Happy Saturday, everyone! Today I’m sharing my tips for how to put together a charcuterie board. What’s great about these boards is that they look fancy and impressive, and yet they’re so easy to assemble! There’s no cooking involved, and as long as you purchase all the ingredients you’re using ahead of time, they can be assembled pretty quickly. All you need is a large platter or serving board, a few ramekins, and some delicious store-bought ingredients.
These platters are always crowd pleasers because there’s typically something for everyone! Between the cured meats, cheeses, fruits, and whatever else you choose to include, most everyone will be able to find something they like. And with holiday gatherings and get-togethers on many people’s agendas this month, a charcuterie board makes for a great party snack or appetizer whether you’re hosting at your own home or attending a gathering at someone else’s house.
Here are the three easy tips I generally follow when assembling a charcuterie board:
- Go from largest to smallest. Start with the bigger items (like meats, cheeses, and ramekins) and spread those out on the board
- Save the smallest items (like nuts and fruits) until the end, and use them as filler to fill any open spaces
- Whenever possible, group together items that may be eaten together (like brie, honey, and crackers)
I’ll rearrange or move some things as I go, but I find that as long as I follow this method, the platter comes together with minimal effort. The key is to not make your board look too neat – you don’t want it to look so precious that people are afraid to dig in! In my opinion, the best-looking charcuterie boards are the ones that aren’t perfectly symmetrical or evenly spaced.
Here’s the list of ingredients I used. Feel free to make substitutions based on your own preferences or what your grocery store has in stock. And no need to make a special trip to any specialty food stores – I found everything at my regular grocery store:
- Soppressata, thickly sliced
- Genoa salami, sliced thinly
- Mortadella, sliced thinly
- Prosciutto, sliced thinly
- Fresh mozzarella pearls
- Parmigiano Reggiano, thickly sliced
- Brie
- Castelvetrano olives
- Cured black olives
- Cantaloupe, sliced and wrapped with prosciutto
- Pears, sliced
- Red seedless grapes
- Dried cranberries
- Grape tomatoes, some sliced, some left whole
- Pistachios
- Whipped honey
- Bagel chips
- Baguette, sliced (on the side)
What are your favorite items to include in a charcuterie board? Let me know in the comments!
Don’t forget to pin this post for later!
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