With an endless variety of meats, cheeses and finger foods, a charcuterie board is the perfect option for entertaining around the holidays.
The art of making a beautiful charcuterie spread is all in the variety of colors, textures, shapes and a purposeful arrangement. Of course, what items you choose and in what styling is up to your own personal interpretation. There is no right or wrong way of creating a charcuterie board, just limited by your imagination.
A great way to start your board is to anchor it with your largest items first. Then you can add the smaller items around or neighboring them. My personal preference is an arrangement that has a bit of an ‘orderly chaos.’ I’ll typically put soft and hard textures next to each other and repeat the same ingredients in various parts of the board. This allows your guests to access any of the options from any side. It’s like a mini treasure hunt!
Some nice touches are to only partially prepare, but not completely finish, your ingredients. For example, if you have a large wedge of cheese or hard salami, slice a few pieces leaving the remainder of the item whole. I also like to toss few fresh herbs or colorful vegetables onto the board for variety.
Themes are also a great way to style a charcuterie board. You can go with regional meats & cheeses, or just style it around a special occasion. I created this board for Thanksgiving, so I added a few fall related items such as a squash and pomegranate. I was able to find all of my ingredients at my local Sprouts Farmers Market. It’s great to be able to walk into a store and find everything you need for a beautiful and tasty arrangement. Even more so around the holidays when you might need a quick option for entertaining friends and family!
Charcuterie
Ingredients
- peppered salami
- prosciutto
- hard salami
- cheese curds
- spiced pumpkin seeds
- cheese crisps
- pimento cheese dip
- antipasta olive mix DeLallo
- pecans
- cherry tomatoes
- flax crackers
- burrata
- pomegranate
- blackberries
- keto dinner rolls Chompie's
- hazelnut spread Pyure Organic
- strawberries
Instructions
- Begin assembling your charcuterie board with your anchors. This will usually be your small bowls, plates and larger items.
- Next add large cheese wedges, whole sausages or salami sticks. Cut a few slices from each so they invite you to pick at them.
- Add any additional sliced meats and cheeses around your board. Filling in additional spaces with various colors & textured foods. I like to have soft cheeses neighboring crunchy items such as nuts and crackers. Or pops of color like cherry tomatoes and strawberries. It's your canvas, be sure to make it your own!
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