The Best Charcuterie & Cheese Board You’ll Ever Make

Welcome to the ultimate guide on how to create a charcuterie & cheese board that will leave you and your guests speechless and drooling.

Nothing is better than when you’re at an event, a friend’s house, a restaurant, and you see the charcuterie board come out. You can always find me where the meats, cheeses, & grapes (solid or liquid) are. I became passionate about food while studying abroad in Europe. Those people really know how to eat. In my opinion, the Italians do it best, but that’s just me (even though it’s the French who started us off).

Anyways, charcuterie boards have become quite the trend during recent years. However, assorting and curating all different types of food has always been an art form. It is aesthetically pleasing to see such a fun assortment of some of the best foods life offers. And in the visual age, we live in, people are going nuts over this!

There are several different ways to assort a charcuterie board. People have taken it to the next level, as always, and made it seasonal. So now, your charcuterie board could be Christmas themed with candy canes, and cranberries or perhaps Halloween themed with loads of candy corns and kit kats.

For the purpose of this blog post, I will be sticking to the OG of charcuterie boards. I’ve got you covered from the most essential items you need to their placements and how you should serve them for your guests to experience the ultimate charcuterie.

To start, make sure you are preparing the proper amount of food. Not having enough food can cause some hangry guests, so keep that in mind!

The Board:

Have a board of the appropriate size ready! Some great and fabulous board options include:

Bamboo Cheese Board for $29.97

Extra Large Bamboo Cutting Board for $19.97

Agate Cheese Board for $78

Birch Wood Cutting Board for $35

The Grocery List:

Meats

There are several different meats you can include. Make sure to include popular, well known meats to please your picky eaters. You can surprise the foodies in the room with meats they have never heard of! For meats, try to estimate around 2-4 slices per person.

Calabrese 

Mortadella

Prosciutto

Genoa Salami   

Uncured Sopressata

Jamon Iberico 

Cheeses

My favorite part of any charcuterie board is the cheese.  Remember that cheeses are best served sliced and are usually prepared 2-4 slices per person.

Brie Cheese

Truffle Honey Brie Cheese

Cheddar Cheese

Blue Cheese

Smoked Gouda Cheese

Parmigiano Cheese

Provolone Cheese

Burrata Cheese

Goat Cheese

Colby Jack Cheese

Jams

Jams go a very long way for charcuterie boards. They add so much more flavor to cheese, especially brie cheese. You can essentially choose any jams of your preference.

Apricot preserves 

Strawberry preserves

Raspberry preserves

Fig preserves 

Crackers

Bread is always a must. Nothing around it.

Wheat Thins

Snack Crackers

Sesame and Sea Salt Thins Crackers

Flatbread Crisps 

Ritz Crackers

Whole Wheat Crackers

Artisanal Bread Sticks

Fruits

Fruits add something sweet to any savory snack. Did you know that Europeans actually have cheese and fruit for dessert? 

Grapes

Strawberries

Raspberries 

Blueberries

Clementines 

Oranges 

Dried Apricots

Dried Prunes

Dried Raisins

Dried Cherries

Dried Cranberries

Finger Food Additions

In addition to everything in the list, you can also add these finger food favorites:

Walnuts

Almonds

Pecans

Pistachios.

Mini Pickles 

Cherry Tomatoes

Olives+Capers

Wine 

Just as bread is necessary, so is wine. Ah, all the finer things in life! Serving 2-3 different types of wines ensures a wine for every palate. The best wine pairings for charcuterie boards include:

Cabernet Franc 

Cabernet Sauvignon 

Malbec

Petit Sirah 

Zinfandel 

Gamay

Frappato 

Sauvignon Blanc

Riesling 

Chardonnay  

The Assembly

Besides washing your hands, always remember to wash your fruits and veggies. I cannot tell you how many people neglect to do this.

1. For the easiest assembly, put jams in their respective mini bowls & place mini spoons for serving inside. Place the james around the board.
2. Now, you fill the rest of the empty spaces on the board with your remaining ingredients. Start with your cheeses and work your way to the meats. Fold some of the meats for variety, while leaving others fanned out. Once the big guys are in, you can fill the rest of the space with the smaller foods such as your crackers, nuts, fruits, etc. 
3. Make sure you are arranging the food in such a way that the colors are evenly balanced and the textures play nicely with each other. 
4. Lastly, pair that with your favorite wine & have fun!

Congratulations! You are now ready for your charcuterie board success story & don’t forget to share it all over social media. That’ll make them jealous.