Have you noticed a lot of charcuterie boards in your Insta feed lately? Or maybe you've seen them at a party or on a menu (for a lot more money than you'd imagine). Charcuterie, pronounced (shar-KEW-tah-ree) is a fancy way of saying meat and cheese platter. Many catering companies, as well as at-home chefs, are setting the bar high in terms of beautiful board presentation.
Fear not, for assembling a charcuterie board is much easier than it looks. We'll break it down for you and give you plenty of decorating tips and tricks so you can assemble your own board at home — for much less than you'd pay at a restaurant. Your friends and family will be pretty impressed too.
You can start out by heading to your favorite grocery store to buy a mix of your favorite meats, cheeses, nuts, breads, crackers, jams, sauces, fruits, veggies — the possibilities are endless. The best part is, you can use up leftovers from your fridge or pantry too. It's completely up to you what you put on your board. For the board itself, you can use any pretty platter or wood cutting board you already have. If you're feeling ambitious, you can go out and buy a nice board like this round marble one or a more traditional wooden option like this.
Read on for the best charcuterie inspo and get ready to make your own gorgeous meat and cheese boards at home. You'll be amazed at how creative you get and how much money you save by making them yourself.
This wooden charcuterie board is perfection with a bounty of seasonal fruits, meats and cheeses, accompanied by crackers, olives, pickles and honey. Try to keep the food items in bite-sized pieces for ease of decorating the board and ease of eating. The gingham tablecloth and sprigs of fresh lavender, rosemary and daisies make this spread so warm and inviting.
Try a minimalist approach to charcuterie by incorporating several smaller boards and really highlighting a handful of great ingredients. We love the rustic, wooden boards with the pink hues of all the different meats, offset with a few white cheeses, baguette, olives and almonds. Fold meat into smaller pieces and cluster it with the same type of meat, making it easy to grab and go for simple and elegant entertaining.
If you're looking to cut carbs, charcuterie boards are a fun way to eat. Try incorporating some low carb crackers and sliced veggies (like cucumber, jicama or radish) for some tasty crunch alongside all the delicious meats and cheeses. We like the free-form stacks on this board for a relaxed, simple supper — wine included!
Add some dimension to your charcuterie board by creating unique arrangements of the food. The cheese triangle flare created around the sauce bowl instantly catches your eye and complements the spiky sprigs of rosemary. Creating rolls or rosettes with sliced meat instantly ups presentation and is super easy. Simply wrap the slice around your finger, slide off and pinch the bottom before adding it to the platter.
