How to make a jaw dropping cheese and charcuterie board
Don't know what to prepare for the holidays? Don't feel like cooking? Well, you don't have to. With these tips, you'll create a jaw-dropper of a platter in a jiffy!
Ingredient wise, you'll need:
A variety of cheeses and charcuterie. These are the MVPs of your platter. Depending on the size of your platter, you'll need between 2-6 different types of cheeses and charcuterie each. The platter pictured here also contains a fish section with fish pates and some cured fish (smoked salmon, smoked eel, smoked mackerel) and raw fish (fresh shrimps). You could also serve sashimi or even sushi
Lots of dips. I usually prepare the dips the night before but if you're short on time or just don't feel like it, you can use store bought dips. Tip: one base dip can easily be turned into three different variations - e.g. if you like hummus, prepare or buy lots of. Split in three portions and mix smoked paprika, cumin and olive oil into the first portion, minced garlic and seasonal herbs into the second portion, and beetroot puree (just mix cooked beetroot in a blender or food processor), goat cheese and za'atar into the third portion. Other ideas for dips are pesto, fish pate, aubergine dips, tzatziki, muhammara (roasted red pepper dip)
Lots of chopped veggies to go with the dips, add colour to your platter and use as 'gap fillers' (see final bullet) - you can opt for pre-cut to save you time stuff that is easy to cut. veggies that do well on a platter include olives, radishes, cucumber, carrots, peppers (try to find the mini ones if you can), mini tomatoes, celery. Remembers: you want to go for as many colours as possible, so if you're getting bell peppers, get all the colours you can find
Several variations of crackers, bread, pita bread and crisps to go with the dips and to use as 'gap fillers'
Fruits. Grapes, figs and dried dates usually work well because they complement certain cheeses but work with the seasons - if you're making a platter in autumn/winter, I would consider adding some winter fruits like persimmons, apples, pears, figs or quince
If you're serving the platter instead of dinner/brunch to a large group or would like to serve enough for your guests to nibble throughout the night, consider adding small bites size snacks, such as falafel, small meatballs or maybe some duck confit with pickles
Finally, you'll need some 'gap fillers' to fill any gaps in your platter and add some colour and playfulness - ingredients that work well include walnuts, pecans, shelled pistachios, smoked almonds, dates, figs and rocket (arugula) or other bright salad leaves. These will really tie everything together
To assemble:
You'll need a large chopping board. If you'd like to create a feast like pictured here, you'll need a few different chopping boards and a large surface to play with - this can be a dinner table, coffee table or kitchen counter (eg if you have an island or a bar)
Start with your MVPs, the cheeses, charcuterie and fish. Spread out evenly over the surface area. If you want a little bit of every variety on each side of the table, you can cut the cheese in half and split any charcuterie or fish and divide it over the surface
Next, you want to divide your dips evenly (sort of, it's not an exact science, so play around with it) over the surface. If you're serving bite size snacks, do the same with these
Next, fill any large gaps with fruit, veggies, crackers and bread
Finally, fill any small gaps with nuts, dried fruit and bright salad leaves
Most importantly: it's a creative exercise, so have fun! If you have the right ingredients, this will be an easy and forgiving exercise. As long as you add enough colour, texture and contrast, it doesn't matter that much where you place the ingredients.
Add some knives and spoons to the table and make sure your guests have small plates to go around the table and fill.
PS. This is one of my annual birthday platters. So pretty right, when everything comes together?
