How To Craft The Perfect Charcuterie Board

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If there’s one thing that I’m known for at the holidays — it’s entertaining. I really love having friends and family around my table, in my house and enjoying the magic of the season. To me, it’s more special than any gift. But what’s a party without food? It’s not a party, that’s what.

When I was in culinary school in Italy, one of the topics we learned about was how to prepare the perfect board with accompanying snacks for guests to enjoy. This particular segment was followed by a trip to the home of Parmigiano Reggiano and dear Lord in heaven – I just want to live there. That’s a story for another day…

Just in time for your own holiday get-togethers, I’m sharing how to craft the perfect charcuterie board on your own. Let’s dive right in!

1. Mix things up! Offer a a wide range of cheeses, so that you can appeal to all guests
2. Prep early! Cheese should be served at room temperature, so prep things about one hour before guests arrive so it has time to breathe
3. It’s more than cheese! The perfect charcuterie board offers more than just cheese – be sure to add something sweet (I like fruit or honey), a meat option (or two) and some sort of bread. My go-to is thinly sliced prosciutto from the deli and a fresh baguette!

 

Fresh burrata is another great choice – firm exterior and gooey delicious interior. Burrata falls into the category of pasta filata cheeses — think mozzarella, fior di latte, straciatella, etc. And if I’m being totally candid – Americans have been messing it up for years. Traditional pasta filata cheeses from southern Italy are made from coagulated milk, whey and thermophilic bacteria. Americans recognized they could imitate this process (but never match taste or quality) with citric acid and thus, cheap Americanized mozzarella and the like were born. True pasta filata cheeses are nearly impossible to get outside small Italian delis or made in small batches at home, but are well worth the effort – trust me! Thinly slice these cheeses prior to serving for best results.

For a hard cheese, I typically turn to an aged cheddar, pecorino romano or parmigiano reggiano. I like something that guests can chunk off and put on top of a crostini or cracker, or simply enjoy for taste alone. Typically these cheeses have a salty sharpness in flavor. Parmigiano Reggiano comes with the highest price tag, so make sure you pick that one up when you’re having your in-laws or boss over 😉 A flat cheese knife works best to chip, chunk or shave these types of cheeses.