5 Charcuterie Board Tips Sure To Impress

The following tips were curated by us from the lovely Meredith at insockmonkeyslippers.com her site has some great recipes as well!

1. VARIETY OF CURED MEATS AND SALAMI; 3 or more selections. Keep the cured meats sliced very thin and the sausages and salami either sliced thin or cubed. Figure on serving 3 slices of each variety for each person.

• CURED MEATS – Try Coppa (cured pork shoulder), Jamon Serrano (Spanish ham), Prosciutto (Italian ham), Mocetta (cured beef tenderloin).
• SAUSAGES/SALAMI – Try Spanish Dry Chorizo, or a dry-cured Finochietta or Casalingo.

2. PATÉ – A paté is a mixture of cooked ground meat with additions like vegetables, truffles and nuts, minced into a creamy spreadable paste. It’s not a must-have on a board but it brings a different flavor and texture; and can be purchased by the slice, making it extremely affordable. Spread on water crackers or thinly sliced rye bread.
3. SOMETHING PICKLED – Pickled vegetables are a fantastic pairing with meats. Have at least one selection. Try gherkins (tiny pickles), pickled red onions, pickled okra, olives or pickled mushrooms. A pickled something is a must! Our favourite………eggplant!
4. SPREADS – A selection of sweet and savory spreads pair great on a cracker with a slice of cured meat or sausage. Try a fruit preserve or chutney for sweet and rustic stone ground mustard for the savory. Looks mighty fine served in a country-style ramekin with a small spoon or knife for serving.
5. BREAD and CRACKERS – A selection of crackers and bread such as rustic baguette slices are a welcome sight to any board. A healthful, yet tasty selection would be rye bread.

HOW TO SERVE: Serve everything already sliced on one board. If you don’t have room for the bread and crackers, serve on the side.  A basket or side plate works just fine.

BEER AND WINE PAIRINGS: Almost everything pairs with cured meats — that’s the great thing about serving a charcuterie board.

Try:

• White wines: Pinot Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Prosecco or Champagne. Bubbles will pair with everything!
• Red wines: Cotes-du-Rhone, Barbera, Beaujolais
• Beer: Saison, Farmhouse, Pale Ale, Czech or Bohemian Pilsner, Vienna Lager. Better yet, try a batch of your local brew-pub’s finest.

Most importantly, keep it to your liking and don’t stress. Be as adventurous or as conventional as you wish. Don’t forget the importance of presentation. Try one of our live-edge charcuterie boards.