The Art of Charcuterie
Charcuterie is a delicious way to show your creative side and get all of your favorite foods on one plate! The examples below are boards or tables I have done in the past! Please use it as inspiration for your own boards!
Pro Tips! Scroll down to below the pics and see where I like to get my food supplies!
Check out our Fave Products link to find supplies we love to use in the creation of your boards!
Cheese- Always get cheese YOU like. There are no rules when it comes to cheese…just that you have plenty! I always try to have a sharp hard cheese, a smoky cheese, some sort of soft cheese like Babybel or Brie, and a some sort of blue cheese. The main thing is finding different tastes and textures. Don’t be afraid to throw in a spreadable cheese like port wine as well!
Meats- My go to’s are summer sausage, salami, and proscuitto, but by all means if you like pepperoni or kielbasa, throw that on! Using thin meats allows you to make salami ribbons or roses that are always fun.
Fruits- In addition to dried fruits, fresh fruit is a must! Go with what in season, your favorate, or whatever looks best at the market. Once in a while you’ll be able to score some fresh figs or dragon fruit to add some more delish beauty. I always have berries or grapes on the board but in the fall and winter, I’ll throw on slices of apple and/or pear as well which are perfect with cheese. In the summer, take advantage of fresh peaches, plums, and cherries (I’ve linked a cherry pitter which is a must!) Be sure to toss any fruits you cut with some lemon water to prevent browning.
Spreads- A mainstay of boards is honey (also try hot honey!) however, I’m not the biggest fan so sometimes I’ll use maple syrup to drizzle. You can also heat up jams or jelly’s, add some water, and let cool to make them drizzle better. Consider using fruit butters and chutneys as well!
Picked/Sour/Sweet- Pickled items are a great refresher between sweet and salty bites. All kinds of olives, sweet pickles, salty pickles, dilly beans, pickled beets, kim chi, candied jalapenos, cornichons…Pick your favorites and spread through out your board.
Crunchy/Salty/Sweet- Finally, one of my favorite parts! This is where you can go wild and choose what YOU like. Nuts, specialty crackers, sesame sticks, candied pralines, cookies, chocolates, naan, bagel chips, wasabi peas…the options are limitless…
Fancy additions- If I want to make a bit more of a meal of my board, I’ll throw on some extras. Favorite include; prosciutto wrapped melon, peaches with bruschetta, country pate canapes, boursin cheese, anti pasta skewers, caprese skewers, slices of roast beef with horseradish caper sauce, some rolled up tortillas with some sort of filling, artichoke spinach dip, veggies and dip. Just think of your favorite appetizer and add it to the board.
WHERE DO I FIND FOOD ITEMS?
While living in Vermont is a dream, some times it’s hard to find more exotic items. Below are local stores that I find all my regular and more specialty items…but check local farms, farmer’s markets, etc to get some fun, fresh items.
Costco- Great for fruit (if local isn’t in season), brie, boursin, hard cheese, cured meats, and seasonal specialty cheeses. Seasonally they have specialty sweets and cookies that are fun to add to a board.
Trader Joes- You can find some great, unique cheeses here like stilton, caramelized onion cheddar, and cheese soaked in wine. It’s also the only place I can find fresh figs…but they don’t always have them but when they do grab them! End of summer/fall they also have Thomcord grapes which are AMAZING! Think concord grapes without the seed. I will also grab olives there or crackers/salty bits. You can also find interesting spreads/chutneys there.
Shaws/Hannaford- These stores are good for cured meats AND they are the only place I have every seen mini brie wheels which look amazing on skewers and great for individual boxes or boards. Their bulk nuts/snacks that are in the produce section are great too.
TJ Maxx- Surpisingly this is a great place to get some supplies. They often have unique nut/snack mixes, cookies, candies, chocolate, crackers, etc. You will also find flavored honeys, chutneys, and pickled items. Check out their board section because you never know when you’ll find a gorgeous charcuterie board.