How to Easily Assemble a Charcuterie Board

My husband spoiled me on our last anniversary by surprising me with the gift of a stunningly large Charcuterie board.  What the heck is a Charcuterie board you ask?  Basically it is a large slab of wood with or without handles. It could also be a large platter, a favorite cutting board, a silver tray; you are only limited by your imagination.  

The one I have is made out of knotty alder wood and it’s about 36 inches long by 12 inches wide, with metal handles at each end.  It’s basically an extra, extra large wooden cutting board or wooden tray and I adore all it’s knotty loveliness!

So for Thanksgiving last year I decided I just had to use it!  I knew the presentation would be stunning on such a large scale board.  If you want to impress your guests with something extra special, an abundant Charcuterie board will definitely “wow” them. Believe it or not, it is really simple to put one together and it looks quite impressive!

You will want to keep a few things in mind when you are putting your Charcuterie board together.  First there is really no right or wrong way to do this.  Pick your favorite cheeses, sliced meats, veggies, fruits, and nuts and you can’t go wrong.  Use your prettiest small dishes and try to vary the height of what you put on your board.    

Tip:  Plan on taking the cheeses out of the refrigerator about an hour before assembling your Charcuterie board, so that it has time to come to room temperature.  Cheese tastes best when its not served ice cold.

I placed cocktail picks in a shot glass, olives in a crystal pedestal style bowl, and breadsticks in glass cylinders for some dramatic height.  Try placing small bowls on candle sticks to vary the height. 

Tip:  Check your local thrift store for small unique dishes, ramekins, and assorted crystal bowls.  You will find many to choose from and since you are not necessarily looking for sets you can pick up some very lovely pieces very inexpensively.  I found the beautiful small crystal pedestal bowl at a local thrift store for only a $1.  The glass cylinders used to hold the breadsticks, are from the DollarTree. 

Folding down the top of a brown paper sandwich bag a couple times to hold extra slices of sourdough baguette bread or extra assorted crackers makes for a simple, inexpensive container.   When it’s time to clean up there is no bowl to wash, just toss the empty bag in the trash.  Easy-peasy!

To start, place your pretty dishes and the cheeses on your board first.   These items take up the most real estate and you will fill in with smaller items around them.  If you are using soft a cheese like Brie, use it whole and stick a pretty cheese knife in it.  Cut other harder cheeses, like Cheddar, Gouda or Manchego, into small bite sized slices and pieces, so your guests can just pick one and pop it in their mouth.

Next you want to place the meats on the board.  For the sliced meats like Salami, fold the slices in half and then in half again, and tuck in around the cheeses and bowls that are already on the board.  They will open up a little once you place them on the board and will look like little meat flowers.  You can also lay them out flat and fan them out for a pretty presentation.  For any larger thinly sliced meats like Prosciutto, deli ham or roast beef, hold each piece vertically above the cheese tray, then gently lower it down creating a pile of soft folds.

Prosciutto, sugar snap pea pods, cocktail picks in a shot glass, dijon mustard, Pepperoncini peppers, cheese, Pumpernickel bread, mini dill pickles, grapes, olives.

Now it’s time to fill in any empty remaining spaces on the board with fruits, veggies and nuts.  The aim is to fill in all the empty space on the board to achieve a look of abundance.  Again, use the fruits and veggies you love best.  I used small bunches of grapes, cherry tomatoes, snap peas, sliced red bell pepper, Cashews, and Almonds.

The last step is to fill your small dishes.  Use them to hold the “wet” items like baby dill pickles, Peperoncini peppers, olives, and condiments like pepper jelly, whole grain dijon mustard, jelly or honey.  Be sure to place either small spoons, forks, tongs or knives in or near the bowls so your guests can easily scoop or pick up what you have placed in them. 

If you want to get really fancy, finish off with a few small votive candles, just be sure you use unscented candles around the food.

That’s it!  You will have a Charcuterie board that will really impress your guests and there will be something for everyone at your gathering to enjoy!

If you aren’t sure what to use here are a few suggested items that you can include on your Charcuterie board to get you started.  Pick your favorites so you can enjoy any leftovers.

Cheeses:  Jack, Gouda, Cheddar, Havarti, Manchego, Brie, Camembert, Parmesan, assorted goat cheeses. 

Meats:  Salami, Pepperoni, deli Ham, roast beef, Prosciutto, Mortadella, Bratwurst sliced on the bias, Pate, or Liverwurst.

Fruits:  grape clusters, sliced apples, strawberries, raspberries, cherries, sliced watermelon, pineapple chunks, honeydew melon or cantaloupe.

Veggies:  cherry tomatoes, snap peas, broccoli florets, sliced red bell peppers, baby carrots, celery sticks, cucumber slices.

Nuts:  Almonds, Cashews, Pistachios (be sure to place an empty bowl on the board with an empty shell in it so your guests will know where to put the shells), Peanuts.

Condiments: brown mustard, pepper jelly, honey, jam, Ranch dressing, butter.

Bread & Crackers: Baguette bread, Rye bread, Pumpernickel, bread sticks, Wheat Thins, Triscuit, Ritz crackers.

Sweet treats:  M&Ms, chocolate covered raisins, pound cake cut into 1 inch cubes, sliced bananas, whipped cream and chocolate sauce in little bowls for dipping.