wow-worthy charcuterie board

When my mom asked me what kind of cake I wanted for my birthday, I couldn’t think of anything that really excited me. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth. That makes it easy to share the things I bake. But what I do love is a good charcuterie board. That’s how I came to the idea to cover my parent’s entire kitchen island with the most unbelievably beautiful charcuterie board you’ve ever seen. I had so much fun assembling it.

I learned a lot while making this charcuterie board, so I’ve compiled some tips. This will be a huge party hit, so next get-together you have, spoil your guests (and yourself) with this spread. You’ll be a legend.

 
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CHARCUTERIE BOARD TIPS

  • Tip 1: When you’re shopping, think about colors. A good charcuterie board has many different colors, so if you’re only picking green vegetables, swap out one of those green peppers for a yellow pepper. If you wanted to be extra fancy, think about a color scheme (white, red, orange, for example) and stick to that. For mine, I went with all the colors I could. Whatever you do, do not have a monochromatic selection.

  • Tip 2: When you’re chopping the vegetables and cheeses, don’t cut all of them the same shape. Maybe make some diagonal slices, maybe cut some cheese vertically to make long strips, maybe leave the triangle blocks of cheese from the deli alone. Variation is key.

  • Tip 3: Be sure to include sweet, savory, and spicy options. For my charcuterie board, I chose grapes, blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries to add sweetness. For savory, I included meats, veggies, dips, and cheese. For a combination of the two, I chose a cranberry goat cheese. And spiciness, I picked a mustard dipping sauce. A little sweet, a little savory, a little spicy, a lotta good.

  • Tip 4: When you’re assembling the charcuterie board, put little bits of an item in several places all over the table. For example, put grapes in each corner if you’d like. What looks so cool about a charcuterie board is the assortment, so spread out the items all over the board in little sections. Do this with all ingredients so that you have each item in several spots for folks to pick from.

  • Tip 5: Keep all ingredients that need to be chilled in the fridge until the last minute. The last thing you want is your guests eating room temperature spinach dip. Woof. You can assemble the board and leave room for the items that need to stay cold.

  • Tip 6: When you’re choosing small bowls to put some of the ingredients in, pick ones of varying heights for added dimension. For example, to add height to my parent’s butcher block island, I added a thick wooden cutting board and little dip bowls of varying heights and shapes.

INGREDIENTS

Fruit

Think colors. Also think presentation – oranges might not be a good choice unless you go the mandarin orange route. And even still, a bit messy. And bananas and apples – they easily turn brown unless you add lemon juice, so not the easiest option. Some of my favorite options are below.

  • Strawberries

  • Blueberries

  • Blackberries

  • Grapes

Vegetables

Again, think colors!

  • Peppers (red, green, yellow)

  • Cucumber

  • Carrots

  • Olives

  • Cornichons

  • Sun dried tomatoes

Meats

Any cured meat will work. Pick your favorites and roll them up, slice them into diagonal slices, or buy them already sliced!

  • Salami

  • Prosciutto

  • Ham

Cheeses

You’re going to want a variety of semi-hard and soft cheeses. Not only does it look better, but it gives your guests options!

  • Semi-hard cheeses: Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Gouda, Havarti, Provolone, etc.

  • Soft cheeses: Brie, Goat Cheese, Mozzarella balls

Crackers

I’m a sucker for Triscuits, but I know there are fancier options out there. Maybe not tastier, but fancier, sure. Have a selection of different kinds of crackers. Usually around the deli at the grocery store, they have some crackers that might pair well with your spread. I’d pick 2-3 options to give variety of flavors and textures.

Dips

Pick your favorites here. I went with a spinach artichoke dip, a Parmesan basil tip, and a spicy mustard dip!

Other

Add in nuts (peanuts, cashews, almonds, etc.) and be sure to pick up some mint leaves or parsley for garnishing. The mint and parsley are put in the spaces that exist when you’re finished assembling the charcuterie board to make it look full. If you can see the table, put some garnish!

Lastly, throw in a few wine options if you are into that – wine and a charcuterie board are an easy way to thrill your guests.

Tag @herflourgarden in your charcuterie creations! I’d love to see them! Enjoy!