Weekends With Winter

5 Elements to the Perfect Charcuterie Tray

in Entertaining, Uncategorized on

 

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Whenever I go to a party I usually head directly to  the meat and cheese platter formally known as the charcuterie tray .  If like me, you had a problem with the pronunciation try this -shahr-koo-tuh-ree.

 

Maybe it’s my obsession with funky cheese and perfectly cured meats, or the fact that my mother made what my friends called ” gourmet sandwiches” for my school lunches that have me so infatuated with this simple appetizer, or HECK maybe it’s the fact that it’s so simple! Whatever the case may be I love good charcuterie! Plus saying it makes me feel a little fancy pantsy 😉

While simple to make there is a bit of a science that goes into creating this delicious hors d’oeuvre (or as I like to pronounce it whore de vours…yep not quite as fancy pantsy as I let on)  and I want to show you the a simple way to create your own.

Choose your Cheese

While technically “charcuterie” specifically refers to the curing and salting of meats, you will find that most charcuterie trays incorporate cheese as well. I generally like to pick 3 types of varying flavor and textures so as to appeal to every palate.  I tend to have a mild, sharp and a more pungent (also known as “funky”) flavor. Adding a tag to your cheese so that guests know which is which is also a nice touch. Here are a listing of each flavor as well as the most common cheeses that fit in that category.

Mild Flavors

Mozzarella

Mild Cheddar

Colby

Brie

Queso Fresco

Sharp Flavors 

Blue Cheese

Sharp Cheddar

Parmigiano Reggiano

Extra Aged Gouda

Asiago

Pungent Flavors

Limburger

Roquefort

Munster

Stinking Bishop

 

Meat Selection

The selection of your meat should pair well with your cheese, again I like to choose 3 different types of meat and my personal faves range in flavor from mild to salty & peppery They are…

  • Prosciutto
  • Capocollo
  • Rosetta de Lyon
  • Soppressata
  • Dry Salami

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 Bread & Crackers

While not a “must have” I think bread and crackers add color and are a nice addition in that they add texture and  interest to your board. There is no “right” or “wrong” cracker to choose and really has more to do with preference. I prefer water crackers as they have a neutral flavor and appeal to more people than their flavored counterparts, a simple french baguette also works for this purpose. In the above picture I had to use what was on hand but I made it work by creating a focal point around the those crackers.

Something Pickled

Whether an actual pickle or pickled veggies, pickles add both a great mix of flavor and a pretty array of color to your board. You need not go overboard though, a small pile on the edge of your tray works just fine. Just make sure you have bite sized portions so as to not overload guests. This is an appy and not a entrée by the way.

Pick a Pretty Board & Utensils

A simple white appetizer plate will do but I really enjoy using a cutting board as it makes for a more lovely display. It also gives you more room depending on the size you use. Make sure if you have blocks of cheese you have the proper knives to cut with. I recommend cutting a few slices for guests for presentation purposes as well.

Extras

Choose an “extra’ that guests may have never thought to pair with your selection of meats and cheeses. Add a couple of almonds, a dollop of honey and mustard, a few raisins and some olives. I for one never knew that these would pare well until I tried them all together and the result was truly divine! The extra’s not only add flavor but they are also a cool garnish!

 

So Weekender’s what are some of your favorite kinds of meats and cheeses? Have you ever tasted a charcuterie board that was to die for? What cheeses did they implement? I love hearing your experiences so talk to me in the comments below 🙂

Comments

  1. Oh yum, my partner and I would love this for date night and actually my son would love this too, he loves cheese! Such an appetising plate.

    • OK so your son is adorable and he loves charcuterie? I think I adore him even more now!

    • That sounds like a great time! I belong to a wine club so this sounds right up my alley.

  3. These are great simple ideas, i’m always so focused on main courses when I entertain at home that I don’t think about hors d’oeuvre. This is incredibly easy and doable, And I’ll definitely be doing it next time around.

    • I’m not a cook so I’m the one that folks call on to make the apps lol. But I love this because it doesn’t take too much thought just the perfect paring and options.

    • Charcuterie is really just the curing of different meats but I love adding cheese to the mix 🙂 I will def add this to your linky!

  6. This was SO informative! I recently went to a charcuterie restaurant for the first time a few weeks back and have been itching to learn more! Great info 🙂

    • Thank you for reading! I hope this helps in giving you tips on how to make your own!

  7. This was so helpful! I always try to put cheese out when guests come over, but I definitely am an amateur! I never thought about including something pickled, but I LOVE pickled things so that will certainly be a new addition for me! (I also am excited to finally know how to properly pronounce charcuterie) 😀

    • I’m so happy I could help! I love putting this together for guests because it’s so easy and they never know if you’re new to it or not.

  8. This is my favorite thing to eat, but I can’t eat any of it except crackers right now because I’m pregnant and soft cheeses and meats like this are not recommended when you’re pregnant, so I’m just dying looking at these pictures and reading this blog! 😉 I love the ideas of how to make everything complimentary though, so I will tuck this away for when baby vacates! 😉

  11. I was JUST about to type out a comment on “how do you pronounce that word”? I’ve never known how to say it hahahahahaha. I also love a good meat’n’ cheese tray at a party. Sounds like we’d be best kinda friends at a party 😉

    • Anyone who loves a good meat and cheese tray can be my friend lol. My ex boyfriend used to pronounce it tartoochari LOL!

    • It’s the perfect way to mix the board up a bit, I think you’ll be surprised at how popular it is among guests.

    • Thank you! I’m not much of a cook but I pride myself in knowing how to create a good charcuterie plate 🙂

    • Wow thank you so much!! I love charcuterie out as well, I love to see other peoples take on it 🙂

  15. Yes, yes and YES to all of these! I’m a HUGE cheese lover (Colby, Brie, Blue Cheese and Extra Aged Goudaare my FAVORITE!)

  17. This is one of my favorite things to eat. I could make a meal out of a great charcuterie board. PS – you have these pop-ups every 5 seconds when I went to this post. It’s really distracting and doesn’t encourage sign-ups since you can’t do anything but see the pop-up. If you want readers to join your mail listing, I would suggest putting up a “hello bar” at the top of your blog. Just my opinion!

    • Thank you Lauren! I was messing around with a new plug in and I didn’t pick the right settings. Can you let me know if it’s ok now?

  18. This meat and cheese tray looks amazing! I have friends over this weekend, I am thinking about putting something like together!

    • It’s perfect for a small get together! You have to let me know how it goes!

  22. I didn’t know the proper name for that until today. I love learning new things! Thank you for education us about the components. God bless! 🙂

  23. I’ve always wanted to put one of these together but although it’s simple in theory, I was never sure how to make it all come together. Thanks for the great post!

  24. I love Charcuterie platters! They are my favourite thing to have with drinks as you can have as much or as little as you want over having one big plate of food. I love tapas themed charcuterie platters the most!

    Katie <3

  25. Such a cute date night idea & you are soot on about putting together a good tray! I’m always careful about not picking a super stinky cheese to put on the plate.

  27. yum, there’s nothing more tasty than a cheese and meet plate! I have to admit I hadn’t heard of the pungent flavor cheeses you mentioned…not sure I’m brave enough 🙂

  29. This is something my hubby and I eat all the time as a meal. My husband being French (as well as the cook in our house) he has the natural ability to always pick the perfect pairings. It is hard to go wrong creating these platters and you have provided some great tips! We sometimes add a dollop of jam, something like fig or pepper jelly which pairs nicely with the cheeses and the meats.

  30. I want to eat this post! Except the blue cheese which makes me die. Bit of a mood killer. We love cheese, meats and pickles in this house, we are well overdue a cheese and wine night. Will consult this post when we do!