Homemade Charcuterie Board
Learn how to make a homemade charcuterie board for serving up a fun lunch, snack, or appetizer. It is so easy to make and loaded with flavorful cheese, fruit, meats, crackers, and more.
Servings 12 people
Equipment
- Cutting Board
- Bowls
Ingredients
Cheeses
- Gorgonzola (blue cheese)
- Brie cheese
- Hard cheese
- Goat cheese
- Cheddar cheese
Meats
- Salami
- York ham
- Mortadella
Fruits
- Grapes
- Cherry tomatoes
- Blueberries
- Olives
- Cucumber
Other Complements
- Jam
- Crackers
- Breadsticks and crackers
- Bread
Instructions
Process
- The first thing you have to do is looking for the place for your charcuterie board. 15 square inches should be enough to fit all the ingredients, so here is some advice to choose the perfect one.
Prepare the Scene
- The first and easiest way is to place round slices of meat directly from the package, one over the other.
- This second method may take some more time, but they look better. You can fold a round slice in half to get a half-moon, and you can fold twice to get a beautiful pyramid form.
- The last method probably takes the longest time, but you obtain a gorgeous presentation for your mortadella or salami. Depending on the diameter of your round meat slices, use a glass according to the size. (I used 4-inch in diameter slices and 1.5-inch in diameter glass). Place the meat slice in the rim of the glass. Fold by half into and out of the glass. Repeat the process overlapping slices all over the rim of the glass until there is no more space in the interior. Eight slices should be enough to form the “meat flower” you will get. Turn around the glass, and there you have your meat slices turned into a gorgeous form.
Cheeses
- To start preparing the charcuterie board, I would have in mind that an odd number of items is usually more aesthetic than an even number, so I would use five different kinds of cheese if they fit on the board. If not, I would not force them to fit in. It works perfectly okay with 4.
- Cheese is the first ingredient to place in the charcuterie board. It is necessary to fill the board with them. I do not mean everything should be cheese, but they should be the structure, and you will fill in the gaps in between afterward.
- They should always be cut, sliced, or crushed depending on the type of cheese. If not, no one may taste it. It is not good to cut every piece, so you will always have a large portion and slices of every cheese.
Meats
- The second type of food to place on the charcuterie board is meat. Fill in the main gaps between cheeses with the different types of meat. You should fold meat precisely to do it more aesthetic, and there are several ways to do this. Here are the ones I used:
- The first and easiest way is to place round slices of meat directly from the package, one over the other.
- This second method may take some more time, but they look better. You can fold a round slice in half to get a half-moon, and you can fold twice to get a beautiful pyramid form.
- The last method probably takes the longest time, but you obtain a gorgeous presentation for your mortadella or salami. Depending on the diameter of your round meat slices, use a glass according to the size. (I used 4-inch in diameter slices and 1.5-inch in diameter glass). Place the meat slice in the rim of the glass. Fold by half into and out of the glass. Repeat the process overlapping slices all over the rim of the glass until there is no more space in the interior. Eight slices should be enough to form the “meat flower” you will get. Turn around the glass, and there you have your meat slices turned into a gorgeous form.
Fruit, complements, and other tips:
- To finish the charcuterie board, add the fruits that fit better to your taste. It is the step where you can freely create the final details. The most significant thing in adding fruits and complements is always to have in mind which ingredients combine better and placing ones near the others. These are a few examples: grapes and hard cheese, cherry tomatoes and brie cheese, jam and goat cheese.
- The last step would be to fill in the bowls with jam, breadsticks, or the things you had in mind at the start of the process.
- One thing you can choose is the type of charcuterie board you want, either seasonal or evergreen. Depending on this, you will add one kind of fruit or the others. If it is evergreen, the fruit I recommend in the ingredients list is tasty.
- The combination of colors is something to worry about because your guests notice for sure if the board is pleasing to their eyes. Do not put together the same color a lot of times on the same side of the board. Try spacing food with a similar color like meat or different types of bread.
- Be aware of gaps that could remain in the board. The easiest way to fill them in is by adding crackers or different types of nuts. They also add another completely different texture and help you combining different flavors. Another thing you could add to fill in gaps is edible flowers. It is a simple way to solve the problem.
- The last tip I would tell about preparing a charcuterie board is: place things so that it is easy and appealing for your guests to eat.
Notes
Nutritional Values not included
How Long to Keep Board Out of Refrigerator: Limit it to two hours before putting back into the refrigerator.
Amount to Serve Per Person: Try to have 2-3 ounces of food per person serving, more if this is a meal replacement.