This trick to a gorgeous looking charcuterie board is simply arranging things the way you like, so just looking at your board is enough to give you butterflies. Dont you worry, I will be giving the best tricks and tips on How To Set Up A Charcuterie Board!
You’ll become an expert in no time, ready to impress all your guests.
The Perfect Picture
Do you have a gathering with family and friends coming up? Or maybe a dinner party for your guests? A fancy Charcuterie Board is the perfect puzzle piece to add to your dining table.
In just a few steps, we will put together such an appetizing and impressive spread! And the best thing about it, is that it doesn’t take that much time or effort, just a sprinkle of creativity!
The actual definition of charcuterie tends to refer to cold cooked meats, but it can also include a selection of any type of cheese you like, types of spreads, a selection of nuts or crackers, and maybe a side of fruit and vegetables. An amazing combination!
Adjusting Your Charcuterie Board
One of my absolute favorite things about putting a charcuterie board together is that you can adjust every last detail to what you like.
You can choose to be specific about what types of foods to include or even the colors. Have you ever attempted to make an all-blue charcuterie board by selecting blue cheeses, fruits, and dips?
Its flexibility is so wide! Depending on the number of guests you have coming over, you can choose to scale you board up or down.
What’s even better is everyone can join the party! You can simply adjust the ingredients you choose to include on your charcuterie board to fit certain preferences or dietary requirements.
Mix And Match As You Please
Time To Get Creative
A charcuterie board has five main elements that you cannot do without: the foundation, the smaller dishes and the meats, the cheeses, and the produce.
Each and every one of these elements gives a new dimension to the board and works so well together, giving you a charcuterie board that looks and tastes incredible.
As you go through your elements, start filling up your board just as you like and rearranging as you go along.
Start by adding the dish bowls to your board to give it the initial structure it needs. Add the meats, the cheese and the produce, going through them from biggest to smallest.
The Different Elements of a Charcuterie Board
The Foundation
Choosing the base of your charcuterie board plays a big part in appearance and can be a board, a tray, or a large platter. I personally love a wood board because of its sturdiness and the beautiful foundation it gives the charcuterie board. Marble is also an eye-catching choice.
When it comes to shape, choose whichever shape you like, but bare in mind the size of the your leafy greens or cheese cubes to fit comfortably on the board.
Size is absolutely your choice, but of course, the bigger the board, the more you need to fill it up, which may become costly.
Adding Small Dishes
Adding dishes for your dips, or small bowls and cups, adds structure to the charcuterie board. You can decide on the sizes, colors, and shapes of these smaller bowls, and arrange them as you wish. They’re perfect for smaller items like nuts or olives, and especially dips.
The Meats
You can include two types of meat on your charcuterie board. Harder meats, such as sausages or salami, can be placed on the board whole, making them easier for your guests to cut from.
For cured meats, you can choose as many as you like to add, but cut them into thin slices and arrange them into loose rolls around the board to pick up easily.
Popular meats to add to your charcuterie board are martadella, prosciutto, salami, and pancetta.
Everything You Need On One Board
Adding Cheese to Your Platter
With cheese, a mix of contrasting flavors and textures is the best way forward. Your charcuterie board gains a bit more diversity, and guests have more choices to choose from.
Cheese can be divided into 3 categories and as a charcuterie rule, it is best to include three to five of these, a hard cheese, a soft cheese and a blue cheese.
Some cheese compliment each other better than others, you can always ask for pairing suggestions at the store.
Crack Open the Crackers
Along with the meats and the cheese selection, its time to include some starchy sides. You can choose whichever, crackers, breadsticks or breads you would like to include and decorate them on your charcuterie board anyway you like.
Throw in a Fruit and Vegetable Mix
Finally, adding a selection of fruits and vegetables to your charcuterie board gives it the added color and freshness it was missing. The crunchiness gives a contrasted taste to the salty meats and rich cheese, but compliment each other perfectly.
A top tip to consider is to use fruits or vegetables that can be eaten whole or cut easily into slices without creating a mess. A super-saving tip: use fruit and vegetables that are in season!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
It is best to serve your charcuterie board at room temperature, as this is when the meats and cheeses taste best.
The easiest and best looking way to organize your board is to start with the bigger items and dishes to lay down the structure, then add the smaller items, rearranging as you like.
There are so many ways to fold your sliced meat, but the easiest and best-looking way is a quarter fold. Fold each slice in half and then in half again.
There are so many different designs and layouts out there that you can use a picture or any template you find useful for reference.
More Tips and Trick to Try:
- How to Make Taco Seasoning Mix
- How To Reheat Pasta Without Drying It Out?
- How to Make Jarred Pasta Sauce Better
- How to Make Oat Flour
- How to Cook Whole Chicken in Instant Pot
- How To Store Celery?
- How to Clean & Store Veggies to Stay Fresh
- How to Peel Hard Boiled Eggs in Under 10 Seconds
- How To Measure Wet And Dry Ingredients!
- How To Peel Garlic In The Microwave!
Leave a Reply