Has anyone figured out why we call these wonderful things charcuterie? Yes, I understand it is a French word but why the popularity of the term? There was a time when we just called them appetizers, hors d'oeuvres or crudités. Right? If you actually look up the term ”charcuterie,” it really only involves cured meats.  I don’t know about you, but my idea of a “charcuterie” board involves a WHOLE lot more than meat; it includes such things as, veggies, cheese, crackers, fruit, chocolate, nuts, and/or anything else that is snack worthy. 

After careful consideration, I have come to a conclusion. In my mind, the one thing that seems to set “charcuterie” apart from the average cheese platter; it’s the actual presentation, the board and the art of how to pile that board just right. It is an art and I would bet anyone who has attempted to “charcuterie," understands the woes of artistically arranging, but also to transport these beautiful boards of wonderfulness. 

The trick is this my friends, create walls to your board before you begin placing. You can use whatever you have on hand, cardboard seems to work best if you have the time to cut strips and tape it around the parameter.  The beauty of this, is that of course it keeps everything contained but it also makes for easy transportation. Once you have arrived and ready to display, simply remove the outer edging.  Perfection!

Obviously, there are a million options but here are my favorite delights for a perfect charcuterie board.

Charcuterie Suggestions:

Nuts: almonds, pistachios, pepitas, pecans
Berries: raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries
Cheese: (a mix of hard and soft) Manchego, Parmesan, Harvarti, Brie, aged cheddar, goat cheese
Cured Meat (of course): Serrano ham, chorizo, prosciutto, salami, capocollo
Sauces: honey, mustard w seeds, jam, pesto, marmalade
Preserved: hearts of palm, capers, olives, pickles, sun dried tomatoes green beans
Breads: crusty baguette, sliced toast points, crackers, breadsticks
Fresh Fruit: melon, kumquats, pear, apples, plums
Veggies: cucumber, beets, radishes, jicama, carrots, cherry tomatoes, asparagus
Sweets: dark chocolate, dates, dried apricots, dried cranberries

Okay, so you know what to buy… but where do you get one of these wonderful so-called boards?

Ready to go next level? Why not just build a charcuterie board of our own?  For those of you who just cringed at the idea of a saw or the word “build,” I would like to show you how, in fact, this is THE EASIEST WOODWORKING PROJECT! You can do it! It’s actually easier than buying all of the charcuterie essentials and much easier than arranging! Scouts honor! 

Are you convinced? Of course you can always use a platter, but I love the look of a board. There is something so organic and beautiful about curating atop of a beautiful piece of natural wood.  My board was a simple cut of a pecan wood. Walnut, maple or even oak would be gorgeous too!  They typically sell these, along with other beautiful wood varieties, at your local home improvement store.  At Home Depot, hardwoods are sold by the foot, so you will not end up with any extra scraps either.  Another note; Home Depot can also cut the wood for you and in my experience, the first 2-3 cuts are free! My board was 30” with two 1” legs. The depth of the board is up to you.  For storage purposes, I opted for an 8” in depth.   

In closing, now that we know what to buy and how to make one, I suppose all we need now is a reason to use one.  Charcuterie doesn’t mean you have to have a party (but honestly, who doesn’t want one? After all, it has all of the food groups; why can’t it just be dinner?!  I am headed to Trader Joe’s tomorrow.  Let me know if I can pick anything up for your charcuterie board? I’ll bring a bottle of wine over too. Just tell me what time.