How To Put Together The Ultimate Charcuterie Board
Over the holidays chances are you'll be hosting friends or family over at least once throughout the season. Hosting can be stressful! What do you cook? How do you please everyone? What's simple or easy enough to prepare but looks impressive? My go to for casual entertaining is a good charcuterie platter. With enough variety chances are you'll have something for everyone!
This year, Kira from Northern Style Exposure and myself have put together the ULTIMATE charcuterie gift box for you to give (or receive for yourself) this holiday season! This is truly the easiest way to put together an impressive charcuterie board without having to go out and buy every item - SPUD does all of the work for you!
Today I want to break down how to put together the best charcuterie board for entertaining plus, offer you a chance to win mine and Kira's gift bundle for your own gifting or entertaining purposes!
When I'm putting together a charcuterie board I always start with the cheese. I consider cheese to be the building blocks of a good board.
Once you've got your cheese on the board, next up are the meats! I love to have proscuitto or serrano ham (or both like this one!) on every board as they tend to be liked across the board by most people. Then add in some sausage or salami or whatever other meats are your faves!
Once you've got the main components of your board (AKA the meats and cheeses) in place, it's time to start adding the extras! I like to add dried fruit such as apricots and nuts to my board. These nuts have a maple coating which are not only delish but also make for a great pairing with some of the meats and cheeses but really, there are no rules here. That's what's so great about a charcuterie board!
Olives are an absolute MUST for a good charcuterie board if you ask me, so I always make sure to have plenty of those around. I also like to add artichoke hearts and I've fallen in love with this mediterranean medley of vegetables that we've included in our SPUD box as well- so yummy!
By this point your board is probably starting to fill up but make sure you leave room for tapenades and dips and of course, your crackers! I like to have some sort of sweet option such as a fig jam and then a more savoury choice as well such as an onion tapenade. These are great for spreading on your crackers to pair with meats and cheese.
Once you have all of the elements of your board ready to go, drizzle with honey for some extra pizzaz and flavour. The wildflower honey we include in our SPUD gift box is SO good!
I also had these cute little chalkboard plaques that I used to write down what the meats and cheeses were. This is totally not necessary but a nice little touch to help you and your guests differentiate between what's on the board.
Finally, no charcuterie board is complete without a wine pairing! (At least in my opinion! haha)
I was lucky enough to receive some DELICIOUS wine from Sandhill Wines and I knew they'd be the perfect pairing for this board. Try to have a red and white option for your guests to choose from. I had never had Sandhill Wine before but I can tell you, these bottles did not last long. I highly recommend the Syrah or Merlot if you're a red fan or the Pinot Gris or Pinot Blanc for whites. Or, if you like to try new wines, check out their Wine Club (I'm highly considering it!)
Now that you've got your charcuterie board and wine pairings down, you're set! Sit, sip and enjoy! And, for your chance to win the ultimate charcuterie gift box - head to my IG!
