The centrepiece to entertaining is often the impressively sized charcuterie board perched front and centre on the dining table. Piled high with decadent cheeses, morish meats, tasty fruits, and dips to appease even the pickiest of guests.
There is no question it’s a crowd-pleaser, but with an endless amount of charcuterie board Inspo out there, it can often be an overwhelming exercise to ensure you’re including all the right elements, whilst making it look spectacular!
Fear not, we have put together our top tips for creating a deliciously indulgent and beautifully presented charcuterie board that will leave your guests satisfied and in awe.
Top tips for creating the ultimate charcuterie board.
1. Where to begin…
Start with a board of course! Charcuterie boards can be as big or as small as you like, created for two or 20 or more! For ease and presentation, a wooden chopping board is most commonly used. Whether round or rectangular, have fun and find a shape that works for you and your event. For instance, you might find a festive shaped board for Christmas!
Alternatively use a platter if you feel you don’t have a board that will be sized correctly for the number of guests you are entertaining. If you are concerned about not having enough food on one board, simply make two!
2. Pick your hero cheeses
The star of any charcuterie board is the cheese!
Decedent, soft and creamy, cheese works as the binding agent for the board, bringing together the punchy smoked meats and sweet fruits that work in tandem to complement the creamy nature of the hero cheese.
For variance choose 2-3 stand out cheeses that vary in texture. You would be hard-pressed to find a charcuterie board that doesn’t highlight a delicious soft cheese variety like a Brie or Camembert cheese. Try Paris Creek Farms’ award-winning bio-dynamic triple cream cheese range, with rich nutty flavour profiles and indulgent creaminess they make for the ultimate crowd-pleaser.
To top it off include a wedge of your favourite hard cheese variety, ensuring all guest’s tastes are catered for whilst adding variance to your board. Try Paris Creek Farms’ range of hard cheese varieties to add the ultimate addition to your charcuterie board.
3. Add local meats
Naturally, the next step is to add your locally farmed and cured meats. Whether smoked, cured or dried, the salty flavour bomb of your cured meats works beautifully to complement the creamy cheese.
Play with textures and flavours! Why not try Adelaide Hills Fine Foods Pork and Fennel Salami sliced, along with some delicious Skara Mediterranean Prosciutto for a salty hit and top it all off with Aldinga Roast Turkey Fillet for something different!
4. Dips!
If there is anything to contest cheese for top position on your charcuterie board, it’s dip.
Everyone loves a creamy, flavoursome dip. And surprisingly, it’s not that difficult to whip together a great tasting dip yourself!
Looking for delicious, creamy dip recipes? We have put together 3 of our favourite recipes using Paris Creek Farms Organic Greek Style Plain Yoghurt as a base, click here to read more.
5. Adding fruit, crackers, and garnishing
Fill in the gaps on your charcuterie board with an assortment of seasonal fruits and crackers. Tip: make sure the ratio of crackers is enough for the cheese and dips to ensure nothing gets left behind!
There are no wrong answers here in terms of fruits, grapes are an obvious choice as they are easy to pick up. However, if you do serve larger fruits, just ensure they are cut into bite sized portions.
Lastly, have fun and add colour! By now you should have a wonderful assortment of ingredients making the platter fun, beautiful and tantalising. But if your charcuterie board is leaving you feeling a little lacklustre, try adding some dried florals to jazz up your presentation!
Are you looking for creative recipe inspiration to enjoy with your delicious organic dairy products? If so, you might like some of our other articles:
Protein Packed Pumpkin & Goats Cheese Frittata Recipe Made with Quark
3 Easy Greek Style Yoghurt Dip Recipes Everyone Will Be Asking You For…
5 Ways to Add Greek Yogurt into Your Diet + Glazed Lemon and Yogurt Cake Recipe!
Delicious and Healthy Banana & Quark Breakfast Muffins Recipe
Goey and Delicious Chocolate Chunk Cookies, Made with Greek Style Yogurt