5 Steps to Create a Perfect Charcuterie Board

Charcuterie, derived from the French words "chair" and "cuit," which translate to "flesh" and "cooked," respectively is the new social media sensation that has made millennials quit their full-time jobs to become cheeseboard influencers.

Being an art form for one to express themselves, these fancy boards of artful arrangements of cured meats, veggies, and cheese are versatile. Perfect for social gatherings and easy to put together, here are 5 basic components to create the perfect board.

Despite the trend seeming recent, the boards have been in existence since the early 1900s. Due to the rise of more social gatherings, the boards became a popular offering at events as they created the desire for food and managed to satisfy it.

The Base is Everything

To create an Instagramable cheese board, begin by getting all the equipment needed to show off all the components of the fancy bowl. For the base, use a wooden board, a porcelain plate, or a slate board. Access to none? Do not worry.

A great alternative for the base of the ingredients is a wooden cutting board or a cookie tray. Also, put together the jars, small bowls for the dips, and other items that have brine such as olives. Place all the bowls and jars on the selected base and begin building.

Cheeses

Begin by placing a variety of cheeses on the board. Have an option of three to four cheeses, one soft, hard, and aged to provide different variety and texture to the overall board. Choose from cow’s milk, sheep milk, or aged goat cheese.

You can also include a small wheel of brie, cheddar, or blue cheese. If you’re having a difficult time settling on which cheese to use for your fancy board, think of which region the meat you will be using for your board and pair the cheese to the same region.

Bring Out the Meat

The next step is to place the meat on the board and reminder, pair the meat and the cheese well. For an amazing pairing, we recommend fresh mozzarella with prosciutto, aged Gouda with salami, or Brie with saucisson sec.

To take things to the next level, you can use two techniques of folding your salami. First, fold the salami and stand it up on the board with the edge side up to give an appearance of a flower bouquet or place folded salami slices flow down the center of the board.

Produce Time

Now that the main ingredients have been placed on the board, fill out the empty spaces making a pile with fruits and veggies. Use this opportunity to incorporate color onto the board to make it visually appealing. Work your way across the board from color to color.

You have the option to use multi-colored carrots, orange and yellow cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and veggies such as broccolini. Remember to place the stems for the vegetables inwards for a heartier appearance. Also, incorporate fruits such as fresh apples or berries.

Finish With Texture

Fill the remaining gaps on the board with crunch food such as crackers, almonds, or walnuts for some texture. Place the sweet dips such as jam or the savory dips such as mustard into the jars that pairs well with both the meats and cheeses.

For the finishing touches, place garnishes on the board for a lovely touch. Use fresh herbs such as spring and lavender or edible flowers such as lavender to add more color and aroma into the bowl for a charcuterie board worthy of celebrating.