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Charcuterie boards are popular because they are one of the best ways to showcase your culinary skills. They are also called cheese boards, cheese platters, or mini buffets. A charcuterie board is typically made with cold cut meats, cheese, nuts, olives, dried fruits, jelly or jam, crackers, cured meats, and baguette bread. By definition, these charcuterie boards have cold cuts and meat, but you can make it as creative as you’d like. You don’t even have to add meat to it. Holiday treats, fruits, cheese, desserts, chocolates, and dinner food make creative charcuterie boards.
Tips To Make Charcuterie Boards
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The limitless possibilities for creating charcuterie boards can make the process overwhelming, especially if you are a newbie. But it’s fun to make because you can get as creative as you want. If you like it over the top, nothing stops you from adding some pizzazz to your board. But if you like to keep it simple, make your charcuterie boards into beautiful simple platters that ooze elegance.
Here are a few tips to keep in mind when creating your charcuterie boards:
1. All About That Base
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You need a strong and visually appealing serving base to make your charcuterie board. You could use marble or wood and create a charcuterie. The best way is to predetermine the size you want your board to be and procure the serving base.
2. Shape Check
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The most common shapes that a charcuterie board is made of are oval, round, and rectangle. But it’s entirely up to you to choose one that favors you. You could also use one shape for the main serving base and multiple tiny ones with different forms to hold your charcuterie board elements.
3. The Mini-Ones
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You could stick to one big platter or add several tiny ones to the main serving board. If your charcuterie board has fruits, cheese, chocolates, and green dressing, you could place the chocolates on a mini serving board over the main platter.
4. Always A Dip Time
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You don’t have to limit yourself to meat, cold cuts, fruits and vegetables, nuts, and dry fruits. Adding a few dips is a great way to enhance your charcuterie board. A plate with a special flavored mayonnaise dip, chipotle sauce, or a pesto cream cheese dip is an excellent addition for your platter.
Most Common Types Of Charcuterie Boards
Now that you have a rough idea of how to create your charcuterie plate, let’s look at a few themes and pairings that work well:
- The Meat-Lovers Delight
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You guessed it. The best kind for meat lovers, this platter has a wide variety of cold cuts and cured meat. It has traces of other elements, mostly to enhance the visual appeal of the platter. But this charcuterie board is the ultimate meat feast.
- The Tooty-Fruity
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You don’t have to add any meat to your platter if you don’t want to. Fill it up with freshly cut fruits and arrange them with your creativity. You could also add frozen fruits to the mix and make your platter as colorful as the rainbow.
- The French Delicacy
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There’s a platter for every desire. You might not visit France, but you can create a charcuterie platter with fresh bread and cheese. Add different types of cheese and freshly baked bread of various flavors to enjoy the French way of life.
- All-In-One Rush
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If you love food and don’t like to limit yourself to a particular kind, this is your go-to platter. Little bits of meat, fruits, cheese, and bread can make your world go round. You can also add special dip and any other favorite food items to create the perfect charcuterie board.
- Candy Land Fantasy
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If you are someone who can never have too much candy, this one’s for you. Add your favorite candy and mix up the flavors to create a sweet, colorful, and mouth-watering board that appeals to every sweet tooth.
Charcuterie is a great way to show off your craftsmanship and culinary skills. It has evolved from the traditional French method of appreciating cured and cooked meat to becoming a form of culinary art focusing on flavor, eye appeal, and pairings. What is your favorite kind of charcuterie board? Comment below and let us know.
