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How to Make a Charcuterie Board

This guide on How to Make a Charcuterie Board will help you put together the most epic board ever. Assorted cured meats, cheeses, crackers, nuts, dried fruits, olives, and more. Impress your family and friends with a beautiful, colorful and creative charcuterie board. Perfect for the holiday season and Christmas appetizer. 

Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Keyword Charcuterie Board
Author Angelica Arias

Ingredients

On This Cahrcuterie Board:

Cured Meats:

  • Calabrese Salame
  • Prosciutto
  • Capocollo

Cheeses:

  • Gouda
  • Crumbly Gorgonzola
  • Gruyere

Crackers:

  • TJ’s Organic Cracker Assortment
  • Mary’s Gone Crackers (Super Seed)

Extras:

  • Castevetrano Olives
  • Organic Adriatic Fig Spread
  • Dried Golden Figs
  • TJ’s Everything but the Bagel Nut Duo
  • Green Grapes
  • Red Grapes

For Decorating:

  • Persimmons
  • Rosemary Sprigs
  • Pomegranate Seeds

Instructions

  1. Place large board or platter on a flat surface. Start by laying cheeses and any bowls or jars and any whole fruits. I like pointing my cheeses to the outside so that it's easier for guests to cut or dip into them. For this charcuterie board I started by placing my persimmons around the board. Then the cheese bricks and cubed my gouda. Then I placed a bowl of olives and a small jar of fig jam.

  2. Continue with rolling and folding your cured meats and placing them around the bowls and/or cheeses. For this board I used Calabrese Salame, Prosciutto, and Capocollo. Keep in mind you want to create an aesthetic look. Get creative and move things around as you go.
  3. Place crackers around the other foods layering them over each other. Place your extras next creating more layers and filling in any empty spaces. Remember these are your dried fruit, nuts, etc. My go to's are green and red grapes, assorted nuts (this time I used TJ's Everything but the Bagel Duo Nuts), and dried fruits like these Dried Golden Figs from TJ's too.
  4. Finish off with some decorations and pop of color. For this platter I used some rosemary sprigs and pomegranate seeds throughout the board in addition to the persimmons. Don't forget to let your creative juices flow and move things around to make everything fit better and look pretty.

Recipe Notes

Tips for making the best Charcuterie Board:

  1. Pick a board that is the right size for the crowd of people you are serving- The bigger the more food you can add but you also don't want too much empty space. You want all your food to be able to cover most of the board so make sure you pick a board that will fit everything perfectly.
  2. Have the right amount of meats and cheeses to feed your crowd- Depending on how many people you are feeding, you want to make sure you have enough food for your board but also not too much to go waste. A good rule of thumb is to have about 2-3 oz of each meats and cheeses per guest.
  3. Keep in mind dietary needs- If anyone in your family or friends have any dietary needs or allergies, keep this in mind. Keep any foods that are allergy friendly on a separate board to avoid any cross contamination.
  4. Place food items that pair together next to each other- Keep crackers next to cheeses and jams that pair together, etc. 
  5. Keep in mind you want to create an aesthetic look- Get creative and feel free to move things around as you go.
  6. Add all the colors- The more colors you use the better. You want your board to look colorful and pretty. It's a good idea also to keep themed colors depending on the occasion or time of year you're making your charcuterie board. Especially if you're making it for the holidays. 
  7. Don't forget to let your creative juices flow- Again, move things around to make everything fit better and look pretty. Have fun and get as creative as you'd like.