Charcoots101 – The Building Blocks of Building your Board
I’m a millennial, we’re touted as cringe worthy, lunchable loving, unable to talkie before coffee weirdos but I think I’m ok with it. You’ve heard it before that because we were so wildly obsessed with the treat that was a lunchable growing up that we’re now equally fixated on the symmetry and serotonin boost that a charcuterie board gives our little cheese loving brains. I’ll roll with it because if that’s wrong, I truly don’t want to be right.
I get asked a lot how to build the perfect charcuterie board and frankly, there aren’t many ways to do it wrong, but there are plenty of tips to help you know where to start. Today is your first class in Charcoots 101 and with these basics you’ll have your friends and family swooning over your adult lunchable for days, maybe even months.
What is the rule of 3? Well, an easy way to build your first board without going overboard (no pun intended) is to take the simple rule of 3 and apply it to all aspects of your inclusions, 3 cheeses, 3 meats, 3 starches and 3 accoutrements but I like to use that simply as a guide and let my cheesy little heart lead the way, sometimes that means more and sometimes that means less but it always leads to a delicious and beautiful communal board.
Step 1: Find your board. Are you traveling with this board, hosting at home, serving a small crew or a large crowd? These are all things that should be considered when picking the right vessel. If you’re traveling, a board with a lip or a lid would be a smart move, if you’re staying home, a board, a large counter space etc. would be perfect depending on your crowd size. If you plan to create these boards on a regular basis, investing in a good quality board or set of boards would be a solid plan. Costco is an amazing place to find deals on boards and these are some of my favorites from Amazon:
Travel board (square)
Travel board (round)
Step 2: Pick your cheese. If you decide to follow the rule or three, I would go for a variety of textures and flavors within those three. Start with a hard cheese, a soft cheese and a spreadable cheese. I like to determine the amount of cheeses I buy by the amount of people and their level of interest in cheese – I have some big cheese lovers in my circle so I usually add one or two extras for good measure. Go for different textures, seasonal flavors, classic fan faves and maybe something out of your comfort zone! My perfect variety of cheeses would include an aged cheddar, a spicy gouda, a triple cream brie or camembert, a honey goat cheese and a hard or semi hard cheese like Manchego or Toscano. Go with what you’re comfortable with and start small – don’t buy Costco sized bulk cheeses if you have a single board to make, try spots like Trader Joes, Grocery Outlet or your local grocery store instead.
Step 3: Pick your meat. Listen, cured meats are a point of passion for entire cultures of people and there are countless options worldwide, but accessibility to those deep varieties might not be evenly available to you, and that’s ok! I always recommend a sample style pack to newbies, you’ll get to try a few different kinds of cured meats without feeling like you’ve invested deep dollars on flavors you may not enjoy. If you’re not a variety pack kinda person, I like to suggest playing again with textures and spices – a classic sliced salami, a chunked sopressata, a thinly torn prosciutto or maybe some regional flavors like a Spanish chorizo, a French Saucisson or an Italian beef bresaola. The beauty of a charcuterie board is that it is truly subjective to your taste buds, go with what catches your eye and makes your mouth water and you’ll be good to go!
Step 4: I LOVE BREAD. This is honestly the easiest step. Pick your carbs. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the key is variety. I enjoy adding some crusty crostini, a long and thin panzanella cracker and something with a unique flavor profile like a veggie cracker, a raincoast crisp or the fig and olive crackers from Trader Joes. The point here is not to overthink it, cheese and crackers are the most basic snack we were taught growing up and its impossible to mess it up.
Step 5: Pick those extras. This is the fun part IMO – pick those extra moments that make your board special. Is it a new jam? Maybe some yummy fruit you spotted at the farmer’s market? It can truly be whatever your little heart desires – personally I love a unique dip, a sweet little treat like some quality dark chocolate or seasonal cookies and fresh fruit but I always keep some bulk items like dried fruits, olives and nuts on hand to fill in gaps, add color and give final touches.
All that’s left is to assemble – I know this can be the most intimidating part but don’t be anxious, the beauty of charcuterie boards comes from using all your space and getting creative in how you do it. Start by determining the placement of your cheeses and if they need to be cut or crumbled – I like to space them throughout the board so that they’re not touching and each act as a focal point for your eye to wander. Add in your folded, piled or ribboned meats in the same way before spreading your crackers and carbs across the board filling more space. This last step is where things will truly start to come together – add your extras like fruit and jams, fill in your gaps and cover every inch of your visible board with those filler items like nuts and dried fruits. And you did it – seriously, its that easy! Snap that photo and show off your work, then dig in!