Building a Cheese & Charcuterie Board

Planning and building a Cheese & Charcuterie board can be fun and delicious at the same time. You may have your favorite or go to cheeses and meats but I encourage you to branch out and try some local cheeses and craft salumi. You will be glad you did!

Charcuterie a Brief History

The word Charcuterie pronounced ‘shaar·koo·tr·ee‘, a French term from the 15th century. Garde Manger Chefs practiced the art of charcuterie to make cured meats and sausages.

Classically these chefs would also create pates and other forcemeats. The term forcemeats comes from a rough translation from french version of the word farce which means stuffing.

Charcuterie has been an artform for centuries, where skill and knowledge are needed to create the forcemeats, cure or smoke them. Where they are then presented in an elaborately decorated fashion.

Today the term of garde manger in the professional kitchen has transformed to more of a cold station position to prepare salads and used as more of an entry level position.

The Board That Everyone Loves…

Many times when I meander through the deli and cheese section of the local grocery stores my mind will wander and I will drift off and my creative side of my mind will begin to spin.

Cheese – A Good Starting Point

As I pass by the specialty cheese section I will see what is new. I look at the cheeses and imagine what they would pair with and I build an image of how I could use them. Sliced or crumbled on a burger, paired with a meat in panini or assembled with other textures and flavors of cheeses on a charcuterie board.

Springboarding into Specialty Cheeses

The many different varieties and makers of cheddar alone will give you a jumping off point of where to start with building a Charcuterie Board. There are so many different varieties and flavors that make up complexity of cheddar alone. From smoked, to flavor infused where ingredients added to vary the taste, to the length of time it is aged, and even the country of origin. All these techniques play in to the final product the cheesemaker creates.

There are so many different types of cheeses available with many different variations that make vast array of textures, flavors and mouthfeel. All of these talking points lead to making a good charcuterie board.

Picking Cheeses

Varying the textures, flavors and mouthfeel of ingredients for a charcuterie board is key to making it interesting.

Ask your deli or specialty cheese counter for a tasting of cheeses or their recommended cheeses. The cheese stewards are a great source of knowledge, ask and you may find a new cheese you may love.

Keep in mind some basic principles –

• Cheeses come in different textures, mix it up pick some soft or semi soft, medium to hard firm cheeses.
• Change up flavor profiles of cheeses – mild like cheddar, medium flavored like Ementhaller or Bellavitano, a bolder flavor like a spiced jack, blue cheese, feta or brie.

Salumi and Other Meats

Salumi, smoked and cured sausages, smoked salmon or gravlax all have different flavor profiles and textures just as cheese has and can play nicely with other food on the board.

Let’s look at salumi, which is the craft of preserving and salting cured meats. Within the category of salumi is salami. Salami breaks down into many different varieties and flavor profiles in itself. Below are some you will find at your deli, packaged or ready to slice.

• Genoa – one of the most recognized salami’s, mild flavored and soft. What many of us had growing up for lunches.
• Italian Dry – based off of an old Milan style salame where ingredients are added to boost the flavor compared to Genoa salami. Dry aging process produces a firmer texture that gives a nice bite.

This is where salami varieties take a twist, the two above are typical varieties that you may be used to but the ones below are ones you should search out.

They will give depth of flavors and textures to your board.

• Peppered Salami – many makers of peppered salami use an Italian Dry salami and roll it in a cracked or fine black pepper. This gives a nice spice of black pepper with the fattiness of the salami.
• Calabrese – with the addition of a hot red pepper flake and a slow aging process, Calabrese gives a nice heat at the end of the tasting. The pepper and slow aging gives the meat a slightly red look to the salami. One of my favorites, if you want an extra kick, look for Hot Calabrese!
• Sopressata – this one is packed with flavors. Depending on the maker and even the region in Italy, the ingredients may vary. From fennel, garlic and red peppers to peppercorns, chiles, cinnamon and rosemary. Many larger companies seem to lean more to the fennel flavor direction. But there are smaller salumeria (makers of cured meats) who specialize in more traditional flavors.

The list of cured meats can fill up this page alone. There are many different salami and cured meats and descriptions that can be found at Columbus Craft Meats.

Look for varieties of mouthfeel, textures, acidity levels and most of all flavor to pair with the cheeses you have selected. Give the guests a choice of pairing a bold cheese with a fennel spiced sopressata or. a soft mellow Butterkase cheese with a peppered italian dry.

Other Meat Choices

Let’s face it the possible combinations of cheeses and salami alone will boggle the mind but here are a few more meat choices that you and your guests might enjoy! The list of meats goes on and on….

Nuts, Fruit, Brined Vegetables and Breads

Balance out richness of quality cheeses and craft meats, consider adding nuts, fruit, brined or acidic foods cut richness. The addition of these can also play into filling in spaces on your charcuterie board. Remember, providing guests with a variety gives them options to pair what they want.

Giving additional ingredients to the board lets them choose how and what they get to eat. Giving options of breads, grilled bread or crostini, crackers or pita chips gives guests something to build onto.

Brined and Pickled Choices

Search out some great options. Brined or acidic flavor profiles to add include cornichons, baby dill pickles or even bread & butter pickles. A variety of olives, stuffed are great they add another layer of flavor. Consider using balsamic marinated mushrooms or other pickled vegetables such as asparagus or green beans. These items add great flavors and crunch too.

Nuts and Fruit

Nuts and Fruit break up the elegant meat and cheese pairings you you have created for the board. Once again, search out some specialty items. Flavored nuts or fruits that will sit well out at room temperature such as strawberries, blackberries or blueberries.

Breads, Crostini and Pita or Bagel Crisps

To round out the charcuterie board, tie in some nice flavored breads, grilled crostini or pita & bagel chips. These add a nice crunch and paring to the board to even out the soft cheese and the meats. Plus, it allows them build flavor combinations on them as well!

Designing Your Cheese & Charcuterie Board

There are all different styles, sizes and colors of cutting boards out there. You can get very creative with styling your layout with some unique or fun shaped cutting boards.

The truth is, you don’t need a fancy cutting board or a piece of slate to make a charcuterie display. Wow your guests with with displays around the room where you entertain. If you have a platter or a few plates you can make the charcuterie board into an interactive charcuterie buffet.

Make it fun. Place them around a room. Spread them around the house, some in the kitchen, some in the dining room or even the living room. This will get guests to spread out and mingle.

Pair meats and cheeses on different plates to give different looks and pairings. Such as a diced firm cheese with sliced meats and a few brined options. Do another station with a crumbled strong cheese and prosciutto so it can be rolled together. Mix it up and have fun.

Enjoy!