How To Build The Perfect Charcuterie Board
The it girl of any party is the charcuterie board, and we have everything you need to make your charcuterie board the best it can be. Our new fridges are here and they are slowly but surely getting stocked with tons of artisan cheeses, smoked meats, pickled vegetables and even more. This is just an example of a board you can make with things found at Nan’s, and also a guide in general to building a charcuterie board.
Cheese
We recommend using three different kinds of cheese on your charcuterie board. For this one we’ve chosen a smoked gouda, a raw cheddar that has flavors of Wachusett Country Ale, and an herb garlic cheese spread by Smith’s. We like to focus on interesting yet universally appealing cheeses: the gouda, cheddar, and cheese spread are options everyone will love with elevated flavor. For this board, we cut the smoked gouda into longer flat slices perfect for layering. We broke up the cheddar into small bite-sized pieces that you can just pop in your mouth while taking a lap around the party. The cheese spread will be worked in at the end.
Meat
Hello, salami river! For this board, we chose a simple yet delicious dry Genoa Salame by our friends at New England Charcuterie. The flavors in this salame are so bold, and the deep savory smoked meat paired with cracked peppercorns are a perfect complement for the cheeses and other elements of the board. We have many more options in the fridges, choose whatever your heart desires! We arranged the salame in a “river” surrounding the ramekin we’ll be holding another fun element in later. To do this, fold each piece in half and place next to each other with the open side facing up.
Produce
Adding fruits and vegetables add different flavors and textures to your board as well as making it more visually appealing. We used Made in Nature dried apricots and dried cranberries, as well as grapes and cucumbers (or use whatever you have at home!). Use the produce to fill open spots in the board and add color where it’s necessary.
Crunch
Every charcuterie board needs some crunch! We chose the Firehook Mediterranean Baked Crackers and some Organic Raw Almonds for this board. The crackers are salty and savory and the nuts will go perfectly with the cheddar and dried apricots for a delectable bite. We have so many cracker and crunch options in the barn, we know you’ll find something you love. We use the crunch option to help outline the board and fill space where necessary.
Dips & Spreads
To finish up the board, put in your dips and spreads of choice! Our personal favorite is the Divina Fig Spread- it tastes good with everything and adds a flavor and texture that isn’t on the board yet. We also put the spreadable Garlic Herb cheese smack dab in the center of the board to pull it all together!