Just remember, at the end of the day, everyone will enjoy your board, even if you can’t pull off a salami rose. Just get out there and start trying new things.
Cheese and charcuterie boards will never get old. They do not require any cooking and instantly provide something of substance that your guests can munch on while passing the time or sharing a drink.
Plating and Design
I believe in going one of two directions – both have their time and place. The first is a superabundant board where you strategically place your big ticket meats and cheeses and then fill in each gap with crackers, nuts, and other accoutrements until it is like a lush jungle with life popping out in every possible space. The second option is the complete opposite – a simple board with one cheese or meat option, some bread, and maybe a few cornichons. For me, this conjures up memories of French cafes offering excellent but very simple fare. Both of these options are elegant and will be very welcome for any of your guests. Whether you go with the abundance or the austere option will depend on how many people you are feeding, what else is on the menu, and the desired vibe of the event.
Party Themes
Boards also provide endless opportunities to lean into a party theme. There are always more elaborate creations like a large mosaic of cheese resembling a turkey for Thanksgiving, but you don’t need to be that intense to make your board feel special. One very easy hack is to take slices of cheddar or provolone cheese and use a cookie cutter to cut out a themed design – think a cheese ghost for Halloween, a “2025” for New Year’s Eve, or fall-themed cut-outs of leaves and acorns. If you find cute-themed chocolate, cookies, or candies, it’s also easy to toss some on the board to instantly make it look on point for the occasion.
Building Your Cheeseboard
Successful cheese plates are beautiful, inviting, and easy to graze upon. You don’t want your guests to have to cut a hard cheese or they may just not eat that cheese. So make sure you either slice or crumble hard cheeses so that it is easy to grab. For softer cheeses, it is fine to leave them intact. Just make sure you have a cheese knife in it or next to it, so your guests aren’t awkwardly looking around for a tool. Similarly, be sure to add crackers, bread, or anything else that would be nice to enjoy with that cheese.
- What to Include: Abundant boards should have a good mix of cheese, meats, salty, briny, sweet, crunchy, and fresh items. Garnish with sprigs of rosemary, nuts, salami, pickles, olives, and sugared cranberries for a fully festive board.
- Cheese Selection: You will want a variety of textures and flavors. Pick a creamy (la tur, camambert, triple cream, brie, etc.), a hard aged cheese (orsay oratay, aged cheddar, high-quality parmesan, aged gouda), and a wild card (blue cheese, cambazola, truffled cheese, pepper infused, etc.).
Charcuterie Meats
Pick one to two meats to round out the board. If you do more than one, mix it up with a hard salami and a more tender meat like a prosciutto. There are a few easy ways to plate meat in an inviting way. You should always separate the meat for your guests so that they don’t feel awkward touching multiple pieces while trying to free a bite. You can layer them in a fanned-out fashion surrounding the perimeter of something. You can also create a salami rose by layering salami around the frame of a glass, or fold large soft rounds into 4ths and suspend between two weighed parts to create a fun ruffle appearance. Also, if you have a thicker cut of salami and it’s a smaller circumference that just doesn’t work for the salami rose, I like to make a salami carnation. See videos below for full tutorials.
Accoutrements
Cheese and meats on their own are too rich – you need something sweet, salty, and briny to cut through the rich fat. Sweet – honey, jam, candied nuts, chocolate, figs, dates, fruit, sugared cranberries, dried strawberries, etc. Salty – nuts, pretzels, crackers, etc. Briny – olives, pickles, pickled veggies, peppers, pickled beans, Lupini (delicious Portuguese pickled beans that are now available across the US), etc. I even like to add a tinned fish with bread and butter to a board. See here for some of our favorites.
Inspiration and Sourcing
There are some gorgeous boards out there on social media. Get some great ideas from the likes of Ain’t-Too-Proud-To-Meg and Murray’s Cheese. Murray’s Cheese also has one of the best cheese selections in the country and they deliver. So if you feel like your local grocery store is lacking in this department, just put in an order from the masters.
