Charcuterie Board

Attention non-cooks!!  A Charcuterie Board is an awesome dish to take to your next holiday meal or pot luck.  It looks pretty, doesn’t take long to put together, and it’s a crowd pleaser because guests can nibble away while the main meal is prepared.

I’ve seen awesome spreads on Instagram and Pinterest but wondered if I could really put something together that looked pretty, and I did!

Start by shopping!

You’ll want to choose a variety of shapes, textures, lengths, and colors to give a variety of flavors but also make the board aesthetically appealing.  I did my shopping at Aldi, they have a surprisingly large selection of artisan meats and cheeses that are still affordable.  If you can find variety packs, these are usually more economical. 

Ideas for your Board:

• Meats
• Cheeses
• Chips
• Pretzels
• Crackers
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Veggies
• Dried Fruit
• Fresh Fruit
• Olives
• Pickles
• Spreads – Honey, Cream Cheese, Ranch, Jellies, etc.

Choose your platter and serve ware

If you will be traveling, you can either assemble your board on-site or prepare on a tray or platter with edges so you don’t have to worry about anything sliding off while traveling!

Add plain, simple, bowls, or jars to the board to hold small or wet items that may spread.

You may want to provide toothpicks on the board or off to the side

Layout your board

Start with large items like a bowl or chunks of cheese.  If possible, wait until just before serving to slice your cheese, it looks prettier for presentation if still in tact. After you’ve placed the largest items, work from the center, outward.  Roll or fold meats to create different looks.  More is better!  If you aren’t sure if you used enough of something, add more! Foods can touch! I chose all gluten free items for my board so I did not have to worry about any cross contamination.  A bit of overlap makes the board look full.  Add garnishes (if you’d like!)

Cover and refrigerate or serve!

You should be fine to leave your board out for an hour or two but if guests will not arrive immediately, store it until you are ready to much!

Have you found anything unique that you incorporate into your charcuterie board?  Tell us what your favorite items are!