Crafting A Cheese & Charcuterie Board

Nothing keeps friends, family, and guests noshing their way through an event like a cheese and charcuterie board. The mixture of contrasting flavors and textures satisfies the senses while keeping appetites at bay until the main meal is served. 

Our approach to building a cheese and charcuterie board is to create harmonious, balanced pairings of salty cured meats with creamy, earthy cheeses. An array of sweet and sour condiments add brightness, while nuts and crackers offer crunchy textures to give structure to each bite. This gives your guests a wide variety to choose from while offering plenty of flexibility to customize every bite to their own personal tastes.

What You’ll Need

Materials:

  • Wood or Marble Board
  • Small Bowls or Jars
  • Cheese Forks and Knives
  • Butter Knives 

Ingredients:

  • Various Thin Sliced Cured Meats: Salami, Prosciutto, Pepperoni, etc.
  • Hard and Soft Cheeses: Sharp Cheddar, Brie, Goat, Mozzarella, Blue Cheese, Feta
  • Spreads: Sabatino Truffle Honey, Fig or Apricot Jam, Whole Grain Mustard, Hummus, Sabatino Truffle Spread
  • Pickles and Olives
  • Fresh and Preserved Fruits: Strawberries, Oranges, Grapes, Dates, Dried Cranberries
  • Nuts: Cashews, Walnuts, Pecans 
  • Sabatino Truffle Crisps, Crackers, and Bread

Preparing Your Ingredients:

Depending on how many people you plan to serve, pick a few options from each category.

  • Cube, slice, or crumble your cheeses
  • Put your spreads into small bowls
  • Slice your fruits into bite-sized pieces
  • Nuts can be put into bowls if you worry about them moving around too much 

Now you are ready to assemble! 

Alternate different cheeses, meats, crackers, and fruit on the board. We like to anchor the board with small wheels of brie, goat cheese, or washed rind cheeses like Epoisses or the Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co. Quinta. 

Some Tips:

  • You can shape the cured meats into rose-like shapes by rolling multiple pieces together. Salamis can be folded into half and quarters to stand against each other 
  • Place your bowls of spreads before the board gets too crowded and build around them
  • Items can be split up and put in different places. Don't feel like all the grapes have to be in one spot!

Dig In!