blackberries or even pear or apple slices add color and
freshness. Dried apricots or dried mandarins are sweet and add
a different texture. Nuts should be shelled and salted.
SWEETS:
Add something sweet, such as pepper jelly, fig jam (you
can use any jam that you prefer), or a little bit of honey (spicy
honey). Add a few chocolate-covered nuts, chocolate truffles to
satisfy a sweet tooth!
PICKLES, OLIVES, & DIPS:
Small bowls of black, green, and kalamata olives, cornichons
(baby dill pickles), banana peppers, or other pickled vegetables
and cranberry relish, some whole grain mustard, tapenade,
pepper/eggplant spread, hummus, artichoke dip, cream cheese
dip.
How to put together the Board:
There is no wrong way, have fun and get creative and don’t be
scared to arrange the ingredients in any interesting way that
inspires you.
Some things to remember: Cut fruit will deteriorate more
quickly; Nuts can get rancid in the fridge; Best to enjoy your
board within 1-2 days of making it.
Don’t Forget the Wine!!!