Building a Charcuterie Board

Our daughter has always love to cook and create in the kitchen.  We've encouraged this love of cooking because it's a skill that only improves and is a valuable one in adulthood.

Lately, she has been very into building a charcuterie board of various foods.

So...what is charcuterie?

Credit

First, it's pronounced shahr-koo-tuh-ree. (It's French)

It is the art of preparing meats (usually smoked types) like bacon, ham, or salami.

A charcuterie board most often consists of a variety of meats and cheeses and maybe fruits or nuts.  It's essentially a meat and cheese board.

However, you never have to limit yourself with your food choices, and since this is a blog about breaking the rules, I think you can make a charcuterie out of anything you like to eat.  Think desserts, cheeses and crackers, etc...

But, this post is not about beautifully designed food on a tray, it's about the tray itself!

In our many phone conversations (she lives 6 hours away from us), she has talked about her love of charcuterie.  I decided that I needed to "build" her an actual board to use as a display for her food combinations.

I researched a variety of sites and found that any wood that could be varnished with Formby's Tung Oil Finish would be a good selection.

So, off to Lowes I went to purchase an Oak Project Board and some kitchen cabinet handles and tung oil.  I ended up purchasing 2 boards and 2 sets of handles so that I could make one for myself as well.

This project is so easy and quick.

First, remove all the sticker tags from your boards and sand the edges with a heavy grit sand paper.  You can use a hand sander, but I didn't for this project.  Oak is considered a hardwood - meaning that it's not easily dented or broken. I started with a 50 grit and eventually moved up to a 220 grit.

DIY TIP:  The higher the number on the sandpaper, the finer the grit.  

For heavy sanding and stripping, you need coarse sandpaper measuring 40 to 60 grit; for smoothing surfaces and removing small imperfections, choose 80 to 120 grit sandpaper. For finishing surfaces smoothly, use a super fine sandpaper with 360 to 600 grit.

Once you are satisfied with the smoothness of your board, you can choose to add "feet."  I wanted the board to be raised slightly so that when the handles were added, the screws on the bottom would not scratch any table surface.  Plus, a bit of height adds to the presentation of the board in general.

I used my trusty Gorilla Glue to glue two feet to the bottom of the board.  I made sure that each foot was centered from right to left as well as the needed distance from the end.  I let the glue dry.  At this point you could use screws or brad nails to attach the feet as well.  However, since this board will be hand washed, I didn't feel it was necessary.

The tung oil was applied with a clean soft cotton cloth.  I applied 3 layers, letting them dry overnight between each layer.  I also did a light sanding with a 220 grit sanding block in between layers.

Once I was satisfied with the board, I added the handles.  Since the handles were the more modern long ones, I needed to create a template for drilling the holes perfectly.

I used a scrap of lathe strip to mark the hole placement directly from the hardware.  I then used my measuring tape to position it on the board with exact measurements from side to side and end edge.  I marked the holes and then drilled through to the back.

I then attached the handles using the shorter of the two screw pairs provided in the package.

And it was done!!!

Since our daughter came home this weekend to celebrate Christmas, we gave it to her.  She loved it!  

She got right to work creating a charcuterie for us as our Friday night dinner.

It was perfect!  We had a great time sitting at the table and talking, while picking and choosing among the great items she had on the board.

3 types of cheeses, 2 meats, some fruit, olives, fig spread, and nut brittle was a delicious combination of sweet and savory.  

The board cleaned up so well with just a mild dish soap.  The raspberries left a pink residue which worried me until I washed it and it came right off.  I recommend towel drying it immediately after so that you can protect it from water residue, just in case.

I have not made my board yet, but I will get to it sometime soon.  The boards are the same, but the handles are more in keeping with my style - less modern in style.

This was an easy DIY, and only required a drill if you don't add the feet (which I cut with my circular saw).  You could easily add small rubber feet if you didn't have a saw to cut the feet at home.

If you're not into charcuterie, it still makes a great tray.  Use it for any food service you want!  

Break those rules!

"Building" a Charcuterie Spread

A little over a year ago, I posted this tutorial on how to make a wooden Charcuterie Board.

Just to refresh your memory, or to inform you first hand:

It's pronounced shahr-koo-tuh-ree. (It's French)

It is the art of preparing meats (usually smoked types) like bacon, ham, or salami.

A charcuterie board most often consists of a variety of meats and cheeses and maybe fruits or nuts.  It's essentially a meat and cheese board.

However, you never have to limit yourself with your food choices, and since this is a blog about breaking the rules, I think you can make a charcuterie out of anything you like to eat.  Think desserts, cheeses, and crackers, etc..

I recently used the board I made for myself to build a charcuterie board selection for friends who were coming over to watch a football game.

I wanted to take you through the steps to demonstrate just how easy it is to build a beautifully presented selection of foods on any board or tray you have.

Let's get started.

First, gather your items.

IF you don't have a board, don't stress.

Use a tray, a cutting board, a large platter, or even a cookie sheet that has sides.

Gather together items to corral and cut your selected food.

I have collected a series of copper items over the years, picking up odds and ends in stores like Marshal's and Tuesday Morning.  

You can use anything you have, including stopping by the Dollar Tree for small plastic cutlery found in their party/wedding aisle.

Most of these items I already had.

Things like nuts, crackers, and fruit are pretty much a staple in most homes.

I also had some homemade banana bread from hubby's recent baking foray.

I had picked up a collection of three salamis.  Notice that they are labeled as a "Charcuterie Trio."

I also grabbed my favorite...prosciutto!

You can use whatever you like, just check out what's already in the prepared foods section of your local grocery store.  

You will find MANY items that might appeal to you.

I purchased a small selection fo cheeses, ranging from a soft gourney to a harder gouda.  

Again, pick out what you like to eat.  You DO NOT have to be fancy-schmancy or over the top.

You want to appeal to your guests and what they like to eat.

One thing that I do like to do is provide a bit of information on the types of cheeses and spreads that I have available.

Cheese can be hard to identify because it can be similar in color to other cheeses around it.

Plus, it helps guests pick out what they like and what they may not like.

I use a toothpick and punched out a scalloped oval to make a name pick for each cheese.

I also made one for the spread.

You can do the same thing by just using a piece of card stock and a toothpick.

With the spread in the bowl, the pick fits perfectly.

I made enough picks to identify everything that needed a name.

Adding some nuts to the spread gives people a chance for a little crunch.

They also clean the palate and allow for other flavors on the board to be tasted to their fullest.

Now comes the fun part.

Start by putting your bowls of items on the board first.

Then, begin arranging the meats in different areas around the board.

The trick is to spread these items to different areas so they are easily accessible by your guests.

Next, fill in areas with your cheeses.

Again, spread them out and around the board for easy access.

It also spreads the "colors" of the food around the board, making it look pleasing to the eye which in turn makes it look good to eat.

I add my crackers next.

One good rule to always follow and NEVER break...

Place only whole and not broken crackers on your board.

It just looks more professional that way.

Save those broken crakers for yourself or your kids!

After that, fill in with the colorful fruits, mounding them in and around the meats, cheeses, and crackers.

You can also add any specialty items, like the banana bread or sweet items, in and around as well.

Look how beautiful the fruits look nestled throughout this presentation.

Once I was happy with all the items, I placed it on my table with some cocktail napkins and plates and added a small bowl of nonpareils.

Look how appetizing this board looks.

The guys literally sat down at the table and picked it almost clean.

You can make large boards to feed several people, or make a board for one or two.

Just pick the things you like and play around with the arrangements.

Go over to Pinterest or YouTube to see what "experts" have done with Charcuteries.  I promise that checking them out is NOT breaking any rules, but who cares?