The charcuterie board has been around practically forever, but for some reason has become a trendy thing of late. And it’s obvious to see why–they’re beautiful to look at, fun to assemble, and yummy to eat!
A charcuterie board is any kind of tray, pan, or cutting board upon with charcuterie items (mainly meats and cheeses) are arranged neatly. The word “charcuterie” is French and basically means “meat cooked.”
Charcuterie Board Ideas
The Board
LOTS of things can be used as a charcuterie board such as trays, pans, plates, platters, cutting boards, or even cake stands. You don’t have to buy a special charcuterie board unless of course you want to.
Charcuterie Board
While an official charcuterie board isn’t required for creating a charcuterie display, it obviously doesn’t hurt if you want one!
Cutting Board
A nice cutting board, such as a wooden one, or a slab of butcher block might be something you already have that works.
Cake Stand
Something like this spiffy wood slice cake stand also works for a charcuterie board. I found mine inexpensively at Target.
Other Tools
Besides the actual board, you’ll also need some small bowls or ramekins and some small utensils (like knives for spreading or cutting and spoons for scooping).
Charcuterie Bowls
Cheese Knives
Charcuterie Spoons
Charcuterie Food
When selecting what to put on your board, you want to choose things that are colorful, have a variety of textures (such as crunchy, soft, chewy, and so on), go well together, and hit different flavor notes (such as sweet, salty, savory, sour, or spicy).
What’s on My Charcuterie Board
- brie cheese
- pepperoni
- apple slices
- Boursin Gournay cheese
- peppered pastrami
- green grapes
- everything goat cheese
- mini cucumbers
- strawberries
- gouda cheese
- prosciutto ham
- colby cheese
- Raspberry Jalapeño Jam
Below are a few ideas. All the non-italic items are Trim Healthy Mama S/FP or keto; all italicized items are THM E. This is not an exhaustive list, but should give you some decent ideas.
Meats
- prosciutto ham
- salami
- pepperoni
- bacon
- ham
- pancetta
- pastrami
- corned beef
- coppa
- bologna
- andouille sausage
- kielbasa sausage
- sopressata
Spreads
- sugar free jams, jellies, or preserves (such as my Raspberry Jalapeño Jam or bacon jam)
- sugar free honey (homemade or store bought)
- sugar free maple syrup (homemade or store-bought)
- sugar free dijon mustard
- Cheesy Jalapeño, Bacon, and Artichoke Dip
- pesto
Fruits & Veggies
- cucumbers (such as mini ones), sliced
- bell or sweet peppers, julienned
- baby carrots
- mini dill pickles
- pepperoncini
- banana peppers
- olives
- okra pickles
- pickled onions
- cherry tomatoes
- sun dried tomatoes
- grapes
- apple slices/wedges
- orange segments
- pear slices/wedges
- pineapple chunks/slices
- berries (blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, etc.)
- apricot chunks
- marinated artichokes hearts
Hard & Firm Cheeses
- gouda
- colby
- colby-jack
- monterey-jack
- swiss
- cheddar
- provolone
- comté
- muenster
- parmesan
- gruyère
- manchego
Soft & Semi-soft Cheeses
- cream cheese (maybe add herbs and garlic)
- gournay
- goat cheese
- feta
- ricotta
- cambembert
- brie
- mozzarella
- marinated mozzarella balls
- fontina
- gorgonzola
- blue cheese
Miscellaneous
- Whisps
- THM Shameless Crackers
- sugar free chocolate (such as ChocZero squares or THM Butterfly Bars)
- Wasa crackers
- nuts (pistachios, walnut, pecans, almonds, cashews, pine nuts, macadamia nuts, etc.)
- seeds (pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, etc.)
- toast made with on plan bread (such as WWBB)
How to Arrange a Charcuterie Board
- Arrange the Bowls. First and foremost, arrange any bowls you are using. This includes spreads, olives, mozzarella balls, and so on.
- Place Cheeses. Next, place the cheeses. Typically, you want to work with an uneven number of cheeses so the board looks more balanced. Use a variety of textures (soft, hard, etc.).
- Place Meats. Next, arrange the meats. Fold larger ones like salami or prosciutto so more can fit. The bowls and cheeses can act as barriers to hold them up.
- Other Stuff. Once the above three items are nicely arranged, fill in the gaps with your other items. Blueberries are one of my favorites because they’re awesome for filling gaps. If using grapes, keep them on the vine and cut into small clusters.
Mini Charcuterie Board
Did you know that my son has his own tiny cooking show? Among the awesome videos is one featuring a mini charcuterie board!
Charcuterie Board
Ingredients
- spreads of choice
- cheeses of choice
- cured meats of choice
- extras of choice
Instructions
- Arrange the Bowls. First and foremost, arrange any bowls you are using. This includes spreads, olives, mozzarella balls, and so on.
- Place Cheeses. Next, place the cheeses. Typically, you want to work with an uneven number of cheeses so the board looks more balanced. Use a variety of textures (soft, hard, etc.).
- Place Meats. Next, arrange the meats. Fold larger ones like salami or prosciutto so more can fit. The bowls and cheeses can act as barriers to hold them up.
- Other Stuff. Once the above three items are nicely arranged, fill in the gaps with your other items. Blueberries are one of my favorites because they’re awesome for filling gaps. If using grapes, keep them on the vine and cut into small clusters.
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