Have Board, Will Travel

With the holidays now in full swing, we’ll be attending all sorts of parties. There are office parties, church socials and family events. Perhaps you’ll host an open house to share hot cider with your neighbors. These days, many of our gatherings will not be catered events.

And that means we need to be the creative ones. Have you noticed all the Charcuterie Boards floating about? That’s such a fun, sophisticated word to say – Charcuterie. Just what the heck is that anyway? And are there rules?

Let’s start with what is it? That depends – do you want the original answer (the origins) or what it means today? It’s a French thing; Chair, meaning Flesh, and Cuit, meaning Cooked. Flesh Cooked really doesn’t sound all that appealing, does it? We owe a lot to the French when it comes to cooking. In the 15th century France developed a method of preparing cured meats and meat products. This involved things such as bacon, hams, sausages and pates. Oh but the French did not stop there – it included Terrines, Galantine, Ballotines and Confit, primarily from pork.

Today the modern Charcuterie has evolved to include a more diverse selection of meats and cheeses presented in an attractive way. Often Charcuterie Boards include fruits, olives and nuts. A Charcuterie Board can be as elaborate or simple as you wish it to be. There are only 3 rules. First, have fun. Second, know your audience. If exotic meats and expensive cheeses aren’t their cup of tea, don’t waste your money. On the other hand, if you are wanting to explore a little or have a soft spot for Pates, by all means go for it. Finally, you don’t need to have a board to create a Charcuterie Board.

I don’t have a recipe to share today. Just a few tips for creating a Charcuterie Board. These are common sense things that I hadn’t realized until I got ready to take my Charcuterie Board on the road for Thanksgiving.

Helpful Hints for the Perfect Charcuterie Board
Pick meats, cheeses and other nibbles that you and your guests will enjoy.

Cut everything in advance. It is so much easier to serve sliced cheese than it is to expect guests to cut a hunk of cheese from a block. Wrap tightly to prevent things from drying out. Label everything.

Pick a serving platter or board. Now that you have everything sliced and wrapped, go ahead and experiment with arrangements. It’s far easier to move things around this way. Stand back, walk around, get a feel for it.

Once the board has been created, make labels, mark the spots where each item is going to go. Since you’ve already played around with it, you know how everything is going to fit together.

Make one last set of labels. I did mine with a printer and some cocktail skewers. When you are ready to serve, unwrap your presentation, one type at a time, and place it in the appropriate spot. Then display your label to let everyone know what it is. Continue on, it will come together in a snap.

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Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord