Charcuterie & Cheese Board Styling to Up Your At-Home Hosting Game
Having people over and entertaining them with food and drinks is a recipe for a great time, but you want every gathering to be memorable. What better way to get things started than a few beverages and a complementing charcuterie board and cheese board layout? The art of charcuterie hails from France and entails the presentation of cooked, cured or smoked meats such as salami, confit, bacon, sausage, terrines and other preserved meat products.
Cheese board styling should revolve around the type of meats chosen to ideally complement their flavors—much like pairing food and wine. Here are some tips for a fantastic meat and cheese layout along with pairing options and setting up the perfect buffet-style snacking zone.
Gear Up with a Great Charcuterie Board, Cheese Board and Accessory Containers
No presentation can be great without an equally impressive quality board for meats and cheeses, and certainly there needs to be a few side bowls for spices, nuts, herbs and grains. It’s a good idea to have a few on hand to accommodate larger parties and for setting up multiple munchie stations throughout wandering zones when at-home hosting. Consider a wooden board of exotic wood with an interesting pattern, and be sure to keep it properly cleaned and oiled according to the directions.
The Perfect Grocery List
There are no set guidelines about how to pair up foods on a charcuterie or cheese board, but you’ll want to have a good selection of items to satisfy guests with varying tastes. Some suggestions to include two or more of common categories include:
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Cheeses—Brie, Goat Cheese, Gouda, Havarti, Manchego
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Meats—Salami, Cured Sausage, Prosciutto, Mortadella, Pepperoni
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Fruits—Cherries, Sliced Apples, Berries, Pears, Grapes, Peaches
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Grains—Water Crackers, Buttered Baguettes, Bread Sticks
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Spreads—Feta, Sweet Jams, Honey, Hummus
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Nuts—Pistachios, Pecans, Cashews, Walnuts, Almonds
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Sweet—Dried Fruits (Apricots, Mangos), Dark Chocolate
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Savory—Mini-Pickles, Pickled Vegetables, Olives, Artichokes
If you want to spruce it up a little more with decorations, consider adding a bit of color with pomegranates, fresh herbs, figs, blood oranges, or radish slices.
Steps to an Attractive and Tasty Charcuterie Board Setup
The first step is to layout the items on your largest board that will take up the most space. If you plan to serve ramekins of sides and herbs on the board place those out next, situating them as a sort of barrier between foods to prevent draining juices. Next, situate the meats and cheeses, pre-slicing a good bit of it, and adding appropriate utensils for guests to cut more as needed. Situate the crackers around the meats and cheeses or set them on a separate board to avoid crowding and slippage onto the table. Fill in any gaps or add color to the board with fruits and nuts or place them in bowls surrounding the tray. Voilà! Perfection!
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