Cheese and charcuterie boards have become an art form and have taken over social media. Below you will find the basics and some secrets when it comes to "boarding", including how to incorporate seasonal ingredients, and flavour combinations that will wow your taste buds… and your social media following!
Cheese
To maximize flavour pairings and to ensure that there is a favourite for everyone you're sharing your board with, include cheeses with variations of richness and flavour. For example, when building a board with three cheeses, consider including a soft cheese such as a goat cheese, a semi-soft cheese such as a Brie or Camembert, and a hard cheese such as a Pecorino or a Gouda. Alternatively, when creating a smaller board (or creating multiple small boards) making one cheese the star of your board is the way to go. This may seem like a simple trick, but it allows you to take advantage of multiple fruit and cheese flavour pairings. One of my favourite simple boards is making a baked brie the centerpiece, and accompanying it with sweet and nutty flavours such as walnuts, cranberries, caramelized onions and peaches.
Fruits and Vegetables
Incorporating fruits and vegetables in your board is a must for two reasons. First, they pair excellently with several cheeses and meats. Second, they are the most cost-effective portion of your board and can easily be used as leftovers compared to cheeses and meats. When it comes to choosing which fruits and vegetables to include, selecting seasonal produce is the way to go. Seasonal fruits and vegetables will not only be more flavourful than their non-seasonal counterparts, but including them in your board will create a theme. Think of a bright colourful board full of summer stone fruits such as peaches, plums and cherries, or a fall harvest board with apples, pears and cranberries. Seasonal flavours are the secret ingredient to an insta-worthy board.
Meat
Similar to the cheese assortment on your board, be sure to consider incorporating variations in richness and flavour when it comes to meat and meat substitutes. For instance, combining lighter milder meats like prosciutto and speck, with a more flavourful and denser textured meat such as cured sausage, and a meat that draws intrigue such as a terrine or paté. Also, consider incorporating vegetarian alternatives such as vegan deli meats and dehydrated vegetables into your board.
Accompaniments
When it comes to cheese and charcuterie boards, it's important to incorporate accompaniments which will complement and bring out flavours from the cheeses, fruits and vegetables, breads and meats. You can never go wrong with a dip, whether you make your own or buy it from the store, as long as you are mindful of how it will work with the rest of your board. If your board is full of rich flavours, go with a mustard or jelly and skip the rich creamy dips to lighten up your board. Dried fruits, nuts, cornichons, and olives are also great accompaniments to a variety of boards. They can easily fill up your board or can be put into ramekins directly on your board as well.
Bread and Crackers
You can never, and I mean never, go wrong with buying that $1 baguette from the store. Even if you are going to serve crackers as well, there is so much that can be done with a simple baguette. Not only do they come in large servings, and in healthier whole grain options, they can be grilled, toasted and seasoned as needed to compliment the textures and flavours of your board. One of my best kept secrets to transforming a baguette into a flavorful bed for meats, cheeses and fruits on my boards is slicing them, drizzling them with olive oil, placing them on a grill pan on high heat, toasting them on both sides to obtain nice char grill marks and then seasoning them lightly with sea salt, black pepper and basil. Similar results can be obtained by placing baguette slices in the oven at 425 degrees, or grilling them on a barbeque. When it comes to crackers, it’s best to incorporate different shapes, sizes, and flavours that complement the rest of the board. It's a good idea to have at least one cracker that is simple in flavour and texture to ensure that the flavours from the meats, cheeses, and accompaniments aren't overpowered by the flavour of the cracker itself.
Pairings
If you're green to making boards or haven't mastered pairing flavours yet, below are some of my go-to pairings that can be incorporated into your board:
- Prosciutto and melon (cantaloupe)
- Prosciutto and parmesan or pecorino
- Brie and peaches
- Brie and walnuts
- Asiago and salami
- Burrata, tomatoes and basil
- Ricotta and strawberries
- Ricotta and cherries
- Blue cheeses and figs
- Goat's cheese and mango
- Feta and watermelon
- Gouda and pears
Lastly, don't be afraid to get creative with your board -add fun garnishes where you like and enjoy the boarding process!