Our friend Maegan Brown is an author and food blogger known as The BakerMama, and below she shares her tips for creating the best cheese and charcuterie boards. Enjoy!
Products shown: Acacia Cutting Boards | Charcuterie Gift Set (includes Porcelain Cheese Markers and Marble Cheese Tool Set)
- A bountiful board is beautiful and inviting, so feel free to pile it up and fill in all the nooks and crannies with goodies that are sure to be enjoyed. Arrange foods in various spots across the board so everything is easily accessible from all sides.
- Arrange bowls with spreads, jams and anything with a brine (i.e olives and cornichons) on the board first.
- Serve pitted olives to a large crowd or an occasion where people will be standing around grazing on the board.
- There are many flavors and textures you can include on a good charcuterie and cheese board. For the meats, choose from a selection of smoked, dry cured, firm, and soft. When selecting cheeses, have a variety of soft, semisoft, firm, creamy, crumbly, smoked, and/or stinky. For the accompaniments, try to include crunchy (crackers), salty (crackers and nuts), sweet (honey, jam, fruit, nuts), and tangy (mustard, olives, and anything pickled).
- Meats: Estimate 2 to 3 ounces of meat per person if the spread is being served as appetizers and 3 to 5 ounces for a meal. All meats should be thinly sliced and taken out of the refrigerator 15 minutes before serving for best taste and texture. Keep the meats covered with plastic wrap or a damp paper towel until you are ready to serve the spread (even if they are already on the spread) so that they don't dry out.
- Cheeses: Estimate 3 to 5 ounces of cheese per person if the board is being served as appetizers and 5 to 7 ounces for a meal. To get the full flavors and textures of the cheeses, take them out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving. I like to slice or chunk some of the cheeses ahead of time for easier access with a large crowd. Slice or chunk them while they are still cold, and then keep them wrapped with plastic wrap or a damp paper towel until you are ready to serve the board (even if they are already on the board) so that they don't dry out.
- Always add fresh fruits, such as pears and apples, to the spread last. Thinly slice them and expose as little of the white portions as possible. You can cover them with a damp paper towel to delay browning. Don't brush with lemon juice or soak in salt water as this will interfere with the natural sweetness of the fruit that pairs so beautifully with the cheeses and other accompaniments on the board. Include grapes, as they are a nice palate cleanser between bites.
- Keep extra food items handy in the refrigerator and pantry to replenish the board as needed, especially if you are expecting your crowd to devour it quickly. Popular items that I usually need to replenish are crackers, meats, and fresh fruits, like pears and apples.
- Leftovers? If the board has been left out for over 3 hours, meats and cheeses should not be kept. Meats and cheeses that have been stored properly can be refrigerated and enjoyed as snacks, on salads, or even baked onto pizzas.
Products shown: Acacia Cutting Boards | Dexas Black Marble & Wood Serving Board
