How to Organize Your Charcuterie Board
French cuisine is known for its classic dishes, from lobster bisque to cognac shrimp with beurre blanc. Every dish boasts age-old French cooking techniques, which are considered the most difficult ones to master. But the charcuterie board is the most loved one out of all classics. Known as the perfect party appetizer, this assorted plate of food items, including meat, cheese, crackers, buns and bread helps pamper taste buds with flavors and textures.
Although you may think preparing the charcuterie boards is easy, it is quite a technical French classic. Everything needs to be done keeping the details in mind, from gathering all food items to organizing them on the board. That’s why we’ve listed some steps to assist you in organizing the picture-perfect charcuterie board.
What Food Items Do You Need To Make a Charcuterie Board?
The most difficult task is to decide the elements you need to put on a charcuterie board. One wrong pick and your presentation will go haywire. So, here are some key items you should keep on your board:
- Cheese: You can choose soft cheese like brie, camembert and chevre and hard cheese like cheddar, gruyere and Parmigiano to offer a great variety.
- Meat: Cured pork or other cured meats like chorizo, salami, ham, sausage, prosciutto and capicola serve as the most crucial items on the board.
- Savory Sides: You can also decorate the board with soaked cashews, picked olives and onions, freshly made condiments, chickpea hummus, balsamic dip and nuts like candied pecans and almonds.
- Sweets: Different types of chocolates and fresh fruits serve as mouth-watering sweets.
- Crackers: Sliced baguettes, pita crackers, crisps and other items add a crunchy texture to the board.
Tips To Arrange Food Items on a Charcuterie Board
Choose the board type
Charcuterie boards can be prepared with a stone or wooden slab, plate or tray. If you want to maintain a classic look, go for a circular board, which helps arrange all the items geometrically. But a rectangular board will suffice if you have fewer food items. You must also make sure the board’s color matches the food to be placed on it.
Decorate the cheese
Cheese is one of the major components of a charcuterie board. Slice hard cheeses to ensure everyone can grab a bite easily. For instance, when you have a cheddar block, cut it into small cubes and attach a toothpick to each block for an easy pick. On the contrary, soft cheese does not need to be sliced, so you can place it as a whole on the board. It would be better to go for an odd number of slices and keep them at equal distances.
Add meat in between the slices of cheese
Slice your meat beforehand but not too early, as it can make the pieces dry. Once you have arranged the cheese, fold meat slices and place them in between the slices of cheese. Since you will be adding multiple types of meat, allocate one section for each. For instance, fold ham slices in a semicircular shape and place them between two hard kinds of cheese. Salami is available in smaller sizes too, so you can keep it in between two different kinds of soft cheese to balance the texture.
Mix savory and sweet items
After arranging cheese and meat, you need to arrange the savory and sweet assortments. To achieve the perfect charcuterie board, keep savories and sweets alternately between cheese and meat. Place the larger dip or condiment bowl at the center to create a pivot point. If you have some other condiments, keep them at the edge equidistantly.
Final Words
Keeping a charcuterie board colorful can make your guests drool over it. The above-mentioned tips are surely going to help you make a vibrant and eye-catching dish that is more likely to be appreciated by most of your invitees.