I love to put together an assortment of appetizer options when I’m entertaining, including favorites such as baked chicken wings, spinach dip, bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers, baked brie, pigs in a blanket and a fabulous charcuterie board. The latest craze to hit the food scene is the charcuterie board, also known as a grazing board. Sometimes people take it to the next level and create a whole grazing table to feed their guests! Making a beautiful and functional charcuterie board is easy to do, and the results are always fantastic. It’s one of the easiest appetizer recipes around!
Charcuterie Board Ingredients
You can put almost any bite sized item on a charcuterie tray, here are some of the most popular items.
Meat: Cured meats are the centerpiece of any charcuterie display. Some great options include salami, prosciutto, pepperoni, pate, ham or chorizo. Cheese: I like to include a few types of cheese for a good variety of flavors and textures. I typically choose an aged cheddar, a soft cheese such as goat cheese, camembert or brie, and a blue cheese or gorgonzola. Other options include fresh mozzarella balls, burrata, havarti, swiss, gouda, or hard cheeses such as parmigiano reggiano, manchego and gruyere. You can even do a cheese board that focuses more on cheeses than meats. Vegetables: Offer an assortment of veggies such as baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, marinated artichokes, roasted red bell peppers, pickles or blanched green beans. Place wet items in small dishes. Fruit: It’s common to see fresh or dried fruit on a party tray. My favorite fresh fruit choices include apple slices, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, figs and grapes. When it comes to dried fruit, dried apricots or dates are a popular choice. Nuts: Include a handful or two of nuts such as candied pecans, pistachios, candied walnuts or marcona almonds. Bread: I always make sure that there are a few choices of crackers, breadsticks or fresh sliced bread. Dips and Spreads: It’s nice to include a few dips or spreads to complement the cheese choices. You can go savory with olive tapenade, garlic aioli or basil pesto, or try a hint of sweetness with honeycomb or fruit preserves.
How Do You Make A Charcuterie Board?
The first step is to plan out exactly what you’d like to put on your tray by category. I like to include a little bit of everything so that my guests have plenty of options! Arrange all the items on a large board or tray. I like to add a garnish of fresh herbs for a touch of freshness and elegance, then set out your tray and watch the rave reviews come in.
Tips For The Perfect Board
I typically start with the larger items such as wedges of cheese, jars of jam and a bowl of olives. Smaller items such as fruit, nuts, crackers and meats can be arranged around the bigger ingredients and used to fill in gaps. Go for a variety of textures. For example, do some cubes of salami along with some thin sliced prosciutto. Offer a wedge of blue cheese, then cut your cheddar into slices or cubes. You can use thematic items to make your boards specific to particular holidays, such as a Halloween charcuterie board or Thanksgiving charcuterie board.
Make Ahead Instructions
You can assemble your board up to 8 hours before you plan to serve it. Keep the board covered and in the refrigerator until you’re ready to eat. If you’re making it ahead of time, leave off any wet items such as marinated artichokes, and add them at the last minute. I also recommend leaving off bread items until right before you serve, as they can get stale in the fridge.
You can never go wrong with a charcuterie plate, there’s something for everyone! This is a trend that I hope sticks around for a long time.
Charcuterie Board Video
