How to Make Party Charcuterie and Cheese Board: Shopping Guide and Tutorial
If you want an epic appetizer spread for your next soiree, bookmark this party charcuterie and cheese board shopping guide and tutorial to make the exact board featured below!
I have lately become obsessed with charcuterie and cheese boards, thanks to the expertise of my savvy friend Marie. She served this fabulous charcuterie board at a recent dinner in her home, and I’ve been crazy over charcuterie ever since:-)
This Christmas for our husbands’ firm party, I asked Marie to do a charcuterie for me to film for the blog. Oh my….in retrospect, I see what a HUGE favor that was. The prep, time, money and effort involved were far more than I anticipated. But Marie did everything with a smile and her savvy flair, and the board was a HIT! So a shout out to my friend for sharing this with me to share with all of you:-)
First, it is helpful to clarify the definition of charcuterie and cheese boards.
- What is on a charcuterie board? Charcuterie (shahr-cute-uh-ree) is a French word for smoked, dry-cured or cooked meats. In this board, pepperoni and summer sausage are the two charcuterie meats. Salami and prosciutto are also popular charcuterie board options.
- What cheeses are usually on a charcuterie board? A charcuterie board usually contains a variety of soft and hard cheeses such as Havarti, Gouda, Goat Cheese, various cheddars, Blue Cheese, etc.
Second, key components of making a pretty charcuterie & cheese board are 1) food items and 2) serve wear and serving pieces~basically what you serve and what you serve it on/in. For this particular board, Marie and I share most of the food items along with the serve wear used for presentation.
Food Items on this Charcuterie and Cheese Board
- Charcuterie meats on this board include a pepperoni and summer sausage. Both meats were cut into bite sized pieces.
- Cheeses are the centerpiece of this board. Marie included a list of the exact cheeses she used.
- Olives were not on this board, but Marie prefers selecting these from an olive bar at Fresh Market or Whole Foods.
- Condiments and other items from Fresh Market and Trader Joe’s include: Dilly Beans, breadsticks, Marcona almonds, beer mix, blackberries, strawberries, fig spread, and assorted crackers.
Cheese Shopping List: Below is a cheat sheet listing the specific cheeses Marie put on this board. These cheeses encompass a variety of textures and flavors, from hard to semi-soft to soft.
Serving Pieces for this Charcuterie and Cheese Board
- I prefer a mix of round and rectangular wood and marble for the boards.
- Bowls of varying heights are always useful. I love using all sorts, from crystal to gold to glass to silver, wood and more.
- Even if meats and cheeses are cut into pieces beforehand (which I love), large cheese knives are a must. As an evening progresses, someone is sure to need to slice more cheese from a block.
- Small appetizer forks, spoons and spreaders are a must as well. I like mixing various looks for these as well.
Serve wear Shopping List: Below are some of the exact items (or similar) that I use for serving pieces for this charcuterie and cheese board. I use all of these pieces for myriad other items when entertaining. Having pretty serving pieces to pull from when it is party time is priceless.
In the video below, Marie gives some tips on shopping for and arranging a charcuterie and cheese board. This video was taken at my home just before guests began arriving for the holiday party.
I hope this helps you put together a great charcuterie and cheese board for your next party. It is amazing what a huge hit this board was throughout the evening. When you create yours, please let me know about it in the comments section ~I’d love to know how it came together!
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