The Art of the Charcuterie – creating one at home

charcuterie [SHärˈko͞odərē] NOUN 1. cold cooked meats collectively.

Webster

Without getting too “elementary teacher”, let me explain. The word ‘charcuterie’ refers to a collection of cold cooked meats. A ‘charcuterie board’, used correctly, indicates these meats are being served on a board. That’s it. Just cold meat. When you gussy up the board or platter with cheese, breads, nuts, fruits and whatever else, it just gets that much better!

If you’ve been a Bloom subscriber for any length of time you know I keep things simple! This board is no different. I’ll show you how I create one and hopefully it’ll inspire you to try one at home!

1. Shopping!

I recommend choosing things in threes. Three meats, three cheeses, three breads, three fruits and three “others”. For me, I usually always add nuts, chocolate and/or something candied. I also like to add a ramekin or two with olives, or a jam/spread of some kind. When you’re building your snack board, imagine yourself eating and sampling from it. The bread serves as your base, the meats and cheeses are layers and then the spread/olives/jam are unexpectedly delicious toppers. The nuts, fruits and chocolates are easy to grab and snack on from the board as well.

If I don’t like it, it doesn’t make the board. I never put things on a snack board “just because”. Come to think of it, I rarely do anything “just because”. I believe everything has purpose. Even something as seemingly as insignificant as a snack board. When I create something, it is always a reflection of me. I challenge you to adopt that idea for yourself. Don’t create a snack board you “think” your guests will like. Create what you like, and then share it with whoever else happens to be there!

2. Preparing the board

There are so many directions you can go when choosing a surface on which to build your snack board. I use our large teak cutting board most often, but I’ve also used glass platters, trays, cake stands and cookie sheets. I also love the idea of presenting a snack board to a hostess of a party with the intention of gifting the tray that the snacks are on! It’s extremely simple, yet very thoughtful! Plus, you can snag a board or tray for less than $20 at Home Goods or Hobby Lobby.

Start with a clean, dry surface. I like to use a few pieces of Romaine type lettuce or kale. Today I’m using red chard. It happened to be on sale and I love the deep red color. It’s perfect for fall!

3. Strategically add the snacks

When it’s time to start building onto the board, I fill the ramekins first and place them very randomly on the board. I can always rearrange them later. Today I have Bleu Cheese stuffed olives and pimento cheese spread.

I then add a few pieces of lettuce, also randomly. I use this under meats and cheese. Don’t be particular here, everything will get shifted around as you build.

Next, I start with the items taking up the most space. I’m adding, toast rounds, grapes and then the other two cracker types. When I’m picking crackers, I always choose various shapes and sizes, it adds more interest to the board.

After that, I add the cheeses. Even though you’ll be slicing it, cheese usually lays pretty flat on the board, so it’s a good base. Today I found a cheese flight at Kroger! It was much cheaper to buy it this way, plus I know these will compliment each other well. When slicing cheese, let it lay where it falls naturally sliced. This gives the most organic look once you place it on the board. If you have two cheeses that are similar in color, be sure to put them on opposite sides of the board to create a balanced look.

Once the cheese is added, it’s time to add the meat, the actual charcuterie! When adding meat, I roll/fold it. It’s a loose roll. I’m using prosciutto, Black Forest ham and salami. When you are slicing and rolling meats and cheeses for a board like this, keep in mind, you want it to be ready to go on a cracker or small toast. It needs to be convenient for your guests as well as appealing.

When adding meats like salami or pepperoni, don’t just take them out of the package and lay them on the board. The slices tend to stick to each other and don’t come off easily for your guests. Also they look nicer when you loosen them up a bit.

Time to add the finishing touches! I find little spaces to place small handfuls of pecans and dried mango (apricot would’ve probably been more appropriate this time of year, but I don’t like it… so mango it is)! As you probably noticed, I rearranged the grapes a bit to create a small space just for my mixed nuts and dark chocolate bits! If you decide to add a dessert element, separate it from the meat and cheese with grapes or crackers. Spicy meat and cheeses tend to affect the taste of the sweet ingredients. I always create a tiny separate place for the sweets!

Don’t forget the serving ware for your spreads if needed, and voila! It’s ready to serve!

A few extra tips:

• Give yourself 30 minutes
• Don’t prepare more than one hour ahead of time (cheese sweats and crackers get stale)
• It will NEVER be perfect! The untidy look is what gives a snack board its charm!

Thanks for stopping by, Jamie xo