Charcuterie Platter: How To Impress At The Table?

2023 Author: Lynn Laird | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 09:49

Certainly, one way to impress the guests for any occasion is to assemble the most attractive and tasty "facility" - the charcuterie platter. If a few appetizer kebab recipes have made your mouth watering, read on for our beautiful and delicious spread for all tastes.

A charcuterie platter: entertainment or special mastery?

By the way, no special mastery is claimed. Rather be entertained, involving a lot of imagination, an artistic sketch, a few touches of scents and flavors and full of enthusiasm. This beautiful and delicious spread, topped with cheeses, crackers, fruits, nuts and more, will impress your guests. What could be more satisfying for the hostess of the house than to see hands reaching out greedily for the charcuterie platter.

The great thing about charcuterie boards is that there is no end to the possible variations, while in a cheese board, the rule of taste prevails. Changing a few ingredients every time gives something new and amazing. Everyone loves a meat and cheese platter filled with fun bites!

Use seasonal fruits and vegetables to make your job easier and add some special touches for the holidays. For example, a Christmas charcuterie board might have sprigs of thyme and cranberries scattered around. A charcuterie platter for Valentine's Day might contain a small bowl of conversation hearts, cinnamon red teddy bears and LOTS of chocolate.

How to start to compose an original charcuterie platter?

It might sound weird to you, but choosing the right board is a priority. Since the deli platters can be as big or as small as you want. Cold cuts for two are super fun for dates or picnics. When preparing for large events, a few trays should cover the table to ensure guests have enough on hand.

In any case, you don't need to buy a special board, but use a wooden or slate chopping board or a serving tray. Any flat surface you have, will work.

Adding color and texture for a charcuterie platter presentation

When selecting elements for your "impressionist" painting, be sure to choose some that will bring out the colors and structure. Bright reds (strawberries, cherries, tomatoes), light greens (grapes, apple slices, herb garnish) etc.

Make sure you don't place too many similar colors next to each other. This will strengthen the presentation.

The same goes with texture. Variety is the key. You want smooth, shiny surfaces like dates. You want rough, edgy surfaces like crackers. Some should look moist like jams and spreads and others super dry like pistachios and almonds.

Tips for assembling the charcuterie and cheese platter

It may seem like a no-brainer: just throw meats, cheeses and crackers on a board and you're done! It is a deceptive appearance! While charcuterie boards are the essence of easy entertainment, it takes a little thought and strategy to build one that will wow your guests.

First, start with the bowls! What bowls, would you say! Of course, for the wide variety of jams, preserves, mustards or dips. It could be some of your favorites like fig spread, habanero marionberry pepper jelly, pesto, coarse ground mustard, apricot jam. A long and varied list!

The bowls are also great for fresh mozzarella balls, small nuts etc. So, they can be of different sizes, shapes, materials and colors. Long live variety!

Perfect for supporting crackers, stacking cheese and dried fruit, bowls should be strong and sturdy. Place them around the board. The number and size will depend on the size of your board.

How to assemble a deli platter for 10 people

Once the bowls are in place, you can add the meats and cheese. Some cheeses can be cut into cubes or slices, others can be added on the corner board. The brie or blue cheese wedges are really impressive, and with a set of serving knives, guests can really do just fine.

Any dried meat will work on a charcuterie board. If you like the Corsican tradition, try preparing your charcuterie platter like figatelli - the Corsican specialty that will delight the taste buds.

As for the appetizers, they are essential on the side. So our 5 delicious antipasti ideas will be a great accompaniment to the meat board.

Where to put the crackers and bread?

You'll want to add crackers and / or bread to your charcuterie board. Super important! This is an essential part when your guests start to layer all the flavors. The bread between two bites of meat will help to understand the difference. On top of the favorite crackers are cookies and triscuits, packed with good flavor, fantastic crunch, incredible for the whole wheat, canola oil and sea salt content.

Why garnish with fruit?

Fill the empty spaces of your board with fresh and / or dried fruit of the season. This is really the only rule. Grapes are an obvious choice as well as almost any berry. The apple slices are nice and go particularly well with brie and cheddar. Dried fruits are easily found all year round: dates, apricots, plums. Add some fresh herbs for the garnish and you're done!

For a successful charcuterie platter with brio, follow the 4S rule: sweet, savory, salty, spicy (spicy).

Follow the four S rule (sweet, salty, savory, spicy / spicy)

Assemble fruit, cheese and cold cuts

Fresh figs and dried apricots as a side dish

Citrus fruits, grapes, nuts and rosemary for decoration

Red wine with cold cuts