Making a picture-perfect charcuterie board at home just takes a little planning and easy food presentation techniques.

The first step is to choose the board or platter you want to use. How big is it? How much of each ingredient will you need to buy to fill your board? The bigger the board, the more variety of ingredients you can plan.

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The second step is to create a list of meats, cheeses, fresh and dried fruits, vegetables, olives, crackers and special accoutrements you would like on your board.

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Tip: Plan to purchase meats, cheeses and fruits that complement each other. Example a double cream French Brie pairs well with green apple slices and prosciutto.

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For the meats, choose at least 2-3 different kinds, one being a mild cured flavor like ham or prosciutto, one spicy meat like chorizo or pepperoni and one with a pepper and garlic flavor like genoa or calabrese salami.

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For the cheeses, choose 2-3 with different flavor profiles and textures that also go well with the meats you have chosen. For example, a soft goat’s cheese goes well with prosciutto, a semi hard Manchego goes well with ham, and hard smoked gouda goes well with salami.

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For the fresh fruits and vegetables, choose colorful and tasty varieties that go well with the cheeses you have chosen. We love using grapes, apples and other berries as they all go well with many textures and flavors of cheese.

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Pickled vegetables like cornichons, green olives, artichoke hearts and asparagus are nice additions that compliment and add different flavor profiles to the meats and cheeses.

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Dried fruit and nuts also add more flavor and texture to your board. Smoked nuts and apricots are a great combination!

 

You can also think about what dips and spreads may go well with your selections. A nice fig or cherry jam is delicious with brie and goat cheeses, honey drizzled over everything even meat is surprising enjoyable. Hummus and mustards are very popular on charcuterie boards as well.

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Next step before building your board is prepping the ingredients you’ve bought. Wash and cut the fruits and vegetables, cut the cheeses and meats you want cut, drain the pickled vegetables and choose small dishes and bowls you may want to use. Lay everything out on your counter cut, washed and ready to go.

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Building the board

Start with the bunches of grapes or other fruit you have chosen, placing them in the corners or in the center of the board. Next, lay out any small dishes you would like to put dips, jams or pickled vegetables in. Next place the meats and cheeses on different sides of the board, putting complimenting varieties next to each other. Lastly fill in empty spaces with berries, dried fruits, nuts, and crackers.

 

Tip: Cut hard cheeses into long triangles and fan out next to a meat or fruit.

 

 

Meat and Cheese Pairings