Mastering the Art of Charcuterie
To really dive into this topic I think a few Ted Talks would suffice, but given that this is a quick-form blog, let’s just go with the following and most importantly, HAVE FUN! EXPERIMENT! BE CREATIVE!
Variety is key, and I mean variety in all forms. Variety of categories involved [cheese, fruit, nuts, crackers etc.] as well as variety of textures, shapes and sizes within each. The easiest example here is with cheese: soft cheese [brie], hard cheese [manchego]. I also recommend slicing or crumbling certain cheese to help diversify textures and shapes. Blue cheese is an easy one to crumble, manchego can be sliced into triangles, cheddar into slices or cubes, whereas a really soft cheese is best kept in it’s original form.
Start big and work your way from there. What I mean by this is start by placing your largest items on the board first. This could be a big wedge of camembert, pile of grapes, etc. This could also mean placing down a few small bowls — I like to use bowls to house olives, dolmas, or any jams or dips. Once you have the base or core items down, go from there and start adding in other items, arranging in whatever way makes sense to you. Here are some things to help in the process:
What pairs well together taste-wise. But things next to each other that compliment each other. Manchego, fig jam, serrano ham. Brie, truffle honey, baguette. A more simple example: cheese + salami. Grapes + cheese.
Spread out. I personally like to separate types of crackers apart from each other. I may have a rosemary cracker near a savory cheese and breadsticks near another.
Leakage. For anything that comes in a brine [pickles, olives, etc.] be mindful to not place them next to let’s say … crackers or sliced baguette. It will cause it to get soggy. Not as much of a problem next to some folded saucisson.
Fill in the crevices last. As you near the end of your board building, fill in empty spaces with things like nuts and berries. Adds a pop of color, variation in texture and overall compliments any board quite well.
It’ll take time to get the hang of it but have fun! Look up some pictures of boards you admire and use as a LOOSE template. Don’t go crazy trying to replicate something. Just enjoy the process.
Here are some of my go-to’s for boards:
Cheese
Brie
Manchego
Humboldt Fog
Cheddar
Bleu Cheese
Gouda
Meat
Prosciutto
Salami
Saucisson
Dried salami (sliced)
Nuts
Marcona almonds [love the rosemary or truffle from Trader Joe’s]
Walnuts
Pistachios
Fruit + Veggies
Dried fruit [figs, apricots, tart cherries, dates — I like to cut in half!]
Raspberries
Blackberries
Sliced pear or apple
Cucumber [sliced round or sticks]
Carrots [sliced' into matchsticks]
Misc.
Dolmas [stuffed grape leaves]
Olives
Fig jam
Truffle honey
Olivada
Carbs
Crackers [round, square, rectangle]
Breadsticks
Sliced baguette