The Perfect Charcuterie Board can be the easiest addition to your holiday party. Learn how to assemble one of your own for effortless entertaining.
This week has been all about appetizers and easy holiday entertaining. I wanted to share with you one of my favorite appetizers that I put together when entertaining. A charcuterie platter is one of my go-to's for two reasons. first, because it's so versatile and second because it takes minimal effort. Also, It's good for cocktail parties, pre-dinner snacks, and it can even be fun for a light lunch or brunch.
What Goes on a Charcuterie Board
There are no hard and fast rules about what goes on "The Perfect Charcuterie Board" and that's what I love about it. You can be creative and customize it to exactly what you and your guests like. In addition to guest preference, pairing items with the other dishes you are serving can bring all the flavors together. Typically this is what a charcuterie board will include:
- Assorted Cheese
- Cured Meats
- Dried and/or Fresh Fruit
- Fresh, Roasted and/or Preserved Vegetables (Try my Roasted Grapes & Olives recipe)
- Sliced bread and/or crackers (Try my Parmesan Rosemary Crackers recipe)
Charcuterie Board
When serving a charcuterie board, don't feel like you need some big fancy platter to serve everything on. Use what you have on hand and don't be afraid to mix and match things. You just need a large surface, such as a cutting board, a serving platter, or a collection of different trays put together in a row.
How to Assemble the Perfect Charcuterie Board
- Start with a large board or platter which will serve as the base of your platter. If the base isn't a food-safe surface, you can place a piece of parchment paper on it. You can also use parchment as a decoration as I have done. You will also need two smaller platters or bowls for crackers and anything that has a liquid in it. Things like chutney or olives will have a lot of liquid so you'll want them in their own containers. Place those trays in opposite corners of the board and place your crackers or bread in one of them.
- You will then arrange your cheese on the board. Place the cheese wedges or logs in the open spaces. Don't worry about putting them in the perfect spot, just make sure they are spread out on the board.
- Then, cut your fresh fruit into think slices if necessary and place it next to the pieces of cheese. You can put each type of fruit in one spot or you can divide them up into multiple spots.
- Next, comes the meat! I like to have a couple of cured meats, one spicy and one not. I will have them thinly sliced at the deli counter, one less thing to do! To make them look nice and for an easy grab, fold the slices into quarters. Once you do that, you can tuck the folded slices into little piles around the cheese and fruit.
- Lastly, fill in any of the empty spots with your dried fruit and nuts. You may have to do some adjustment of the cheeses or trays to get everything fitting just right. Don't forget to put your olives or chutney in the last container. Once everything is put together, just make sure everything is easily accessible and then you are good to go!
Place the trays and add crackers 
Arrange the cheeses 
Add in slices of fresh fruit 
Tuck in the folded meat slices 
Add nuts, olives and dried fruits and adjust
The Perfect Charcuterie Board
The Perfect Charcuterie Board can be the easiest addition to your holiday party. Learn how to assemble one of your own for effortless entertaining.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 guests 1x
- Category: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- ¼ lb hard sheep's milk cheese (ossau-iraty or pecorino romano)
- ½ lb soft creamy cheese (brie or camembert)
- ⅓ lb aged semi-soft cheese (cheddar or gouda)
- ⅓ lb soft of semi-soft goat cheese (drunken goat or chevre)
- ¼ lb hot cappicola (thinly sliced)
- ¼ lb italian dry salami (thinly sliced)
- dried fruit (apricots, figs or cherries)
- fresh fruit (pears, apples or grapes)
- salted nuts (almonds or pistachios)
- brined olives or fruit chutney (***See Roasted Grapes & Olives recipe***)
- assorted herb or cheese crackers or sliced bread (***See Parmesan Rosemary Crackers recipe***)
- fresh herbs for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- To begin assembling your charcuterie board, layout a large platter or cutting board for the base of your board. If the surface or your platter is not food safe, top with a piece of parchment paper.
- On the large board or platter, place two smaller trays or containers at opposite corners of the board. Fill one of them with your crackers and/or bread and the other will be for the olives or chutney.
- Next, arrange your cheese wedges and/or logs around the empty spaces on the board so they are spread out and not all in one place.
- Thinly slice fresh fruit and arrange sliced fruit next to the pieces of cheese.
- Take sliced deli meat and fold into quarters. Tuck the folded pieces of meat between the fruit and cheese or between the pieces of cheese and the trays for the crackers and olives.
- Fill in any remaining spaces left on the tray with dried fruit and/or nuts. Nuts can be placed directly on the tray or in a smaller bowl or serving dish that is then placed on the tray.
- Lastly, add olives or chutney to the last small serving platter or bowl and garnish the tray with fresh herbs if desired. Once everything has been placed on the tray, adjustments can be made to make sure there are no empty spaces and that people can access all items easily.
Notes
Nutritional value will vary based on exact ingredients used.
Platter will serve 8-10 guests depending on what other items are being served.
Nutrition
- Calories: 678
Keywords: charcuterie, cheese, crackers, entertaining, grapes, holidays, olives
Did you make this recipe?
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Now that you know exactly How to Assemble the Perfect Charcuterie Board, you can start planning yours for the holidays! Stay tuned next week for more holiday recipes.
Karen says
Did you treat the fresh fruit slices with anything to prevent them from browning ? If so, how far in advance from serving time can that be done ?
Amanda says
I don't typically treat them with anything. Grapes and citrus will hold up relatively well in advance. Apples and pears will turn brown, so I try and wait till the last minute to cut them up and add them to the tray.
Addie says
This is such a great post explaining charcuterie boards!
Amanda says
I'm glad you found it helpful!
michele says
Thanks for the tips! That's a beauty of a charcuterie board.
Amanda says
Thank you, enjoy!
Oscar says
I love a good charcuterie board but always have trouble assembling them. This post is so helpful. Thank you.
Amanda says
I'm glad you found it helpful!
Lara says
We’re making one for Fathers Day! Great inspiration here..thanks!
Amanda says
That's great! Let me know how it turns out for you
Kayla DiMaggio says
I love this! As someone who struggles with creativity when it comes to food placement, your tutorial on building the perfect charcuterie board was excellent! I am for sure coming back to this for my next party!
Amanda says
I'm so glad you found this helpful!
Natalie says
Oh my... this looks amazing. What a lovely combo of flavors. Perfect selection of cheeses as well. Thanks for this lovely idea!
Amanda says
Of course! Feel free to switch up some of the cheeses or meats if you like to fit your preference.
Jeri says
Great step-by-step instructions on assembling a Charcuterie board. Yours looks absolutely beautiful!
Amanda says
Thank you so much, I hope you found it helpful!
Freya says
Your tips helped me create the perfect charcuterie board for a small casual family gathering. They all loved it!
Amanda says
I'm so glad you loved it. It's a great shareable appetizer!