These are the Best Cheeses for Your Charcuterie Board (2024)

FAQs

These are the Best Cheeses for Your Charcuterie Board? ›

There are a few that I would stay away from eggplants, brussels sprouts, turnips, beets, zucchini and mushrooms. Many of these vegetables taste best when cooked, and Charcuterie boards generally don't include steamed or cooked veggies.

There are a few that I would stay away from eggplants, brussels sprouts, turnips, beets, zucchini and mushrooms. Many of these vegetables taste best when cooked, and Charcuterie boards generally don't include steamed or cooked veggies.

I've found the following ratio works great: 4 types of cheese, 4 types of meat, 3 types of bread/crackers, 1 type of chocolate, 2-3 different nuts, 1 jam, 1 honey, and 1-2 types of olives. Cornichons are a non-negotiable for me and I always have them on a charcuterie board!

In general, a good charcuterie board will have 2-3 types of meat, 2-3 cheeses, 1-2 fruits, 1-2 crackers, nuts, bread, pickles, mustard and a dip or spread. The deliciousness of your board depends on the quality of your ingredients. Buy USDA Organic when possible and look for meats that are free from nitrates.

No matter the style of the wood charcuterie board, you can always follow the 3-3-3-3 rule. Every charcuterie board should have three meats, three cheeses, three starch options, and three accompaniments, such as fruit, nuts, or veggies.

Plan for about 1-2 ounces of cheese per person. As with your meat selections, have your cheese sliced thin (at a 1-2 thickness) to make layering easier. If you'd like to incorporate cheese cubes, or have guests cut their own pieces, have those sliced at an 8-10 thickness.

Many ingredients used in charcuterie boards are high in sodium, including deli meats, dry sausages, cheeses, salted nuts, pretzels and crackers. The recommendation for daily sodium intake for adults is 2,300 milligrams or less. To reduce the sodium load on your board, add more fresh or dried fruits and raw veggies.

Cut produce and cheeses need to be refrigerated until served and should not be kept at room temperature for more than 2 hours total (one hour if the temperature is above 90 °F). Use clean serving utensils, spoons for dips, tongs, or toothpicks to keep guests from contaminating the entire board.

Place cheeses of different shapes and colors strategically, and layer cured meats in a cascading fashion. Creating symmetry or asymmetry can both be aesthetically pleasing so do whatever you feel works best for your ingredients. Consider placing meats and cheeses that you want to encourage pairing next to each other.

What are two main charcuterie items? ›

They at the most basic level you can have a couple kinds of cold-cut meats and cheeses with some crackers, but can also expand that into fruits (like grapes, figs, dates or sliced apples) pickled vegetables (olives, gherkin pickles, pearl onions), nuts, and jams both sweet and savory.

Good dips for a charcuterie board include hummus, guacamole, salsa, spinach and artichoke dip, baba ganoush, and tzatziki. Other options include various types of cheese dips, such as queso and pimento cheese, as well as fruit-based dips like strawberry cream cheese and honey cinnamon yogurt.

Try having different shapes for each cheese to enhance the visual aspect of the platter. It is great to use local and seasonal garnishes such as fresh herbs, edible flowers, jams, nuts, honey, dried fruit and fresh colorful fruit. I like using rosemary and thyme; I love the color contrast they create with the cheese.

First, place the cheeses. Arrange them evenly around the board and allow space for slicing and scooping.

Pasta is a filling and satisfying carbohydrate that can balance the protein-rich offerings of a charcuterie board. Pasta offers a wide range of preparations, from classic spaghetti and meatballs to creamy Alfredo or vibrant pesto.

Charcuterie is divided into three types: forcemeats, sausages and salumi, an Italian word for “salted meats,” which includes preserved whole cuts of meat.

Lay the cheese with it's largest surface down and slice thinly into small rectangles. These small rectangles are perfect by themselves, on a cracker, or with a piece of fruit. If you have many blocks of cheese on your board, try cutting half of them in a different way to create some visual appeal.