The word charcuterie refers to cold cooked, cured, or smoked meats; so technically, a traditional charcuterie board is just a meat platter.
But as these communal boards have gotten more popular for entertaining at home, the definition has expanded to include abundant displays of meats, cheeses, dried and fresh fruits and vegetables, toasted nuts and briny olives, plus honeys, jams, jellies, chutneys, mustards and more.
Local caterer ‘Catering by Lisa’ has been recognized in this area as presenting worlds-class charcuterie arrays, as seen in the images (below), and they can be found at www.CateringByLisa.com.
A beautiful charcuterie board is a statement piece and a time-saver, since it typically requires little to no cooking. It only takes a few minutes to assemble (really!) and I promise you don’t need to be an expert food stylist. Plus, you can make it ahead of time and pop it in your fridge until right before serving. A charcuterie board can be left out for grazing for up to 2 hours.
Unlike so other many recipes, the key to a good charcuterie board is doing what you want. Choose all your favorite ingredients and whatever you think your guests will love. There are no wrong answers. But if you need a little guidance, this how-to is for you. (Don’t want to mix-and-match yourself?
Since your board is an appetizer, not a main course (unless you are serving it on its own — we’ll get to that below), you don’t need as much meat per person as you would for an entree.
Meats: Two to three slices, or approximately 2 to 3 ounces per person should satisfy your guests. Per-pound prices might give you sticker shock, but many are best sliced wafer thin, so a few ounces go a long way. If you’re serving 8 – 10 people, you will need 1 – 1 1/2 lbs of meat, and you’ll want to pick at least one from each category (more on that below) .
Cheeses: It’s usually sliced a little thicker, so 3 ounces of cheese per person or 1 1/2 – 1 3/4 pounds for 8-10 people (roughly 3 medium-size hunks) should do the trick.
Extras: The more the better! My number one complaint about meat and cheese platters at restaurants is that they often don’t give you enough bread. Don’t make this mistake. You’ll want at least one cracker or piece of bread for every slice of meat. Extras — pickles, spreads, nuts, fruits — should all be plentiful. Your guests may want to play with different flavor combos in each bite. It would not be unreasonable to serve 5-10 handfuls or small vessels of extras.
If you want to serve your board as the main dish, add a little extra of everything and think about adding a salad and a heartier cured meat, like a grilled kielbasa or other smoked sausage.
