Charcuterie boards started trending during the Covid epidemic and the phenomenon is still going strong. The French word “charcuterie” translates literally to cooked or cured meat. It can also refer to a store that sells these products. A traditional charcuterie board includes several cured meats, cheese, and usually mustard for the meat, preserves or honey for the cheese, and some small pickles, such as cornichons. But the board trend has exploded to include almost anything, including the short-lived butter board.
I love meals comprised of what I call “snicky snacks.” I put out a small tray of cheeses, dips and schmears along with crackers and veggies, fruit, nuts, and sometimes one-bite appetizers, such as spanakopita, mini quiches, and mozzarella sticks. My family enjoys grazing through a meal like this while we’re watching football or a movie or just while we’re hanging around on a slow Sunday. Taking note of the trend, I started putting all these items on a single board; now I make them frequently and I make sure I always have the building blocks handy.
Obviously, in a kosher home we can’t mix meat and cheese on the same board. But there’s no reason we can’t adapt the idea of a charcuterie board to kashrut. Here in Cincinnati, we can’t get authentic European-style charcuterie, but you can find it online. Last December, when I visited my stepdaughter in Los Angeles, I brought home a suitcase full of store-made kosher charcuterie from a nearby kosher butcher. Cured meats have a long shelf-life and the boards I made from it were a real treat.
But usually I make cheese boards, sometimes with fish too. When it’s just my husband and me, they’re small unless I want leftover ready-to-eat snacks for lunches during the week. If I have a lot of leftover cheese, I make Baked Macaroni and Cheese, which is fun. Because I use whatever cheese I have, it’s never the same twice.
I make bigger boards for parties. For our Sukkot open house, I made a sandwich board, with mini sandwiches of egg salad, tuna salad, and homemade pimento cheese.
Here are some tips for creating your own spectacular boards.
Start with your board. Because of the current popularity, stores are carrying all kinds of boards. They come in a dizzying array of materials and shapes, including wood, slate, ceramic, and glass. But you don’t have to spend money on a special piece. Any large platter will work. You can use a wooden cutting board or even a pizza round covered in parchment paper. I find all kinds of glass and crystal plates and platters at thrift stores. But here’s another tip. Buy a couple of ceramic tiles at a big box hardware store. They come in lots of sizes from 12 x 12 inches to much larger. Wash it well when you get home and don’t forget to put some little felt or rubber feet on the bottom, so the tile doesn’t scratch your table.
Choose your ingredients and offer variety. Even without locally available authentic charcuterie, we have access to enough kosher cold cuts to build a nice board. Use a combination of sliced salami, a couple flavors of deli turkey, meat snack sticks cut into pieces, and chunks of cooked sausages. Fold prepackaged salami slices into quarters; roll the turkey.
When selecting cheese, don’t be intimidated by a large selection. You know what you like; use your favorites as a starting point. Then, if you’re feeling adventurous, choose something new that’s close to something you already know. If you like cheddar, try an aged Irish version. If you like Swiss, try Emmenthaler or Comte. If you eat only kosher certified cheese, consider ordering from The Cheese Guy online.
Generally, you want three to five different types of cheeses. Include one or two hard cheeses and a couple of softer choices. Depending on your crowd, include cheeses that are familiar, such as cheddar, gouda, parmesan, brie, and a mild blue cheese. Add something with some inclusions, like chives, mustard seeds, or dried fruit. And think about using cheeses made from different milk, like sheep’s milk feta or soft goat cheese.
When it comes to fish, look for both cold and hot smoked salmon, whitefish salad, smoked trout, Italian tuna in olive oil, and tinned fish, such as sardines or Spanish white anchovies.
Regardless of whether you’re using meat, cheese, or fish, include lots of colorful fruit and veggies. You can stick with familiar fare including cucumbers, carrots, bell peppers, apples, berries and grapes. Or look for more exotic items such as watermelon radish, jicama, kumquats or kiwi. The variation in color and shape of the produce is what really makes your board pop visually.
I often include a schmear or two. Like fruits and veggies, they add color to your board. Most of mine are vegetable based, so they can be used on either a meat or dairy board. Deviled eggs, dried fruit, and nuts also work for both dairy and meat. Check out the recipe to the left of this article for an Edamame Schmear that’s both pretty and tasty.
For accompaniments, offer something sweet to go with salty cheese, such as honey or fruit preserves. For meat, a couple of different mustards are nice.
Don’t forget to add a mouth-puckering element. Olives and pickles of all kinds are popular and look great in tiny dishes on your board.
Consider your event. Are you bringing a board to your book club, where it will be the main attraction? Will the board be only one element on a buffet? Or maybe, you’re making a cheese board for dessert, in the European style. The purpose of your board and the number of people you’re serving will determine the size of your board. Offer two to four ounces of protein per person, depending on the event and whether alcohol will be served.
Make it easy to eat. Don’t make your guests struggle to cut their own cheese. Do everyone a favor and pre-cut harder cheese into cubes, slices, and wedges — each cheese should be a different shape. Soft or wet ingredients should be placed in small dishes on the board.
Serve bread and crackers. Offer a variety of bread and crackers. Although you often see these elements on the board, I like to serve them on the side to keep crackers from getting soggy. Include plain crackers, but don’t shy away from fancier crackers flavored with herbs or include nuts and dried fruit. Make sure bread is cut small enough to manage; baguette slices are a good choice. And, if you’re serving meat, remember to check that all crackers and bread are parve.
Pay attention to food safety. Of course, start with fresh ingredients. A board is no place to use up fading produce. Assemble the board no more than one day ahead. Take care with nuts and peanuts; unless you’re absolutely sure no one in your crowd has a nut allergy, it’s a good idea to put them in small dishes to keep them away from other elements on the board. If you know of a guest with a nut allergy, just leave them off the board entirely.
If your board might sit out for a while, use flat ice packs under fish and more perishable items to keep them chilled. Fill a snack or sandwich size plastic bag with water and lay flat to freeze. Wrap in parchment paper before placing on the board before you start building.
Always include small tongs, spoons, forks, and picks to remove items from the board. You can’t prevent people from using their fingers, but I have found that if you offer easy ways to not use fingers, most folks will go along.
Edamame Schmear
Serves about 8-16, depending on the rest of the menu.
Ingredients:
1 bag frozen, shelled soybeans, defrosted
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
2 tsp tamari or soy sauce
About ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
¼ C neutral oil, such as canola
About ½ tsp sesame seeds, toasted for garnish
Directions:
- Place all ingredients except oil & sesame seeds in bowl of a food processor
- Process in pulses until ground.
- Slowly drip oil into running processor until used up and schmear is smooth.
- Taste for seasoning. Adjust with additional soy sauce, if needed.
- Place in bowl or shallow dish for serving. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Serve with rice crackers.