7 things you can do to make a scrumptious charcuterie board

A charcuterie board is really just a fancy term for a cheese and meat platter. They can include anything from your favorite cheeses to dried fruits and nuts, olives, pickles, and even chocolate. If there's any food you like to nibble on over several glasses of wine, there's a good chance it would make a perfect addition to your charcuterie board.

But having such an array of ingredients can also be a little overwhelming. Where do you start? And how do you know how to place each item on the board in a way that will not only make it beautiful, but easy for your guests to reach and munch on at the same time? By following these simple tips for making the best charcuterie board that will impress your guests every time.

1. Choose your board
Wooden boards are the most popular choice for charcuterie boards, but don't limit yourself to just those. Slate, marble, and even large platters can be used as your board. The most important thing to remember is that it needs to be big enough to serve all of your guests. So if you're only serving two or three people, the wooden cutting board in your cupboard may be enough. But if you're serving ten or twelve people, you may have to look around for a board or platter that will be big enough.

2. Choose your ingredients
One of the best things about charcuterie boards is that there is no one set of ingredients to use. Every charcuterie board is different, which is one thing that makes them so interesting and appetizing. And you can choose whatever you want!

Some ideas for ingredients that make up a charcuterie board are: your favorite cheeses (an assortment of bold and mild, soft and hard is always good); sliced charcuterie such as prosciutto, salami, or chorizo; jellies and jams; honey; roasted red peppers; marinated artichokes; dried fruit; and nuts. These are only a few suggestions. The ingredients that can be added to a charcuterie board are truly endless.

The only thing that's really important when choosing your ingredients is to include a mix of sweet and savory. The saltiness of the meats and cheeses can be overwhelming if there's nothing to balance it out so make sure to include at least a few different flavors.

3. Start with the cheeses
When placing your items onto the actual board, it can be difficult to know where to place certain ingredients. I find it's best to start with the cheeses, as these are often the ingredients that can take up the most space. For harder cheeses such as cheddar, cube them or slice them so guests can easily grab at them. Crumbling blue cheese and keeping half wedges of brie can help add texture to the board and let guests decide how they want their cheese, such as with the rind on or off.

Also remember that if there are going to be cheeses, such as brie, that will need to be sliced, place a couple of cheese knives on the board so guests can do this. And if you have the space, consider placing a couple of big wedges around the board so guests don't have to wait for one person to be finished with it before serving themselves.

When placing your cheeses, space them around the board, leaving lots of room around each. This will give you plenty of space that you just have to fill in with other ingredients.

4. Next, add the meats
The meats you use are one of the biggest components of the board. That is after all, where the 'charcuterie' part comes in. These too can take up a lot of space so it's best to add them after the cheeses, before you start running out of room. And like the cheeses that you placed, you should consider spacing the meat out and shaping them differently to add texture. Thinly sliced meat such as prosciutto can be rolled while thicker slices, such as chorizo, can be sliced into rounds and placed around the board.

5. Don't limit yourself to crackers
Cheese and crackers is a classic combination, especially when paired with wine. And crackers can be placed around your charcuterie board, too. Again, this should be done before you start adding smaller ingredients, as crackers will likely also take up quite a bit of space. And don't think you have to limit yourself to just crackers either. Bread slices, crostini, and pita chips are all great options and again, you can use whatever you like best!

6. Use ramekins
There may be some ingredients that can run and bleed into other ingredients such as olives, gherkins, marinated artichokes, and more. To prevent the brines and juices from running into each other and adding flavor to another ingredient that may not be suitable, place small ramekins around the board. This will not only keep the juices with the ingredient they're intended for, but it will also keep them from running throughout the board and potentially ruining the other ingredients.

7. Fill in the spaces with garnishes
The garnishes for a charcuterie board are all the little condiments and extras, and they're great for filling in any blank spaces on your board. Here's where you can add your dried fruit (apricots are nice!), nuts, pomegranate seeds, and anything else you may want to add. These not only give your guests more options, but they also add a nice pop of color.