How To Make A Charcuterie Board

What Is A Charcuterie Board?

Let’s start with the basics: what is a charcuterie board? A charcuterie (pronounced “shahr-ku-tuh-ree”) board most often consists of a variety of meats and cheeses, often paired with crackers, fruit, nuts, and spreads.

An ideal charcuterie board has a good balance of flavors and textures and has foods that contrast and complement each other’s taste. Start thinking about the different colors and textures to include to make your holiday cheese board vibrant – Grapes, berries, dried apricots, nuts, pickles, olives and jams are great options for adding lots of fun flavors and colors.

Include the following for the ultimate holiday cheese board assortment:

• Meats – estimate about 4 slices per person when building your board. Include a variety of flavors from smoked meats and pates to salami and prosciutto
• Cheese – estimate about 2 ounces per person. Include a variety of cheeses, both hard and soft from mellow to sharp in flavor
• Bread and Crackers – Include a variety of options including sliced baguettes, buttery or grain crackers, pretzels, and/ or chips. Blue Diamond Almond Nut-Thins are the perfect guilt-free option and usually a fan favorite because they’re gluten free, but don’t taste it.
• Fruits and Nuts – Include both dried and fresh fruits in a variety of textures and colors; Apples, grapes, and dried apricots are popular options. Nuts should be salted and flavorful; Blue Diamond’s Gourmet Almonds are fantastic options for charcuterie board platters as they complement the other snacks well and offer a variety of savory, gourmet flavor options
• Vegetables – Include an assortment of raw veggies and a variety of pickled and spicy peppers for added crunch. Adding small bowls filled with pickles and olives is highly encouraged
• Dips and Spreads – Include some options for added flavor such as jellies and mustards

How To Assemble A Charcuterie Platter?

Now that you know the basics of charcuterie boards, let’s get into some tips on how to assemble your holiday charcuterie platter. Most of the items can be prepared, washed and sliced ahead of time meaning this easy snack board can be ready in minutes!

1. Start with your cheeses – play with their shapes and spread them out across the board or serving platter
2. Add the veggies, fruits, and spreads – place the bowls of olives or pickles in big open spaces, place spreads near cheeses they complement. Include bundles of grapes on board corners and pile slices of apples or dried apricots across the board.
3. Add bread and crackers – stack a variety of cracker options near spreads. Lay cracker and bread options around cheeses to contour their unique shapes
4. Add meats – wrap meats like prosciutto into rosettes and stack vertically to create a variety of textures. Stack and fan out sliced meats like salami for visual appeal. Place different types of meat with their ideal cheese pairing
5. Add nuts – Fill open spaces with a variety of nuts!

And now all that’s left to do is enjoy with your family and friends! Be sure to keep extras nearby so you can refill as needed.