Charcuterie Board at Home

When I was growing up, we called it a "meat and cheese tray." 

Heck, even know, that's what it's typically called!

You know, where you order a meat and cheese tray and there is a variety of meats, cheeses, and condiments, garnished with fruit?

Where I live, there is a local store that does a beautiful job at making these trays.

But what is growing in popularity are "Charcuterie Boards."

Charcuterie; a French word, pronounced, "shar - coot - a- re"  

I mean . . . sort of!

What I love about a Charcuterie Board is the simplicity.

I mean . . .sort of!

So, if you have been to a Brazilian steakhouse, chances are you have enjoyed a very large Charcuterie Board.

It's like a dissembled salad bar.

Lovely cheeses.

Cooked meats, served cold.

Condiments.

Spreads.

Roasted or grilled vegetables, served cold.

All the while, everything looks delightful and artisanal.

After having dinner one night at this sort of steakhouse,

and having discussions with friends about the growing popularity of Charcuterie Boards,

that's what I made one night at home for the Mr. and the two cherubs.

I did do prep work ahead of time.

"What prep work?"  you ask.

I grilled the chicken and the veggies ahead of time.

I also prepped the fruit and sliced the cheese.

This is what makes game time easier.

Once the prep work is done, you simply assemble the boards.

Boards.

Well, I used platters.

That's what I had and that's what I wanted to use.

Also, because I had prepped several things, I ran out of room for condiments and other such things.

You'll notice the containers on the table.

On this platter, starting at the top left and moving right, as you would read:

• roasted mini peppers, whole
• sliced fresh mozzarella
• sliced, roasted turkey breast
• sliced, grilled chicken
• parmesan cheese crackers
• butterkase cheese slices
• grape tomatoes
• goat cheese
• roasted asparagus
• roasted eggplant
• roasted zucchini
• dried salami
• sweetened, dried lemon slices
• herbed cheese slices
• cinnamon raisin bread
• sweetened, dried orange slices
• dried mango
• white cheddar
• rosemary crackers

On this platter, from the top:

• whole strawberries
• mixed nuts
• chocolate salted caramels
• chocolate dipped pomegranate seeds
• blackberries
• grilled sausage

For condiments, I had:

• lemon curd
• course stoneground mustard
• marinated artichoke hearts
• Kalamata olives
• cornichon pickles
• roasted pineapple and jalapeno sauce
• homemade pesto sauce

One of the cherubs took a dried lemon slice, smeared a bit of goat cheese and topped with a blackberry.  It was wonderful!

The other cherub took a slice of roasted eggplant, dolloped with pesto sauce and placed a slice of mozzarella on top and finished with grape tomatoes.  We all loved this too!

Whether you do serve this as an appetizer for friends or make this for your family dinner, the key is to do a little planning and do your prep work.  The beauty is that nothing is served hot! 

All together, we had a great time trying something new at home!