Create a Beautiful (and delicious!) Charcuterie Board in a Few Simple Steps

Who doesn't love cheese? And who doesn't love a variety of cheeses in one place with a few other yummy snacks alongside them? I certainly do, and for this reason, a charcuterie board (i.e: a meat and cheese plate) is one of my favorite appetizers to put together. A charcuterie board looks beautiful and may feel like one of those things that you could never put together, but if you follow these few easy steps and tips, you can for sure create an appealing board that you can put out for any occasion: a luncheon, shower, girls' dinner, or even a casual Friday afternoon snack for you and your significant other when he/she gets home from work. Here's the deal: if my husband can put together a charcuterie board, so can you!

A charcuterie board I put together for a bridal shower I recently hosted.
Front top left (smoked gouda), Back top left (sharp cheddar), Middle (colby jack and gruyère), Front left (manchego).
Meats (prosciutto and salami - regular & spicy) 

Create a Charcuterie Board in a Few Simple Steps --
1. Have a variety of cheeses that offer different tastes and textures

• Have a hard cheese and a soft cheese or even a crumbly cheese.
• Have a sharp cheese and a mild, creamy cheese.
• Incorporate different tastes: smoked, sharp, aged, etc. 
• Cheese suggestions: 
• Hard (parmigiano-reggiano, gruyère or my personal favorite, manchego) 
• Soft (brie, goat, or gorganzola)
• Sharp (cheddar or blue)
• Creamy (gouda, colby-jack)
• Spicy (pepper jack)

-- These are just suggestions. Here's my thing: serve what you like, but try to also include variety for your guests! If you go to a specialty cheese shop, they can make suggestions for what pairs well and what also gives you variety. If you just head into your local grocery store or Trader Joe's (which usually has a great cheese selection), try to follow my suggestions above and literally pick up and feel the cheeses. You can tell which are soft and creamy or harder. 

2. Choose a couple different meats to have on your board

• Salami is always a good, safe bet and it's yummy! 
• I usually go with a standard salami, but I've also used spicy
• Trader Joe's has one of my favorites - wine infused meats! I really love their Chianti Salami. Looks like this! 
• Prosciutto is also another good one. It's a thin slice cured meat (ham) and has a delicious, salty flavor. 

3. Carb it up!

• Crackers - offer options. Any good cracker combo box you can buy from the store will work and these boxes usually have a couple different types (wheat, vegetable flavored, water cracker, sesame cracker, etc.)
• Grilled bread - french or sourdough
• Cracker crisps or breadsticks
• Pita bread or chips (if you've got hummus)

4. Choose your add-ons

• These are other tasty bites and add different flavor profiles and textures. Here are my favorites:
• Salted, roasted almonds or marcona almonds
• Dried cranberries
• Marinated olive medley (green, kalamata, black, etc.)
• Dried apricots
• Grapes
• Sesame sticks
• Hummus

5. Putting it all together

Try to create a visually appealing board by strategically placing a cheese next to a meat or add on. Make sure different color cheeses go next to one another, if possible. If you've got two white cheeses, place a meat in between or another one of your add ons if you can. Incorporate your carbs on the board with your cheeses and meats if space allows. If not, use smaller serving items to place crackers and add ons near your board (see photo above for ideas). 

6. Enjoy!

Sit down, relax, and enjoy. I could eat charcuterie for dinner every night. Pair it with a seasonal glass of wine, or just whatever your favorite is. I personally enjoy pairing a dry rosé or a bold glass of red, like malbec, with my charcuterie.