What Kind Of Cheese For Charcuterie

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The Best Charcuterie Board Cheeses And Meats According To Pros

How to Make a Charcuterie Board – ULTIMATE CHEESE BOARD

Want to wow your guests with an Instagram-worthy charcuterie board? We asked the experts how it’s done.

Communal eating is back! Now that gatherings have returned, we couldn’t be more excited to share in grub as well as gab. Nearly every home entertaining event includes a meat and cheese appetizer these days, and since these creations are increasingly inspired by Instagram and Pinterest, they are more beautiful than ever before.

What once was a boring plate of cheese cubes and stale crackers has morphed into photo-worthy charcuterie boards and grazing tablesthe hottest hosting trend as DIY-ers like Hanane Rasuli, food stylist and owner of French Boards and Bites NY, have gone pro in the absence of eating out. “I started in December 2020 as a fun way to bring people together, and it quickly turned into a full-time gig!”

She’s not the only one. Charcuterie and grazing boards have become a booming business now thanks to social media, and start-up specialists like sisters Jackie Cardace and Janel Presi of Grazing Girls have a similar success story. “We’re in the age of ‘ and charcuterie boards are just thatbeautiful to look at and delicious to eat,” they say of their business, which was also founded in December 2020.

RELATED: 7 Essential Tips for Making the Best Charcuterie Board

Is Oak Good For Charcuterie Board

Having said all this, in general, hardwoods have a higher density so are harder and more durable than softwoods. This makes them an ideal material for cutting boards as they wont score as easily. For you tree enthusiasts, you may recognize that oak is a hardwood, but is not often used in cutting boards.

Tip #1 Choose Different Varieties Of Cheeses

Classic rule of thumb: get a combination of different cheeses, such as soft, hard, aged and blue.

Here are some examples for each type:

  • Soft: brie, ricotta, goat cheese, camembert
  • Hard: parmigiano reggiano, gruyere, asiago
  • Aged: aged cheddar, aged havarti, sharp cheddar, goat gouda, comte
  • Blue: stilton, gorgonzola, danish blue. For milder blue cheese, look for less veiny and soft n creamy type of blue cheese.

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Best Cheeses For Your Next Charcuterie Board

To make an epic charcuterie board, the best cheeses have to be selected. Its not just how delicious each cheese is individually, but how well they pair with the charcuterie meats to make the best flavor combinations. To help you assemble the most impressive offering possible, weve carefully selected 10 premier cheeses from around the world. We’ve also compiled 10 Fun Ways to Include Prosciutto on a Charcuterie Board.

Is Brie Healthy Cheese

How We Charcuterie and Cheese Board

Brie is a high fat, nutrient-rich cheese. It contains protein and fat, as well as several vitamins and minerals. Most of the fat in brie is saturated fat from cows milk. Although this fat has historically been linked to heart disease, emerging research shows that it isnt as harmful as previously thought .

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How To Prepare A Charcuterie Board

If making a small tray for 1-2 people, it will take up to 10 minutes to prep, depending on the number of items that you use. But if you are preparing a large charcuterie board with a wider variety of items like ours, itll take about you 30 minutes to prep everything and assemble on the board.

To make the process as simple as possible, do the following:

  • Take The Cheeses Out of the Fridge: Before you start to prep any items, remove your cheeses from the fridge to warm up. They not only taste better when close to room temp, but some are also easier to slice, while others such as cream cheese get better to spread.
  • Chop the Veggies: Wash and pat dry all the produce. Then either slice or chop the fruits and veggies into bite-size pieces.
  • Slice the Meats and Cheeses: If your meat is in log form, for example, thinly slice it into rounds. If they are pre-sliced, pull them apart and then fan or roll them apart for easy spreading on the board. If your cheeses come in brick or ball form, either slice them or cut them into small cubes.
  • Gather Other Items: Grab all the other items like jars or packages and leave in a place of easy access to assemble the board.
  • Grab the board & utensils: Leave them near the items so you can spread all the ingredients on the board.

Arrange The Crackers And Condiments

TMB Studio

Distribute the crackers and condiments around the board, thinking about which cheeses and meats each pairs best with.

We put the thyme sea salt crackers near the prosciutto and the herbed Boursin cheese, the long, squiggly crackers near the Southern pimento cheese spread, the honey near the blue cheese and the spicy mustard near the smoky Gouda. Keeping items that pair well together near each other on your charcuterie board helps guide your guests.

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How To Serve A Charcuterie Board

A charcuterie board can be served as appetizers or as part of the main meal.

For an appetizer, it is best to serve charcuterie boards with bread and/or crackers on the side so that people have something to dip them into when they are ready for seconds! For a larger meal, you may want to include some other food options on the board with your charcuterie, such as pickles or fruit.

The presentation of a charcuterie board is largely dependent on how it will be served and what you are serving alongside it. For a small appetizer, the board can be placed at table height with some bread or crackers on the side.

For larger meals, it may make more sense to place them out in a buffet-style arrangement and for an afternoon tea, you might want to have different shaped boards set up so that people can choose their own serving size from smaller chunks of meat to larger rounds of cheese.

What Kind Of Cheese Is On A Charcuterie Board

Cheese Board Basics | Folding Charcuterie

The cheese on a charcuterie board should vary from soft to hard and offer a variety of flavors. Aged cheddar, Smoked Gouda, Plain cheese curds, Edam, Beechers Flagship, Boursin garlic herb spread, Smoked mozzarella, and Fromager DAffinois are some great choices. Blue cheese and goat cheese are also quite commonly used too.

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How To Make A Cheese Board Step : Buying The Cheese

You think you know how to shop for cheese, but you have no idea. Just kiddingyou’ve surely bought cheese before. But buying cheese for making a cheese board is sort of a special thing. For an impressive cheese board selection we recommend heading to a store with a good cheese counter, or maybe even to your local small, specialty cheese shop.

If you don’t already know, a cheesemonger is someone who works behind the cheese counter, or in a specialty cheese shop and their job is to care for the cheeses themselves. Artisanal cheeses need special handling and cheesemongers do the work of slicing and packing them, as well as managing their storage and even sometimes aging. A cheesemonger can be very, very helpful in helping you pick good cheeses for your cheese board. Ask about whats in seasonyes, cheeses have seasonsand trust their advice. Ask for tastesa good cheesemonger will want you to taste the cheese to be sure that youre picking cheeses that are in line with your own tastes. And most of all, have fun with it! Cheese shopping is quite possibly one of our favorite errands ever.

BUT, even though speaking with someone who knows a bit about cheese can be fun and helpful, its not 100% necessary. Well teach you a few tricks that will have you in and out of any regular grocery store in a jiffy with the makings of an excellent cheese board.

Fill In Spaces With Dried Fruit Nuts And Jams

At this point, your board is coming together so nicely! Youll see in this photo above, Ive added some dried pineapple and apricots. I added some sweet and spicy sliced pickles middle left and added a sweet and spicy jam to the top of my cream cheese and brie cheeses. Find the spicy jelly usually near the nicer cheese section of your grocery store. Theyre the perfect addition! I added a halved pomegranate, top middle for color and variety. I added the summer sausage at the bottom that I sliced partially. Add some cheese knives to the board as well. I like to order cheese knives online. Amazon is my best friend

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How To Make The Best Charcuterie And Cheese Platter For The Holidays

Learn how to make the best charcuterie and cheese platter if you want to make the most delicious party appetizer or the most romantic dinner.

Hey Foodies,

Winter is coming, but its not as dreadful as the one John Snow is facing. Oh no, none of that. Ours is cheerful, filled with holidays, parties and loads of delicious comfort food.

So winter is coming and I couldnt be happier!

Now, if youre like me, youre so eager for the holidays that youve probably started planning your holiday meals already.

Questions like what to cook for Thanksgiving or Christmas? have probably made their way into your heads by now, right?

So let me help with that. After all, thats what I am here for.

I am going to show you how to make the best charcuterie and cheese board for any special occasion, whether its Thanksgiving, Christmas, an anniversary or a romantic dinner.

This is by far the best appetizer you could ever treat your guests with, but really, its a heck of a main too.

Making a charcuterie and cheese board is fairly easy but there are a few things you need to know beforehand. Like what to include on a cheese board, how to assemble everything or what kind of charcuterie and cheese to choose.

I will tell you all of this and more in the Tips & Tricks below. So lets not waste any more time cause you know, winter is coming. and we still dont know what to serve for Thanksgiving, not to mention Christmas.

More holiday recipes:

Meat And Cheese Tray Ideas

Large Cheese &  Cured Meat board to share

This post is sponsored by Layer Cake Wines, but all opinions are mine.

There is no doubt that winters are long and brutal in Vermont. To be honest, just the thought of wearing turtlenecks and boots in a few short months give me the chills. However, after almost 2 years of calling this beautiful state home, I know one thing to be true: The chance to experience the beauty of the transition from summer to fall is worth every minute of those merciless cold months.

What I love about it the most is that the days are still long enough to enjoy the beauty of the foliage with cooler temperatures that makes it a joy to be outdoors. Gatherings with friends and family become a frequent occasion before we head inside for the colder months.

In the next couple of weeks, a few friends will be coming over from Atlanta to join us witness the season change. As you can imagine there is a quite a bit of entertaining in my near future. And when it comes to easy outdoor entertaining, my go-to set up has always been a beautiful meat and cheese platter.

That is why today I thought I could Additionally, since I always serve it with a variety of wines, I partnered up withLayer Cake wines to share some of my wine, charcuterie, and cheese pairing suggestions to help you as you prepare your own.

Ill be utilizing these tips for some light entertaining and gathering with friends, but be sure to bookmark this post to be used for dinner party tips, pre-holiday celebrations, and more!

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Pair With Higher Acid Lower Alcohol Wines

Many experts would argue that fuller-bodied red and white wines are too bold for light charcuterie meats and cheeses, but there are always exceptions to the rules. Champagne and sparkling wine are so often considered the best wine pairing with charcuterie due to high acidity, lower alcohol and their affinity for salty dishes. Because Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon has a silky texture, forward fruit flavor, nice acidity, subtle tannins and lower alcohol, its a very versatile red wine with charcuterie. Jordan Chardonnay also has lower alcohol and higher acidity, so it can also work with prosciutto and other salty meats, whereas a big, buttery Chardonnay would overpower the pairing and taste hot . Similarly, a big, rich Napa Cabernet with alcohol above 14% would most likely drown out the meats delicate flavors and taste hot and even spicy at times. If you love red wines, the key is to look for those with lower tannins and alcohols under 13.8%.

Spreads For Charcuterie Boards

Include two main flavors for spreads as well:

  • Two sweet: Examples include apple butter, apricot jam, fig spread and local honey.
  • Two sour: Examples include grainy mustard and chutney and roasted pepper bruschetta.

Tip: Your guests will probably want to wash their hands after digging into your beautiful board. Youâll feel proud to display Foaming Hand Soap from Home Made Simple in your guest bathroom â it smells as good as it looks and gently cleans hands.

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Mitica Drunken Goat Cheese In Red Wine

Most people enjoy a glass of wine with their charcuterie platter, so Mitica went ahead and infused red wine straight into their goat cheese! This semi-firm goat cheese from the Murcia region of Spain is cured for up to 72 hours in a traditional Spanish red wine. The result is a bright white cheese with a purple rind that has a beautiful, smooth fruit taste. Its a great way to offset any strong flavors on the board.

Why Is Brie Cheese Banned In America

How to Make 3 Different Charcuterie Boards | Finger Food | You Can Cook That

In fact, some of the most popular cheeses in the world, such as brie are banned in the US. The reason for this is the strict FDA regulations on imported edible products. Bacteria is essential for the creation of many cheeses especially blue cheeses so this may seem a little ridiculous to cheese fans outside of the USA.

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Can You Make A Vegan Charcuterie Board

Yes, with a few slight adjustments, you can make a completely vegan charcuterie board. There are many high-quality vegan cheeses on the market that can replace the dairy cheese. Skip the meats and increase the number of fruits, crackers, and spreads. Try adding savory options like eggplant bacon, roasted chickpeas, and smokey mushroom jerky.

What Else Can You Put On A Charcuterie Board

Variety is key when selecting ingredients for a charcuterie board and no food is off limits, especially if youre going for a themed charcuterie board like a festive Christmas cheese board or a green St. Patricks Day board.

Hummus, pretzels, Ritz crackers, Brie and even sweets like truffles or chocolate-covered cashews work on a traditional meat-and-cheese charcuterie board. If you want to add more fruit, Josh suggests going for sliced donut peaches in late spring, figs in early summer or late fall, and pomegranates in winter. Get creative with this sweet chocolate charcuterie board.

Get even more inspiration by flipping through some of our favorite charcuterie board books. Feeling handy? Our friends at Family Handyman show you how to build a DIY charcuterie board.

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The Best Cheeses To Use

Lets talk cheeses and little plates and dishes you can use. Before I start anything else I like to choose first my board, because that will give me an idea how much I need for my board, second my cheeses and third, little dishes to include.

Like I said above, this is your board so choose your favorite varieties of cheese. Id suggest have at least 3 different cheeses in different shapes and sizes. See my photo above for reference. Keep in mind my board was very large, but I chose 4 cheeses- brie, smoked gouda, blue cheese, Pecorino Romano and a bloc of cream cheese that I added spicy jelly on top.

Get A Nice Cheese Board

How to Make The Best Charcuterie And Cheese Platter For ...

You could assemble the cheese and charcuterie on a simple platter and it will taste the same, but lets face it. If its a special occasion, the setup matters just as much as the taste.

So if you want to make a cheese platter look great, then you need to pick a nice cheese board. And there are plenty of models to choose from, for all types of budgets.

Here are some of the most popular:

  • Large platters
  • Slate boards

And heres a piece of advice that will save you a few bucks. If you have some really nice cutting boards in your kitchen, you can use those.

If your budget allows, get a large cheese board on which you can assemble everything and a few marble slabs which people can use to serve themselves.

Whatever you do, please dont just throw a few pieces of cheese on a simple platter and serve it for the holidays.

After all, you only need to put just a little thought and creativity to make the best charcuterie and cheese board and impress everybody.

Now that weve decided on which board to use, its time to see which kind of cheese to go for.

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