14. anatomy of a charcuterie board
meats, cheeses, fruits and nuts - what's not to love?
In keeping with the seasonal theme, check out my other holiday planning posts: how to plan a dinner party, sides for every occasion, desserts to make when you have guests over.
The charcuterie board is one of the most popular appetisers to have and is very easy to put together. While it is just a board or plate with loads of meats, cheeses and dips, there is an actual art to making the perfect one.
So today, we’re breaking down the anatomy of a charcuterie board.
A bit of history… charcuterie is actually the French word for delicatessen, or sometimes it’s translated as butcher shop. The word derives from French origins in the 15th century, when people used every last bit of the meat and left nothing to waste. The meat was then put through a preservation process of curing and often formed into some sort of sausage or dry-aged meat.
The term charcuterie comes from two French words: “chair” which means “flesh,” and “cuit” which means “cooked.”
In creating the perfect board I did some internet sleuthing and came across a very good technique. Allow me to introduce the “3, 3, 3, 3, rule” for making these boards. Simply choose 3 meats, 3 cheeses, 3 starches, and 3 accompaniments for the perfect board every time.
You can use whatever meats, cheeses, fruits, nuts, that you prefer. After doing some extensive cheese and meat research for you, I’ve put together some examples here to give you a starting point.
the Anatomy of a Charcuterie Board
3 Meats: Use a combination of different meats so there is something for everyone: prosciutto, chorizo, and different variations of salami should all be included. Maybe opt for one that has a bit of pepper or spice to it for that extra kick.
3 Cheeses: It goes without saying that you’re going to need some show-stopping cheeses. I recommend a cheddar, brie, and stilton. The cheddar is perfectly sharp and buttery; the brie is rich and creamy; and the stilton is salty and nutty. If you’re not a fan of stilton, something like a gouda or gruyere is also quite favourable with guests.
3 Starches: Use a mixture of different crackers and breads for the ultimate variety. Peter’s Yard sourdough crackers or Waitrose’s biscuits for cheese offer a variety all in one box. For bread options, opt for something that has a bit of a crunch like sourdough or baguette.
3 Accompaniments: Use a combination of flavours to give the board diversity. Charcuterie boards tend to contain foods with a lot of salt, so you’ll want palate cleansers like fresh or dried fruit. Pears, and apples go great with softer cheeses, while harder cheeses benefit from the sweetness of jam, compote or jellies. This ensures there’s something for everyone!
Fruit: Thinly sliced apples, pears or grapes work. Grapes offer a sweetness to sharp cheddar
Nuts: They’re easy to snack on and are also perfect for filling up any small or odd shaped spaces left on your cheese board.
Something Sweet: To break away from salty flavours, add something sweet. Small slices of dark chocolate work or even dried apricots and dates are perfect to pair.
Jams, Chutney or Quince: As stated above, adding something sweet can contrast against the sharpness of harder cheeses. Honey is a great alternative and usually a kitchen staple that everybody has in their cupboards.
How to Style your Board
Like I said, there is an art to doing this. While you could just technically pile it all onto a brown board and call it a day, if you’ve gone through the effort to buy all the ingredients, you might as well finish it with a bang. So, here’s how to style it.
Place your cheeses on your board. Pick from both hard and soft cheeses and cut your cheeses into different shapes. You can leave some of them as whole blocks, crumble them, cut into triangles, it’s up to you. For efficiency and ease of eating for your guests, I recommend cutting them into bite size pieces so they can pick as they go.
Place your crackers around your cheese. Just like your cheeses, choose crackers that are different shapes, sizes, and colours to create variety. Arrange them around the board - you can pile them, stack them or fan them out.
Place your jams and honey. Have these in little pots with a spoon or knife for spreading. Have two or three options placed on different ends of the board.
Place your meats. Have your meats appear more than once on the board. We love to create prosciutto roses to give a fun shape with dimension and make fans out of salami.
Place the extras to fill in all the gaps. Now it’s time for your pears, dried apricots, olives, chocolate to take the stage. Fancy things like grapes, salted almonds and tasty Italian olives are all great extras. Have sliced thinly sliced apples or break up bunches of grapes and leave whole olives and pickles.
And that ladies and gentleman is how you create the perfect charcuterie board. I hope you learned a little something and will try your hand at making one for family and friends.