What Is a Charcuterie Board?
I have always been a huge fan of cheese boards when I am having my friends over. They’re easy to assemble, there’s something for everyone, and I’ve never known us not to solve the world’s’ problems over a cheese board and a bottle, or two, of bubbly. If you’ve never made a charcuterie board before and have no clue what I’m talking about, it’s essentially an arrangement of various cured meats on a serving board. More often than not you’ll be served a charcuterie and cheese board at a restaurant (or at my house!) that includes other nibbles like nuts, fresh and dried fruits, olives, and so on. It didn’t take me long to figure out how to build a charcuterie board. Trust me, even if your first attempt isn’t as aesthetically pleasing as you’d like it to be, I can guarantee it’ll still taste good!
What Goes on a Charcuterie Board?
Not sure what to put on a charcuterie board? The possibilities are endless when making a charcuterie board! This particular salty-and-sweet board includes:
4 cheeses (more on that next) 3 flavors of Salami Cracked Pepper Sliced Turkey Breast 3 Fresh Fruits – Red and Green Grapes, Green Apples 2 Dried Fruits – Apricots and Cranberries 2 Nuts – Salted Cashews and Pecans Chocolate-Covered Almonds Triscuit Wheat Thins Good THiNS
What’s the Best Cheese for a Charcuterie Board?
If you’re unsure what type(s) of cheese to include on your DIY charcuterie board, check out my post on How to Make a Meat and Cheese Board. I have an entire section dedicated to the best cheeses for cheese board, and the same principles apply when assembling a charcuterie and cheese board. However, for today’s charcuterie and cheese board I used the following four cheeses:
Aged Manchego Gouda Cheddar Parmesan
The Best Crackers for a Charcuterie Board
Almost everything tastes delicious when it’s piled on top of Nabisco-brand crackers. Triscuits have always been my favorites, since childhood. I went through a huge Reduced Fat Triscuit phase in college, then I moved onto Cracked Pepper, as well as some of their more specialty flavors like Rosemary & Olive Oil. The crunchiness, the heartiness, the perfect amount of salt, mmm, I am Team Triscuit all the way. Recently I’ve gotten into the Triscuit Wheatberry Clusters. Have you tried those yet? Super crunchy and I feel like it’s a healthy snack choice since they are literally loaded with wheatberries, seeds, and nuts.
Inspired by Chef Levi, and one of my favorite salty-sweet combinations, is 1 thin slice of Cheddar cheese, a thin slice of green apple, and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar on top of Triscuits, Wheat Thins, or GOOD THiNS. On this board, I used Original Triscuits, Original Wheat Thins which are my sister’s favorite and such a classic snacking cracker, and GOOD THiNS.
GOOD THiNS come in a variety of flavors but I kept it basic here. The nice thing about them is that they’re gluten-free so if you have friends or family who are gluten-sensitive, they’re a great option. We don’t want to leave anyone out of snack time!
What Else to Put on a Charcuterie Board
I went with easy-to-find ingredients that are crowd favorites with nearly universal appeal, but my other suggestions include:
Other Cheeses – Brie, Swiss, Aged Cheddar, Cambert, Blue, Gorgonzola Other Nuts – Marcona Almonds, Peanuts, Macadamia, Pistachios, or Hot/Spicy/Sugar-Coated nuts Other Meats – Ham, Prosciutto, Chicken, Hard Salamis Olives Yogurt or Chocolate-Covered Pretzels Pickles or Marinated Vegetables Hummus Tzatziki Fresh Seasonal Berries (winter right now is not the season for fresh Strawberries, Blueberries, Blackberries, or Raspberries) Fresh Fruit (Mandarin Oranges, Persimmon, Apricots, Nectarines, Peaches, Red Apples) Veggie Sticks – Carrots, Celery, Cucumbers Cherry Tomatoes Honey or Honeycomb Jams or Jellies – Sweet versions or Hot Pepper Jelly
The possibilities are endless based on what you have on hand and what you know your guests like. Get adventurous is my advice.
How to Build a Charcuterie Board
As I’ve said already, there’s no magic system to creating the perfect DIY charcuterie board. However, I generally arrange the cheeses vertically on my board, leaving some white space between them to fill with the cured meats, dishes of nuts and olives, and small bunches of grapes and other fruits. You can place the crackers directly on the board, or separate them into smaller pretty dishes. For a full rundown of how I build charcuterie boards, you should read my tutorial on building a meat and cheese board. The same principles apply!
What Drinks to Serve with a Charcuterie Board
Depending on the theme of my charcuterie and cheese board (if any), I try to pair it with a complementary beverage. Here are some ideas to get you started. Alcoholic Options:
Wine – Rose, Red, White, or your favorites Champagne – Rose is my favorite but serve your favorites Margaritas Sparkling Apple Cider Sangria Malibu Sunset Peach Mango Pineapple White Sangria Tropical Strawberry Lemonade Party Punch
Non-Alcoholic Options:
Water Soda Juice – Cranberry, Apple, Orange, or your favorites Kombucha Iced Tea Iced Coffee Energy Drinks
Tips for Making a Charcuterie Board
Set the cheeses out about 30 minutes prior to serving the charcuterie board. I think room temp cheeses taste best, plus they’re easier to slice. I also recommend ‘fluffing up’ the meat a bit rather than laying it flat on the board straight from the packaging. Cured meats are often vacuum sealed, and you don’t want them clumping together on your DIY charcuterie board. If you accidentally buy way more cheese or meat than you end up needing, send your friends home with a little care package of cheese, meat, extra goodies, and crackers from your board so that later on they can have a little taste of your girls night together.
More Cheese Board Ideas:
How To Make The Best Cheese Board – Learn my TIPS and tricks to create the BEST cheese board!! From brie to prosciutto and everything in between, this board has it ALL! It’ll be a major hit at your next party!! Tried this recipe? Leave a review! Consider leaving a 5 star rating if you’ve made and loved one of my recipes!
Easy Spanish-Inspired Cheese Board – Learn my TIPS and tricks to create the PERFECT cheese board!! From prosciutto to manchego and everything in between, this board has ALL the goodies! It’ll be a major hit at your next party!!
Post is brought to you by Mondolez. The images, text, and opinions expressed are my own.
