Come along as I show you how to assemble the perfect charcuterie board. It's a great snack that will wow guests every time.
If you’ve ever been to our home, this spread probably looks familiar. A charcuterie board is one of my go-to snacks to serve when receiving guests. While I often go with the traditional spread of cured meats, cheese, fruit, crackers and deliciously pickled things, the variations are endless. There is honestly something for everyone. With a wide selection of vegetarian and vegan options now available on the market, a charcuterie board can even be assembled without the use of any animal products. Basically, there’s no wrong way to put together a charcuterie board, so feel free to let your creativity go hog-wild! I also love how easily it can be thrown together without any preparation needed ahead of time (not to mention that it pairs beautifully with wine - just sayin').
Scroll below for my step-by-step guide on how to assemble a charcuterie board (bonus video included below) and if you haven't already, don't forget to subscrie!
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Step 1: Start with the board and bowls
Pick a few small bowls to add to your board. Normally, I’ll start by placing two to three onto my board for items like jams, olives, chocolates, etc.
Step 2: Add cheese
Fun fact: I LOVE cheese. So for me, the more cheese the better. I like to include a variety of cheeses from the following groups: aged (Cow’s Aged Cheddar), firm (Le Gruyere King Cut), creamy (Ile de France Brie) and crumbly (President’s Choice Cranberry Goat Cheese). Many people also add a blue cheese but honestly I have never been able to get past the smell of feet so I generally exclude it from my board.
Step 3: Add Meats
For the meats, I tend to reach for are prosciutto, salami and sausage. If you’re working with large, thin, circular pieces (such as genoa salami), I suggest folding them into triangles and tucking them under bowls. You can also roll meats into small cones, or if you’re working with thinner meats then gently lower them onto the board while twisting to development some folds.
Step 4: Add crackers and bread
This step is pretty straightforward. Pick crackers that you enjoy and place handfuls onto your board in various locations. I also like adding thinly sliced a baguette, especially if you’re serving a soft cheese like brie.
Step 5: Add fruits and nuts
While grapes are a given, I also like to add seasonal fruits to the board such as fresh berries, apple or pear slices, fresh figs, etc. As for nuts, you can purchase pre-mixed nuts at your local grocery store or create your own. My personal favourites are almonds, cashews and pecans. For this board, I added my Homemade Chex Mix recipe to fill in the left over spaces. You can also totally add veggies though I rarely do.
Step 6: Fill bowls
While you can totally go for regular olives, I often reach for the almond stuffed variety. Pickled asparagus or green beans are an awesome addition as well (or anything pickled, really). I love adding jams, both the sweet and savory variety, to spread over the soft cheeses and bread. On this board, I added my own homemade cranberry jam but I’ve found lots of awesome options locally too. My favourite spot to find jams is Dumais Fruits et Legumes, so if you live in the Restigouche region be sure to check them out.
And that’s it! You have yourself a beautiful Charcuterie Board ready to serve guests in next to no time. All that’s left is to pour yourself a tall glass of wine and enjoy!
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