How To Make an Epic Charcuterie and Cheese Board
Meat and cheese boards are my go-to for super chill, no stress summer entertaining. You can load them up with all your favorite cheese, cured meats, fruit, nuts and spreads. Add some wine and baguettes and you have yourself a meal!
photo credit: Raul Velasco
I just returned from a weekend in the Hamptons (more about that soon!) co-hosting a blogger retreat with Lexi of Lexi’s Clean Kitchen and Liz of the Lemon Bowl. We rented a beautiful house in Water Mill and hosted 11 food bloggers plus a photographer (photo directly above is taken by Raul Velasco). Lexi and I made two Charcuterie and Cheese Boards (a gluten-free, allergy-friendly one not pictured here) with lots of hot dips, Sangria, wine, plus avocado shrimp salad, and my Southwestern black bean salad for there arrival.
One of our sponsors for the event was Delallo, a brand I work with and LOVE because if you’re familiar with them, they are the BEST! Peapod was also so generous to donate most of the groceries such as the fruit and herbs pictured here. The best part, they both delivered to the Hampton’s house we rented so I was able to place my order online ahead, and have everything there when I arrived.
Back to this epic platter! There really is an art to making photo-worthy, mouth-watering platters. Varying the colors and textures, a variety of meat and cheese options, and lots of fresh items is the secret to success. For a smaller crowd, use smaller boards or platters. If you make one this summer, I want to see, please tag @skinnytaste on Instagram and I will regram the prettiest photos!
photo credit: Raul Velasco
How To Make an Epic Charcuterie and Cheese Board
- Step 1: Find the right boards to build your platters. Large cutting boards, marble slabs, slate boards or ceramic platters are great options.
- Step 2: Choose a variety of cured meats and salumi. Pictured here sweet Sopressata, salami, proscuitto, pepperoni, and a variety of other cured meats from Delallo.
- Step 3: Use a variety of soft and hard cheese options with varying milk types and color such a Brie, Havarti, Gouda, Hot Pepper, Mozzarella, Provolone, Blue Cheese, etc.
- Step 4: Add some cured olives and colorful antipasti. Pictured here, Delallo Garlic and Pepper Antipasto, Grilled Artichoke Hearts, Green Cherry Pepper Shooters Stuffed with Proscuitto and Provolone and Sweet Tangy Pepper Drops.
- Step 5: Add a few spreads, jams and mustards with with a variety of crackers and bread sticks. Pictured here is Delallo’s fig spread, and roasted pepper bruschetta.
- Step 6: Mix in a colorful variety of fresh and dried fruit such as grapes, berries, dried apricots, and dried banana chips.
- Step 7: Use a variety of nuts, mix them up! Here we used pignoli and almonds. Pistachios, and pecans are also great.
- Step 8: And for some finishing touches, add some fresh herb sprigs such as mint or rosemary.
- Step 9: Most importantly, artfully arrange them and have fun making it!
Delallo has graciously offered a 25% discount site wide to Skinnytaste fans! If you place an order use the code SKINNY25 at checkout.
You can also see Lexi’s Guide on building the ultimate cheese plate here.
How To Make an Epic Charcuterie and Cheese Board
Ingredients
- variety of sliced cured meats and salumi such as Sweet Sopressata, salami, proscuitto, pepperoni
- variety of soft and hard cheese options such a Brie, Havarti, Gouda, Mozzarella, Provolone, Blue Cheese, etc.
- cured olives and colorful antipasti such as Delallo Garlic and Pepper Antipasto, Grilled Artichoke Hearts, Green Cherry Pepper Shooters Stuffed with Proscuitto and Provolone and Sweet Tangy Pepper Drops
- roasted and fresh veggies on the side, not pictured
- spreads, jams and mustards with with a variety of crackers and bread sticks. Pictured here is Delallo's fig spread, and roasted pepper bruschetta.
- a colorful variety of fresh and dried fruit such as grapes, berries, dried apricots, and dried banana chips
- variety of nuts such as pignoli, pistachios and almonds
- fresh herb sprigs such as mint or rosemary
Instructions
- Grab a large platter or two, you can use cutting boards, ceramic platters, slate cheese boards, marble slabs, etc.
- Artfully arrange where you want your cheese selection and jars, bowls of olives, jams, and antipasti to go, then place varieties of meat slices and rolled up meats around.
- Scatter crackers and bread sticks to fill up space, then add your fruit, nuts, and herbs to make keep the colors balanced and beautiful.
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can you make the night before?
You can prep a lot of it the night before, slice cheeses and meats and refrigerate but I wouldnt assemble until the day of.
This is lovely! How many people does it serve? I’m trying to make one for a friend’s bridal shower and need HELP!!! Thanks a bunch!
Board looks like crap. Did a grade school kid arrange that canned garbage?
Killin’ me. Just move along if it isn’t to your liking – no one recipe or presentation will, or is meant, to please everyone.
I love this. Exactly what should be on a Charcuterie board. My hubby went to our local international market (and was unsupervised) and bought 400.00 worth of cheese and dips and spreads! So we are going g with a board for Christmas Day for the family. It will be an appetizer kind of Christmas meal! With him being less than a week out from a total knee replacement here in Florida….this will be perfect. Now I just need to incorporate some vegan options for me and we got this! Love this idea for family. A nice Cabernet and some mimosas! Woo hoo!
I’m bringing a charcuterie tray for Thanksgiving…for people who just love a good macaroni and cheese (i.e. people who just like basic stuff). I’ve always wanted to make charcuterie, but I want to bring something that they will eat and enjoy, without being too fancy.
What I have so far is a Camembert, an aged Irish Cheddar and some Boursin. Sliced meats are a pepper salami, hot capicollo and hot Calabrese, along with some unspiced ham. I’ll serve this with some Triscuits, pita crackers, and some cheesy layered crackers that are good on their own. Should I add more crackers or baguettes? I’ve got some grilled veggies and some marinated artichoke hearts. I plan to scatter some roasted almonds and dried apricots, and some cherry tomatoes. Am I at all on track, or am I overreaching?
I think it sounds great!
Your new Yorker stuff is too fancy for me. Living on the Southend of the Smokey mountains.. closest store for your fancy stuff is like 65 miles in either direction. Looks good but I’m going to stick with lots of meats and cheeses, but not the fancy stuff. Good luck New Yorker, we’ll have lots of fun with middle America foods. And some home brews. Sorry your detached from the real America.
Lol your comment is beyond rude… sorry that Gina didn’t know that you live 65 miles from your closest grocery store…. the title of the post is EPIC CHARCUTERIE AND CHEESE BOARD – what did you expect?!
Wow, you sound like a wonderful, open minded human. It’s a CHARCUTERIE BOARD, relax. Keep your unnecessarily rude comments to yourself and enjoy the holiday.
This is such a weird comment. This recipe looks great – I live in middle America and have made these boards many times… and they always turn out great. I also love basic “meats and cheeses” that aren’t necessarily fancy.
And home brews.
Gatekeeping anyone’s culinary tastes is pretty far off what I consider the “real America” to be.
Also, it’s “you’re” not “your”
Cheers mate.
Come on Joe. A little culture never hurt anyone.
May your attitude cheer up for the new year! ✨💫
clearly another disgruntled, miserable person in this world with disdain for New Yorkers. its a cheese and meat board — get over yourself and enjoy it.
Dude, I literally got everything for my New Year’s Eve Charcuterie board at Aldi’s. In case you don’t know, that’s a “middle America” discount grocery store. They have a great selection of artisan cheeses & meats, both imported & local, as well as lots of various types of imported spreads, jams, artisan crackers, pita chips, etc. They also have plenty of non “fancy” cheeses & meats. You certainly don’t have to be rich or fancy to make one of these. 🙄
No fancy food required.
Simple cheeses, ham. Pepperoni
Any pickled veggies
Various nuts, maybe a homemade jam and baquette(also easy to make!)
I guess “haters goin’ hate”
Tennessee or Georgia? Wow, up until this point everyone I knew from Tennessee was gracious, kind, smart, funny and open to new experiences. You must be from North Carolina. Trying new things and being open to new experiences is the real America. Sorry you are (you’re) missing out on a lot of America that doesn’t fit your particular worldview. Enjoy your cheddar and bologna!
I had to go back and read the description to see if it said anywhere that you could find all these ingredients at any grocery store EVER. Nope. Doesn’t say that. Your comment would suggest she included a picture of her holding up a finger to middle America on a map.
It’s meat, cheese, dried fruits and jam. There’s absolutely NOTHING confrontational about suggesting how and what to place on a board of meat, cheese, dried fruits and jam.
I’m surprised JOE has internet considering he lives so far out in the sticks. What was the inside of the capital building like?
Presentation looks great! I like all those things!
Midwesterner here and the way I read this recipe was that you can add whatever to a charcuterie board. Pick your meat, cheese, nuts etc all or nothing or as you said in your most hick voice meat and cheese is your choice. Bon appétit🤠
You people are so rude. I can’t believe it. This is a simple idea; and guide you make your own. I live in fucking Hawai’i. It’s hard to find a lot of these things as well. But I make due with my version of local I gradients and fruits. No need to bash someone on their recipe. Move the fuck along then. Jeez. No wonder mainland America sucks right now, you are all fighting over charcuterie board recipes/ideas! 🙄
The charcuterie board trend is pretty awesome! I grew up in an old-world Italian household, with three generations under one roof! My Grandmother would make a “charcuterie board” for us an an after school snack as young as when we were in elementary school! Cheeses, meats, Italian bread, Stella D’Oro breadsticks, dried figs (she dried them herself using fresh figs her fig bush), homemade jam, flavored EVOO for dipping the bread or breadsticks and grapes. There were three of us kids (and my Mom and Grandmom would snack with us, too!) so it wasn’t a HUGE board (it was just a snack, after all), but we had it several times a week as a snack and the BIG board was out for the family Sunday dinners which had a lot of other stuff the “kids” didn’t like just yet! Every time I see a pic of one of these it reminds me of my Grandmother and all the great memories I have of her. I miss that woman!!!
Those are the best kind of memories!
This looks beautiful! I am making this for Thanksgiving!
I found a great wood board at World Market today along with packages with a variety of charcuterie. I’m grabbing some olives and anti pasta from the bar at my grocery store along with some cheese and fillers! I’m literally going to just copy what you did to make it so pretty 🙂
🙂
Hi Gina, what about crackers?! That’s always my challenge! Thanks!
I buy a variety!