Charcuterie Boards
Latest thing to hit the streets: charcuterie boards! Charcuterie actually refers to prepared deli meats..we just use it as slang for adult lunchables!
I had a great time doing more research to become an armchair “expert” on all things cheese and meat! Need a crash course to make your own? Here is the accumulation of what I’ve learned in my four days of all things PInterest, YouTube, and internet education:
Get the right wood/boards. You need wood that neither flavors your foods, nor absorbs the seasonings and oils. You want a nonporous hard wood like teak, acacia, hard maple, cherry, olive, bamboo, or walnut. Do not use pine, ash, or oak (they are soft pore wide grain woods that can take on bacteria), or cedar (skin and respiratory issues).
I ordered acacia boards from Wal-Mart! Totally not expensive.
Second, you need 3 oz. meat and cheese per person for an appetizer board, and 5 oz. meat and cheese per person for a meal. Since I was prepping dinner for 15, I needed 4.7 pounds of meat and 4.7 pounds of cheese in total. The meats I had cut were mostly 12-16 ounces, but the cheeses most often came in 4-8 oz. sizes..so it required more of them! Here are some that I chose:
Deli Pepperoni (and make charcuteroses using champagne glasses)!
Prosciutto (this is cured pork, not cooked)
Genoa or Soppressata Salami
Oven Roasted Turkey (real, not lunch meat)
Peppered Sausage/Salami
Jarlsberg Wedge
Brie Wheel
Cubed Cheddar Jack
Swiss triangles
Pepper Jack thin slices
Soft Mozzarella Pearls
Cream Cheese with Pepper Jelly
Garlic herbed goat cheese (Chèvre)
You also need some jams/jellies/dips/honey, breads or crackers, pickles, fruits, veggies, and nuts. I looked up each cheese I decided on.. and added the recommended pairings. Here’s are some examples:
With Brie, try slices of baguette, apples, grapes, berries, and pecans. Mozzarella pairs well with tomatoes, olives, and berries. With cheddar, try almonds, grapes, dried fruit, and cured salami. Goat cheese pairs well with apples, grapes, olives, strawberries, pomegranate seeds, and sugared almonds.
I chose several accompaniments-and honestly, fruits and veggies are relatively inexpensive! I added baby carrots, cucumber, black and green olives, sugar snap peas, yellow pepper, celery, raspberries, red grapes, strawberries, cherry tomatoes, granny smith apples, and pomegranate seeds. I also mixed in hummus, a dill ranch dip, and a pepper jelly along with cornichons (mini pickles!), roasted & salted pecans, sugared honey almonds, yogurt raisins, pretzel snaps, sliced baguette, flavored and plain crackers, and fresh rosemary.
Build the Board Begin with your dishes-distribute them artfully. (I chose three medium bowls, and four small squares). Plan to put your liquid things in the dishes (olives, jellies, honey, mozzarella pearls, hummus). Next spread out your cheeses, then distribute your meats..curving the layout when possible (for fun!). Finally, add your pickles, fruits, veggies, nuts, and a small amount of breads. I tried to put the pairings close to the cheese/meat they each accompany/compliment. Breads or pretzels aren’t impressive..so don’t add too many.
I cut things in advance (earlier in the day), except the apple (more on that in a bit!). Be sure to keep everything cold, then work quickly to layer the foods. Put back in the fridge until time to serve! (Breads go on at the last moment…so they don’t go stale/soggy).
*(for the apples..I tried a couple methods, and I loved the salt water the best). Prep your salt water first. Put about 2 cups of water and 1 tsp. salt per apple, and stir. No heating required. As you cut your apple into slices, drop them into the salted water. When finished with each slice, push them under the water. They brown when exposed to air. Set your timer for 5-10 minutes. I set mine for 5, then kept pushing them under every minute or so (they float!). Then, drain them, and rinse well under running water. I placed them out to dry for a few minutes so they wouldn’t be waterlogged. : ) I also tried Sprite, but they browned more quickly. Sprite does have lemon, and soda water (which has sodium bicarbonate and sodium chloride)…but I didn’t find that it worked well enough. Lemon is good, but salt works better (in my opinion!). I also packed them in ziplocs and squeezed out all the air. They were still pretty great three days later! : )
I hope this helps you make your own charcuterie board for friends and family. Try one this Thanksgiving or Christmas..it is prepped in advance so the hostess can enjoy her guests!
love, mom
