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    Home » Recipes » Appetizer Recipes

    How to Make a Simple Charcuterie Board

    Published: Dec 9, 2021 · Modified: Feb 4, 2023 by Samantha Ferraro · This post may contain affiliate links · 3 Comments

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    Charcuterie boards are all the rage, a true classic when it comes to entertaining. Here I share all of my favorite tips, tidbits and pairings to make an excellent cheeseboard that everyone will truly love. My main tip, add what you like!

    Charcuterie boards are all the rage, a true classic when it comes to entertaining. Here I share all of my favorite tips, tidbits and pairings to make an excellent cheeseboard that everyone will truly love. My main tip, add what you like!

    Cheese for Everyone

    Over the last year or so, I've been learning more about the world of cheese and what a delicious world that is. There are so many styles, flavors and textures, not to mention all the cheeses that come from different milks and mixes of milks too.
    There is truly a cheese for everyone.
    Here, I gathered all the tips, tidbits and pairings to make an incredible charcuterie board that everyone will truly love.

    Cheese Board vs. Charcuterie Board

    There is a difference when it comes to a cheese board or a charcuterie board. Technically, the word "charcuterie" translates to meats in French. So if you were making a board full of only cheese, it wouldn't be a charcuterie board. But once you start adding meats, then it is.

    What Goes on a Simple Charcuterie Board

    This is where you can have fun with what you have! I like to raid my cabinets and pantry for variety and different finger foods to add to the board.

    • Cheeses
    • Meats
    • Olives and/or Pickles
    • Fresh or Dried fruit
    • Nuts
    • Honey and/or Jams
    Charcuterie boards are all the rage, a true classic when it comes to entertaining. Here I share all of my favorite tips, tidbits and pairings to make an excellent cheeseboard that everyone will truly love. My main tip, add what you like!

    How to Arrange a Charcuterie Board

    1. Start by arranging the cheeses on the board
    2. If using bowls for jams, arrange bowls around the platter.
    3. Fold meats if desired and arrange in empty spots.
    4. Fill empty spots with olives, fruit, nuts, etc.
    5. Add serving utensils to cheeses and jams and honey.

    Tips on Making a Meat and Cheese Board

    • Have a variety of options with different textures, flavors and colors if possible
    • Same goes with meat, have a variety of meat, such as. hard salami or a funky prosciutto
    • Keep it FULL. What is so eye catching about cheese boards, is how full and abundant they look. So fill in the gaps with nuts or fruit.
    • Serve cheeses with it's own serving utensils.
    • Same with jams, if having multiple jams or honey, serve each one with it's own spoon.
    • Bring cheeses to room temperature before serving, about 20 minutes before you are planning on eating. This will open up the flavors of the cheese.

    And finally…add what you like! What is so fun about making charcuterie boards is the variety of flavors and bites. So add what you love and everyone will love it!

    Cheeses for Cheese Board

    I always like to suggest working in odd numbers, since it's more visually appealing and gives you variety.
    The three cheeses I always recommend to start off with for a simple cheese board are:

    1. Brie: Double cream D'Affinoise is shown in the photos, buttery and mild. I also love a creamy triple cream brie such as Cowgirl Creamery Mt. Tam or St. Nuage, both incredibly decadent with a mild rind.
    2. Aged Gouda or Aged Cheddar: 15 months + older so you can enjoy those lovely crystals that develop in aged cheese.
    3. What I like to call this, the "wild card", such as a blue cheese, such as creamy gorgonzola or roquefort or sliceable alpine style, such as Gruyere or Comté or a tangy goat cheese.
      Other notable mentions: marinated goat cheese with olive oil and herbes,burrata with olive oil and flakey sea salt.

    Meats for Charcuterie Board

    • Salami: I am really liking Creminelli Barolo Salami as a hard salami where you slice it yourself or try a sliced Sopressata that is flavored with pepper and garlic.
    • Prosciutto or Speck: Another pork charcuterie option that offers a bit of funk and saltiness. Look for speck instead of prosciutto, which is the same cut, but speck is smoked rather than cured like prosciutto.
    • Bresaola: If you don't eat pork, look for this beef charcuterie option.

    Accoutrements

    • Olives: Castelvetrano Olives are our favorite, they are mild, buttery and addictive.
    • Pickles and Peppers: Such as peppadews or cornichons
    • Fruit: figs, grapes, pick seasonally
    • Jams: This fig jam is always a crowd pleaser!
    • Honey or Honeycomb
    • Nuts: Almonds or Marcona Almonds are fantastic!
    • Crackers and/or Crostini

    Cheese Pairing Suggestions

    • Aged Gouda + Fig Jam
    • Red Peppadews + Goat Cheese
    • Brie Cheese + Fig Jam or Pepper Jelly
    • Gorgonzola + Honeycomb
    • Soft Goat Cheese + Olive Oil + Herbes de Provence
    • Manchego + Quince Paste or Quince Jam
    Charcuterie boards are all the rage, a true classic when it comes to entertaining. Here I share all of my favorite tips, tidbits and pairings to make an excellent cheeseboard that everyone will truly love. My main tip, add what you like!

    More Cheesy Appetizers to Try

    • Manchego and Roasted Pepper Stuffed Mushrooms
    • Roasted Tomatoes with Basil Oil and Burrata
    • Vegetarian Mezze Platter

    Simple Charcuterie Board

    Samantha Ferraro

    LittleFerraroKitchen.com

    Sharing all of the tips, tidbits and pairings to make an excellent cheeseboard that everyone will truly love. My main tip, add what you like!
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Total Time 15 mins
    Course Appetizer
    Cuisine American, French
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories 969 kcal

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 4 ounces goat cheese cut into cubes
    • ½ cup olive oil
    • 1 tablespoons herbes de provence
    • 4 ounce double cream brie
    • 4-6 ounces aged gouda broken up into chunks
    • 4 ounces Gruyere or Comté sliced thin
    • ½ cup Fig jam
    • ¼ cup Almonds
    • ½ cup Whole Castelveltrano olives
    • ¼ cup Cured olives
    • 4 ounces Sliced salami
    • 2 ounces Sliced prosciutto
    • Fresh fruit: figs grapes, clementines, etc

    Instructions
     

    • In a small bowl, gently toss the cubed goat cheese with olive oil and herbes de provence.
    • Arrange cheeses on a board or platter and spoon fig jam into a small bowl and arrange on platter.
    • Fill gaps with olives, sliced meat, nuts and fresh fruit.

    Video

    Notes

    Bring cheeses to room temperature before serving, about 20 minutes before you are planning to serve.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 969kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 37gFat: 81gSaturated Fat: 29gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 41gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 137mgSodium: 1749mgPotassium: 347mgFiber: 3gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 1032IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 643mgIron: 3mg
    Keyword simple charcuterie board, simple cheeseboard, small charcuterie board
    Did you make this recipe?Let us know by leaving a comment and 5 star rating!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kayla DiMaggio says

      December 11, 2021 at 7:54 am

      5 stars
      Love this! I never know how to put together a beautiful charcuterie board!

      Reply
    2. Andra says

      December 11, 2021 at 9:26 am

      5 stars
      Super useful tips and pairing suggetions! thank you so much 😀

      Reply
    3. Dawn Conklin says

      December 12, 2021 at 1:54 pm

      5 stars
      This charcuterie board is so gorgeous! I have never made one before because I never knew how to put one together. This one will be perfect for our holiday get together.

      Reply

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