#Charcuterie -- With over a million tags in Instagram and other social media platforms, it is undeniable that Charcuterie or the Charcuterie Board is one of the trending hot food topics in the world of social media. Especially during the pandemic, do-it-yourself projects has pushed us to explore and put our own twists on different things and recipes, even that of tradition. If you are looking for ways to fancy up your parties at home or at the office and flex your creative skills, why not show off through a Charcuterie board? You might find that it is easy to do, yet it is both aesthetically and tastefully pleasing for everyone. Here are some tricks and tips on how to assemble a Charcuterie board for beginners.
What is Charcuterie?
Charcuterie, which comes from the French words, chair "flesh/meat" and "cooked," is essentially the practice of preserving meat. Charcuterie, pronounced as "shar-koo-tuh-ree" or “shaar-koo-tr-ee” has been around for centuries and, the same as cheese, it gained its popularity because of its ability to prolong the shelf life of food. The term "Charcuterie" translates to "pork butcher shop" in French. The first Charcuterie boards consisted mostly of pig and pork products, but chefs and others have begun to incorporate different meats and non-meat components throughout the years.
The first Charcuterie boards were created in France in the 15th century because of the Roman empire's traditional technique of salt-curing meats. During those times, people used the technique of salting and smoking meat to preserve them and to prevent the meat from spoiling and wastage since there were no fridges or freezers back in the day. Cured meats like salami and prosciutto were the foundation of many of the first Charcuterie boards and are still important up to date.
What do you use for a Charcuterie Board?
You may use any large platter, cutting board, or serving plate for your board. Popularly used nowadays is the large wooden board which is available in most department stores or markets around. You can also maximize your ceramic ramekins, small bowls, or saucers for dips and spreads. How about also using the different bread and spread knives that grandma has been keeping (or hiding) in your kitchen cabinets all these years? You can also opt to provide small spoons or knives to help the guests with their spreading. If you are holding a grander event for a larger number of people, you may even consider a grazing table for a whole table of appetizers.
What do you put in a Charcuterie Board?
New York Times’ Sam Sifton said, “A party board is what you make of it. This is a no-recipe recipe, a recipe without an ingredients list or steps. It invites you to improvise in the kitchen.”
Much like for a Charcuterie Board, you can decorate your own board and be as creative and as out of this world as you wish, but while there aren't really any strict rules to follow for Charcuterie, there are some particular ingredients are more complementary to this style of meal more so than others.
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Food Items
As a beginner in making a Charcuterie Board, the basic must-haves are the following ingredients: Variety of cheeses, Assorted Meats, Crackers or Bread, Fruits, Vegetables, Jams and Dips, and the drink you will pair your platter to. Some Charcuterie boards are based on the crackers or bread that it includes and uses them as a basis for the remaining ingredients. According to The Food Historian, to have a balanced board with different options for each one’s unique taste preference, remember to:
1. Add ingredients that are salty and savory in taste. For the salty flavor, you can choose from saltine or cheese crackers, hard and soft cheeses, salty-aged cheese like parmesan, cheddar, pecorino, salted assorted nuts, and almonds. Different kinds of chips like potato and tortillas can also be considered. As to the savory taste, the star of most Charcuterie Boards are the meats. Common meat options that are readily available in the supermarket or wine stores are: salami, pepperoni, chorizo, sausage, prosciutto, ham, and so on in the cold cuts area.
Extra tip: You can ask for the assistance of the cold cut meat seller or the wine sales person to help you in choosing which meat pair with which cheese and wine since they are more likely trained and knowledgeable about the good combinations.
2. Add ingredients that are creamy and sweet which you can consider to use for dips like hummus, queso de bola, cream cheese, sour cream, fruit jams, butter, and honey. Other sweetening options that can be added are cookies, chocolates, butterscotch, brownies, as well as fruits – both dried and fresh.
See related article: Your Guide to Summer’s In-Season Fruits
3. Add ingredients that are spicy and sour in taste like hot sauce, spiced dips, kimchi, salsa, spicy nut mixes, sour berries, pickles, or other pickled vegetables including pickled carrot or radish or for a more Pinoy option, atsara would certainly do.
4. Add fresh ingredients. More than the health benefit, fresh ingredients add to the variety of fresh flavor options especially for those considering the Charcuterie as appetizer. Common fresh options are tomatoes, olives, grapes, different kind of berries, carrots, cucumber, apples, broccoli, pears, and the like.
5. Lastly, you can add bread options to match with your dips and jams or on its own pairing to your drink which can include all different kinds of bread and pastries like flatbreads, pita, garlic bread, tortilla wraps, breadsticks, pretzels, baguette slices, and the like.
See related article: Is bread maker a must have item in your kitchen?
Decoration
1. In designing your Charcuterie Board, don’t be scared to get creative and to scatter the food on your board since not every food item in all its whole pack or chunk has to be included on your board. A key in the on-going popularity of the Charcuterie Board is its aesthetic appeal. It is important that your board doesn’t just taste good, but that it looks good as well.
2. It is also better to make sure that the food items are in bite-sized portions for guests to pick up the food easier and also to maintain hygiene since it’s a pick your own stuff tray. If your board is great, there is no doubt that guests will go back and forth in enjoying the food.
3. Try to stack the cheese and crackers, bread, and nuts, style with wooden baskets, cake stands, saucers, little bowls, etc. and see which looks appealing to your eyes. Mix and match different colors according to palettes, brightness/darkness mix-ups, or themes. Spread the food items around artfully. You can have them overlap each other, stacked side by side, or in spilling piles.
4. If it’s the first time you are introducing a Charcuterie Board to your party, it is a much safer choice to include small black board labels, stickers, mini flags, or any kind of note to label the different food item to assure that everyone gets only what he or she wants to take a bite of.
5. Charcuterie Board can be as fancy and as budget-friendly as you like. You can go all in with the expensive stuff and enjoy a gracious table but you can also have a limited budget, or use some food items you already have at home, and still have a much-filled enjoyable experience.
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