Easy Charcuterie Board

Find out how to make an easy charcuterie board (a.k.a. simple meat and cheese platter) using basic food items to impress your guests for your next party, holiday, or get-together with friends. 

There is something for everyone even for picky eaters and you don’t have to cook a single thing.

You can easily prep and assemble all the ingredients in 30 minutes, pop open a bottle of champagne wine, and enjoy all the goodies and chats with family and friends.

Would you like to have a relaxing time while nibbling on some great food? Well, if your answer is yes, then a meat and cheese plate is just what you need!

What is a Charcuterie Board?

Charcuterie is a French term that refers to the art of curing, smoking, and cooking meat, primarily pork. It also refers to the place (store or delicatessen) that sells such items and to the preserved items themselves.

So a charcuterie board refers to a board with cured and/or preserved meats (basically, pork) on it. 

But nowadays, the term has expanded to encompass much more than cured meats or a meat platter. Most of them include cheeses, making it more of a cheese and meat platter.

Some even include items for breakfast, desserts, and anything else you can think of.

Charcuterie Pronunciation

For those who may not know, charcuterie is pronounced shar-q-tuh-ree.

It refers to a cheese and cold cuts platter containing different types of cheese, cold meats, seasonal fruits and veggies, nuts, dried fruits, spreads, starches such as crackers and bread, and mini desserts or sweet dips such as this Keto Pumpkin dip, Nuttela dip, or Chocolate fondue.

What Goes on a Charcuterie Board?

Technically, a simple meat and cheese platter should include a variety of sliced cured and/or cold meats.

However, in modern times it has evolved into more of a cured meat and cheese platter that can also include other savory and sweet items to pair with the animal proteins.

Examples of extra food items that you can add to craft your own meat and cheese board or charcuterie plate include:

• Meats for charcuterie boards: You can select any of your choices. I got a package in the store that came with 3 cured meats: prosciutto, capocollo, and Calabrese salami. You may either choose them individually or buy a variety pack, which usually has a better price! You can also make meat roses! 
• Cheeses for charcuterie boards: our meat and cheese board has 3 different types of cheeses: two hard kinds of cheese (cheddar and manchego) and a semi-soft cheese (marinated fresh mozzarella balls and I paired them with Spanish green olives). But you can use soft cheeses such as brie cheeses, and spreadable cheese, or choose an aged cheese. If cheeses are placed whole, please don't forget your cheese knives! 
• Starches: Italian breadsticks, baguette toast, and at least 2 types of crackers for charcuterie boards (e.g. classic saltine crackers, buttery or herb crackers, or grain crackers).
• Fruits (Fresh and Dried): I used dried cranberries and a variety of seasonal fresh fruits like grapes, pomegranates, and strawberries.
• Veggies: Anything seasonal that would appeal to your picky eaters. I used celery sticks, cherry tomatoes, and baby carrots.
• Nuts: They cost more so I chose only one type which was pecans. But you can buy mixed nuts in a can or pick one or more of your preference.
• Spreads and Dips: For the sweet spread I picked an orange marmalade and for a savory spread/dip, hummus. You can use olive tapenade, hummus, and more. 
• Desserts: I chose mini treats such as macarons, caramels, meringues, and chocolate truffles. They don’t occupy much space and you can easily buy them in most stores. Anything that is small, proper for the occasion, and that you love goes well.
• Pickled or brined foods: Cornishon, pickled beets, pickled red onions,  etc
• Jams: All types and flavors for the perfect charcuterie tray.

Another thing is, you can use something else other than a wooden cutting board, although there is a coolness factor to it.

A simple meat and cheese tray will do, especially if you are making a small cheese tray or a basic cheese, cracker, and meat tray.

But always keep in mind that even with all these extra items added to the board, cured meats are still the star of a charcuterie board, followed by different types of cheese.

If you don't include any cold/cured meats on your spread, it's no longer a typical or best charcuterie board.

On the other hand, a meat and cheese platter like ours can include any type of cooked/smoked or cured meat.

Here are a few meat platter ideas: Sausages, pulled pork, roast chicken or fried chicken, pepperoni, grilled salmon, sliced skirt steak, turkey legs or sliced roast turkey made with this best turkey brine for a Thanksgiving party, sliced honey glazed ham for a Christmas get-together, and more.

Some restaurants serve charcuterie boards as appetizer platters with 3 or more types of cured meats, cheeses (soft, semi-hard, and/or hard), grainy Dijon mustard, mixed olives, and sliced bread.

Of course, the charcuterie remains the star, but these extra items help fill it out.

Moreover, on Pinterest and Instagram, you can find many other suggestions for crafting different types of platters, including cheap charcuterie boards, small charcuterie board ideas, and simple charcuterie board ideas.

I have to admit it is super fun to watch something that you can later assemble at home yourself.

Why Make a Meat and Cheese Platter?

Because it is super fun and requires no cooking! It is a dream for any food lover, wouldn't you agree?

Imagine a whole spread of foods that you can nibble on, nicely assembled for your leisure or entertaining...

It all creates a composition of flavors and textures like a harmonious symphony (sweet + savory, sour + fatty, bitter + sweet + tangy, creamy + crunchy, etc).

But that's not all! Here are a few more reasons to fix a meat and cheese board:

• It makes a no-cook appetizer or meal for a party.
• It is perfect not just for summer but for all year round. It is not a seasonal thing, although you should choose seasonal items to make it budget-friendly.
• The variety increases your chance of satisfying different palates!
• Great for when you're having guests over for the holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Eve, Easter, Halloween) and want to impress, but without all the hassle.
• A great opportunity and excuse to clean out your fridge or pantry using fresh fruits, veggies, pickled items, nuts, sauces, crackers, proteins, and other finger foods. A clever way to avoid waste!
• Ideal for when you want a light meal with different items to choose from.

What makes a good platter of cold meats and cheese?

To me, the best meat and cheese charcuterie board has a little bit of everything.

Size isn't the main thing! You can make a small tray for 1-2 people with a few food items such as cheese, crackers, and fruits or a large platter for 6-12+ people with lots of foods to choose from. Both can be good!

What matters is that your meat and cheese board has a variety of components with different flavors and textures. Mixing and matching food is a must!

Here are the elements that you should put on a board, platter, or tray listed according to their category (flavor and texture):

• SAVORY/FATTY: cured meats (like salami, prosciutto, pastrami, capocollo, Spanish chorizo, Jamón Ibérico, soppressata, mortadella, pepperoni), hard cheeses (like cheddar, Parmesan, manchego), semi-soft (like mozzarella balls and havarti), soft cheeses (like ricotta, cottage cheese, goat cheese, cream cheese or requeijao, brie, feta, and blue cheese), olives (like kalamata and Spanish green), dips (hummus and guacamole), spreads (compound butter), fresh veggies (baby carrots, celery sticks, baby bell pepper halves).
• SWEET: fresh seasonal fruits and/or dried fruits (cherries, cranberries, peaches, figs, raisins), jams, honey/maple syrup, candied nuts such as our glazed nuts, mini desserts.
• SALTY: salted roasted nuts, crackers (at least 2 different types), cured meats, and olives.
• SOUR/TANGY: pickled veggies (cucumbers, red onions, beets, or pepperoncini), Dijon mustard, tangy cheeses (like goat cheese), vinegar-based sauces (vinaigrettes, chimichurri).
• BITTER: leafy greens like arugula or fresh herbs.
• SPICY: pickled chiles, spicy jam, hot sauce, fresh black pepper, pepperoncini, red pepper flakes, spicy cured meats.

How to Make a Simple Charcuterie Board

If making a simple small charcuterie board for 1-2 people, it'll take up to 10 minutes to prep, depending on the number of items you use.

But if preparing a large meat and cheese board with a wider variety of items like ours, it'll take 30 minutes to prep everything and assemble the board.

To make the process as simple as possible, do the following:

• Take The Cheeses Out of the Fridge: Before you start to prep any items, remove your cheeses from the fridge to warm up. They not only taste better when close to room temp, but some are also easier to slice, while others such as cream cheese get better to spread.
• Chop the Veggies: Wash and pat dry all the produce. Then either slice or chop the fruits and veggies into bite-size pieces.
• Slice the Meats and Cheeses: If your meat is in log form, for example, thinly slice it into rounds. If they are pre-sliced, pull them apart and then fan or roll them apart for easy spreading on the board. If your cheeses come in brick or ball form, either slice them or cut them into small cubes.
• Gather Other Items: Grab all the items like jars or packages (jam, nuts, pickles, spreads) and leave them in a place of easy access to assemble the board.
• Grab the board & utensils: Leave them near the items so you can spread all the ingredients on the board.

DIY Charcuterie Boards

Here are some guidelines on how to make a basic charcuterie board easily for any oocasion:

1. (Optional step): If you're using wood, spread a layer of parchment paper on your board so that fatty foods like meats and cheeses don't leave grease stains. If you are using marble, like I did, or a metal sheet pan, you don't need to worry about that!
2. Start by choosing one or more focal points. It can be anything! I placed a few bowls of jam, hummus, pomegranate seeds, and mozzarella balls with olives on the board first to establish my focal points. They are often placed either in the center or in spots where you will place other items around. But in this case, since those bowls don't contain the main items (meats and cheeses), you will have to leave space enough to layer the main items around those focal points. These small bowls make the board more visually appealing, especially if you choose some with different sizes/heights/shapes.
3. Next, layer one ingredient at a time on the board, starting with the two key items: cured meats (like Calabrese, prosciutto, and capocollo) and cheeses (I chose a hard cheese like cheddar which is popular among kids, and some other hard cheeses like manchego. loved by adults).
4. Then arrange the starches such as crackers, breadsticks, and toast on the board, followed by in-season fruits and veggies on the board. Different colors of produce make for a bright, vivid, and beautiful board! I picked some that my kids would eat such as grapes and strawberries.
5. Nestle into small bowls or tuck into tight spots small items like nuts and dried fruits.
6. If serving mini desserts for a complete charcuterie board, before starting to assemble the board, reserve a corner for them.
7. Garnish with fresh herbs and edible flowers.
8. Place mini spoons, mini skewers, toothpicks, or any other needed utensils close to the food items they will be used with.
9. Serve with a sparkling drink, wine, or any other beverage of your choice. Cheers! Ours is a complete charcuterie or cured meat and cheese board – it has enough appetizers for a full meal plus desserts.

Easy Charcuterie Board Ideas for Party 

Here are a few food board ideas and themes for different occasions or parties: 

• Holiday Charcuterie Boards: This Christmas charcuterie board plus Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Easter charcuterie boards, among others to celebrate different holidays or occasions.
• Charcuterie board themes: Mother's Day, Princess, Disney, Valentine's Day, or a Football charcuterie board, among others. 
• Seasonal charcuterie boards: Winter, Fall, Spring, or Summer charcuterie boards.
• By Diet: Among many charcuterie board recipes, a keto charcuterie board. Why not? 

Expert Tips for Making Charcuterie Boards

• Choose and use the produce & other foods based on what is in season and/or on sale. In the summertime, for example, pick seasonal fruits such as watermelon, peaches, and cherries. If making a winter meat and cheese platter like I did, grapes and pomegranates are some of the best picks. For Fall, apples, pears, and figs are better choices. In the spring, maybe apricots and rhubarb. The same goes for veggies! Buying seasonal produce will save you money and also will taste better. In addition, balance flavors and textures!
• Place food items next to what they will be eaten with For example, crackers close to cheese, cured meats closer to toast, veggies close to dips, etc.
• Choose a board or platter with handles or a rim when possible: After putting the board together in the kitchen you will be able to easily carry it wherever you'll be serving the food.
• Break the most popular food items into small groups: Because most people go for cured meats, crackers, and bread as well as cheeses first, it works better if you scatter them across the board with space in between them. That way, more than one person can serve themselves at the same time instead of having to wait their turn.

Ideas for Using Up Leftovers

Depending on the size of the board and how many people you serve, you may wind up with leftovers.

Hey, that's not a bad thing if you put them to use later. Here are some ideas for taking care of the leftovers:

• Use the mozzarella and tomatoes to make a sandwich or Caprese breakfast egg cups.
• Use nuts and dried fruits to serve with the perfect oatmeal.
• Make a tropical fruit salad, or smoothie bowl, or use the fruit leftovers as toppings for this acai bowl recipe.
• Cranberry jalapeño dip or this keto hummus makes a great spread for sandwiches!
• Veggies are great for making this weight loss cabbage soup loaded with veggies or a hearty beef stew.

Be creative and put your meat and cheese platter leftovers to use!

FAQs

Storage

Store any leftovers, wrapped or covered, in the fridge for up to 3 days. Make use of them as soon as possible!

More Appetizer Recipes

• Shrimp cheese ball
• Rissoles (Ham and Cheese Empanadas)
• Coxinha de frango (Chicken fritters)
• Keto cream cheese fruit dip
• Keto Buffalo chicken dip
• Whipped feta dip
• Baked feta
• Brie en croute
• Whipped ricotta dip

PIN AND ENJOY!

This post was first published on December 30, 2020.