Successfully charcuterie boards are beautiful, inviting, and easy to graze upon.
This Thanksgiving example was just begging for a fan of cheese slices that resemble a turkey. You can also use cookie cutters to add a few edible cutouts that are seasonal, like the cheddar leaves and acorns I added to this board. Garnish with sprigs of rosemary, nuts, salami, pickles, olives, and sugared cranberries for a fully festive board. If you’re recreating this board, be sure to also check out these 2 recipes for helpful pairings: Sugared Cranberries and Blood and Sand Cocktail.
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’s 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.
Tips on Cheese
You will want a variety of textures and flavors. Pick a creamy (la tur, camembert, triple cream, brie, Jasper Hill Farm Harbison, etc.), a hard aged cheese (Ossau Iraty, aged cheddar, high quality parmesan, aged gouda), and a wild card (blue cheese, cambozola, truffled cheese, pepper infused, etc.).
Tips on Meat
Pick one to two meats to round out the board. If you use more than one meat, mix it up with a hard salami and a more tender meat like a prosciutto.
Favorite Additions
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.
Further Inspiration
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.
