How to Build a Charcuterie Board

July 15, 2019

When entertaining guests, one of our favorite dishes to feature is a charcuterie board. A charcuterie board is more than just cheese and crackers - it's an art and a science. Here are our simple tips to assemble them. 
 

cheese-board-(1).jpg

Charcuterie boards are incredibly versatile; you can mix and match colors, flavors, and textures. Before you begin building your charcuterie board, consider a few questions:

  • - Do you want to feature food from a specific region of the world or do you want to mix and match flavors from around the globe?

  • - Do you have any guests with dietary restrictions?
  •  
  • - Do you have access to all of the items you want to feature or will you have to shop at a specialty grocer?


What to Include on a Charcuterie Board


boards.jpg

#1 Select a Serving Board

When choosing a blank canvas for your culinary masterpiece, choose a large, flat, wooden surface such as a large cutting board or butcher block. Consider additional surfaces if separating cured meats for any Vegetarian or Vegan guests. 


food.jpg

#2 Fill Your Serving Board

Fill your charcuterie board with the following items:

  • - Something Pre-Sliced. These elements bring savory, salty goodness to the charcuterie board. Think of things like cured meats.
  •  
  • - Something You Slice. Cheeses and hard meats all add a chewy texture to your charcuterie board.  
  •  
  • - Something Spreadable. Meat-based pates, or a vegetarian equivalent, all provide a richness and a smoothness to guest's palates. 
  •  
  • - Accents. After the main foods have been featured, add some accent pieces like bean or veggie-based spreads, breads, crackers, fruit, homemade spreads, hummus, jams, mustard dips, pickles, preserves, seasonal items, and soft cheeses. These all add a pop of color and various types of nutritional value to your charcuterie board.  
Tip: If you have specific elements you want to showcase on your charcuterie board, set them on the board or butcher block first and build around them. For instance, if you want to feature cheese blocks, dips, homemade hummus, olives, and spreads, splace them on separate plates or small bowls so they stand out above the other accent pieces. 


board.jpg

#3 Select Perfect Pairings

If you are looking to add a specific flavor or texture to your charcuterie board, try these charcuterie board pairings:

To Add Creaminess:
- Cheese 
- Hummus 
- Bean Dips

To Add Saltiness:
- Cheese
- Olives
- Tapenade

To Add Spiciness:
- Mustard

To Add Sweetness
- Chutney
- Jams
- Preserves
- Seasonal Fruit

To Add Tanginess
- Pickles

To Pair With Cheese or Meats:
- Bread 
- Crackers


#4 Make Mindful Selections

Depending on your guest list, you may want to consider more mindful selections for your charcuterie board to please all palettes and dietary restrictions alike. Today, more dairy-free and meat-free meat options are available than ever before. 

  • - Vegan Cheeses. Since some people can be sensitive to dairy and traditional cheeses, include a Vegan cheese on your charcuterie board. Vegan cheeses come in three major consistencies- hard, spreadable and soft, so be sure to include at least one on your charcuterie board.
  •  
  • - Grass Fed Meats. When selecting meats for your charcuterie board, look for grass fed options. Animals living with higher standards of welfare are known to be healthier, so stick with meat products that are free of antibiotics and other artificial fillers or preservatives. 
  •  
  • - Meatless Meats. For all of your Vegetarian and Vegan guests, include a variety of meatless meats. From deli slices to sausages, there are many animal-free ready-to-eat meats available today, so look for options made from plant-based options like beans, beets, chickpeas, mushrooms, and olives.
  •  
  • - Natural Sweeteners. Sweeten your charcuterie board smartly with natural sweeteners like 100% pure organic maple syrup, dates and raw honey. If entertaining Vegan guests, be sure to select a bee-free honey.

name-tags.jpg

#5 Create Labels - Optional

Add small labels or tags with descriptions of each food item, where it comes from and any important dietary information.

The next time you host a formal dinner or a casual gathering, build a one of a kind charcuterie board that everyone will enjoy by using these tips.

Tag us @simplemills so we can see your own homemade charcuterie boards.






 


 



 

 








 
Comments
WilliamMyday:
Seth Rogen's 'Good Boys' no onto

I initially have missed "beneficial Boys" Because it seemed like a one trick pony. That trick was that tween boys cuss and mention about sex and drugs. The movie appeared as if a live action version of "towards the south Park, And it are evidently <a href=https://www.wattpad.com/user/MoldovaWomen>moldova dating sites</a> skippable. finally, After a rough week on the job, i decided I'd give it a shot because I wanted a cheap laugh. I was afoul. "smart Boys" Has countless trick. below all its absurdist, incorrect humor, It has a wholesome message about acquaintance.

Don't get me wrong. "decent Boys" Is not a movie for anyone who dislikes bad language, lustful humor or drug use. It has more of that in its 90 minute runtime than producer Seth Rogen usually puts into his movies. "Superbad" to "blueberry Express" would be both tamer than this one, But don't dismiss it as heartless.

vast majority of adult humor plays well, But some of it is repetitive. They then voice their misinterpreted definitions. When two teenage girls call Jacob Tremblay's mechanics "each misogynist, states that he's never massaged anyone. fortunately, The filmmakers ditched this bit, But it's later than I would have liked.

I also must applaud the filmmakers for not allowing the scenes to go on a long time. Comedy movies today tend to feature great improvisational actors. But some directors overuse improvisational comedy and extend scenes. The representative of "high-quality Boys, Stupnitsky, Did not generating a tight film. The film's length is especially impressive considering this is Stupnitsky's directorial debut.

While I since the adult humor in "good Boys, My favorite comedy bits in the movie are there are tamest and most clever. The boys in the film are believed random and awkward. for example, Tremblay reads, "Bye, dogs" To a group of "Cool young children, And I considered that was much funnier than the f word. I also like the line "He understands how to spell" When the boys are trying to conceal they have "D R you G S" In front of a police officer. you also have middle school throwback lines that are as innocent as these boys such as "speak it. Don't spew it,

The juxtaposition of these squeaky clean gags with the incompatible language works well. all the same, there could juxtaposition I wasn't into as much. Any time the boys are rolling down the street on their bikes, Rap music is cast as. This contrast of school age shenanigans and rap seems apt, But it takes away from the boys' naivet. The intention was for this equivalence to mimic what Mike Judge did an "office space, He used gangsta rap face-to-face office mundanity, But his characters heard rap. here boys don't, So it isn't as helpful.

anyhow, I laughed in the time of this movie. This movie's script is firm, there are actors who deliver. Tremblay and Brady Noon are usually as two of the boys, still,but unfortunately Keith L. Williams outdoes both of them. nearly as Lucso as, The nicest boy of the bunch, Williams <a href=https://moldovawomen.home.blog/moldova-culture-customs/>moldova dating sites</a> had me in appears. He was great at corporeal humor, Wordplay, Line delivery and sincere messages. Tremblay's Max is the main mechanics who faces the most conflict, But Lucas is extreme of this film.

And that is what works most about this movie. "ideal Boys" Has cardiovascular. The film has many incompatible scenes, But it's also about value of friendship in our most trying times: junior high school. due to the fact, It just might become a modern comedy classic.

Apr 08,20