Christmas Charcuterie Board

As you may know, my other hobby besides cooking is sewing.  I make scarves from repurposed threads.  A lot of team shirts, but if I can put a needle through it I'll try to make just about anything.  For the last 7 years, my childhood friend Ginger and I have hosted a Holiday Pop-Up Shop at the international pantry where I have worked on an off since 2002.  It's Norman's Gourmet & Kitchenware Destination Since 1978 and features kitchenware, gourmet & gifts.  It also boasts a large kitchen area where they host cooking classes and we host our Pop-Up Shop.  As I've probably told you before Mr. Devilish Dish is quite the cook and he has even taught cooking classes at the international pantry many times.  Every holiday season, Ginger and I rope him into giving a food demonstration during our Pop-Up Shop.  He always features some kind of delicious food item or kitchen tool available at the international pantry.  This year we decided to do something different.  As our gift to our loyal shoppers who come to our holiday show every year, we decided to have him teach a little workshop and our theme was Charcuterie Boards & Cold Brew Coffee.  The cold brew coffee was amazing and I will feature it soon in another blog post, but I wanted to share the charcuterie boards just in time for Christmas.

Charcuterie is the craft of preparing smoked and cured meats for preservation and flavor. Typical charcuterie meats are salami, ham, bacon, sausages, and pates. A selection of meats and cheeses are often accompanied by other yummy bites such as crackers, olives, pickles, jams, spreads, fruits and vegetables.  Think of it as the modern relish tray!

Think of this as a sampling, and

fill your board with a variety

of interesting and delicious jams,

mustards, tapenades, and pickled items. 

Just a jar or two of each can

create a stunning board.

How to Assemble a Charcuterie Board:

Start with a beautiful serving or cutting board.
 I didn't start with such a pretty board here.
 I was using my biggest cutting board
(which happens to be my well-worn, most-loved Epicurean Cutting Board) You can cover it with plastic wrap to prevent staining if desired.

Choose a few small bowls or ramekins to
add shape to your board and hold some
of your items.  Pictured here is Marcona Almonds.
You can also use bowls to hold some of your
wet items like jams or oils and vinegars.
Use these bowls, along with your biggest pieces
of cheese as your anchors and place them around the board.

I was super excited to find these selection of
meats at Aldi.  You can certainly opt for things like
summer sausage or even deli meats.  Go for a
variety of flavors, textures and sizes.  

Choose fruits and other items that are seasonal
(pears are great this time of year) and
I chose big purple seedless grapes for their color!

This is apricot jam in a little bowl with a
tiny serving spoon but you can definitely go
with things that are traditional to cheese boards
like Quince Paste, OR use those little jars of
jellies and jams you've received in holiday gift baskets.

Add your salami or other meat in a few different places. 
Try to place these in interesting patterns.
 Layer the meats or roll them and stand them vertically. 
Thinly sliced meats such as prosciutto
can be wrapped around bread sticks or melon pieces.
Here I took the round slices and folded them into
fourths and then stood them up.

Add your cheeses spaced around your board.
 You want different sizes, shapes and textures of cheeses. 
Hard cheeses like Parmesan work well so you can show off
your beautiful cheese knives.   Also a soft, spreadable cheese
like French Feta is a good choice.

Add crackers and fruits or vegetables in large open spaces. 
Choose crackers that compliment your flavors,
but look for interesting shapes such as cheese straws.
I found these super cute tree shaped crackers
at our local market.  Don't they look cute with the
tree shaped ramekins?

Place bunches of grapes, nuts, or chocolates in all the cracks. 
Add in a sprig or two of fresh herbs or greenery such as
rosemary or sage leaves to give your board a natural look. 
Simple fruits like pears or apples taste great and add a visual component  to your board when you cut them into a visually interesting design.

Other options for your board include baguette slices or toasted crostini  with a bowl or two of olive oil
and/or vinegar for dipping. For his demo,
Mr. Devilish Dish grilled slices of baguette
bread sprayed with Duck Fat Spray and
grilled on a stove top grill. It added great taste
as well as looking mouth watering!
PRO TIP from my Brother-In-Law the Chef:
Add a small bowl of Maldon Finishing Salt for
sprinkling!

Here's Mr. DD in action
during his cooking demonstration.
Not only is he handsome, but so very patient
with all of my hair brained ideas!

Have a very Merry Christmas
and I hope you try a Charcuterie Board
this entertaining season...