I know you’ve been stalking those beautiful Charcuterie Boards on Pinterest and Instagram, don’t lie. I too am LOVING the whole concept, and we recently hosted a Black Friday Party and just SLAYED the appetizers, presentation and all. I’m going to show you what we did, where we got our supplies and show you how they all came out- you can totally do this!
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So, one of the things I was wondering when I gathered all of the goodies to make the boards (which we MOSTLY did with platters, but it’s the same concept) is if they would actually get eaten. To my surprise, people REALLY did dig in and eat just about everything but the garnish!
And, you know what’s so COOL? I got almost everything for the boards from Costco (and since Sams carries many of the same things, I’m betting you could shop this same list there).
The other coolest thing: I gave her all of the stuff and my daughter made all of the boards so I could finish cleaning and setting up the rest of the party. It’s so awesome having artistic kids!
Step One: You don’t actually need those $200 boards. Use different cutting boards and platters you already have. Have some antique silver or pewter platters? Those work, too! I have a ton of little ramekins that I use for sauces etc every day and these work PERFECTLY in this instance to hold sauces or juicy things that you don’t want soaking the surrounding foods (nobody likes soggy crackers).
Step Two: Shop your list!
Get something to put all those dips and goodies on: We shopped Costco for crackers (we like Carr’s Water Table Crackers), Hawaiian Rolls, Artisan Breads, mini Naan bread, Stacy’s Pita Chips etc. These are to make little sandwiches and sample sauces, cheeses, and meats.
Salty foods: Black, green, and kalamata olives. Cocktail dill pickles, marinated artichoke hearts, stuffed tomatoes/peppers (Costco has a Charcuterie platter with these already made!), marinated mushrooms, and heart of palm.
Fresh, colorful foods: Cherry or grape tomatoes, cranberries, grapes, kiwis, strawberries, blueberries and pomegranates. Try to find good ones that are in season!
Cheeses: Costco has an artisan cheese section by the wine. Get an assortment of stinky cheeses, soft cheeses, marinated mozzarella balls, etc. Try some new ones!
Meats: In the same section as the cheese there are artisan and fancy meats: pepperoni, prosciutto, and smoked salmon. I went WAY overboard on meat. Keep in mind how big your platters are!
Garnish: Herbs are great for garnish to add a little green in places that need it.
Sauces and Dips: We used tzatziki, hummus, spinach dip (Knorr vegetable dip with fresh chopped spinach instead of cooked), cream cheese and red chili pepper spread (for the salmon).
Crunchy foods: We used pine nuts, but you can do little bowls of walnuts, pistachios, etc, also.
Preparing: It’s really tough to time this right, but with a little common sense, you can get these out just as your guests are arriving.
Tip: Not feeling creative? Use a picture from Pinterest and copy the board (the greatest form of flattery!).
Start with your crackers and room temperature items (black olives, nuts, etc). Then move to cutting the cheeses and meats (when you’re done, stick them back in the fridge to keep them cool until you’re ready to add them to the platters). Next add the cold fruits, the cheeses and meats, and finally the cold sauces and dips in ramekins.
The last thing you should be doing is toasting your bread just before the guests arrive!
Tip: Use clean, white flour sack towels to wrap over your warm rolls to keep them warm and moist until people start digging in!
Arranging: The idea is to keep sets of complementary foods next to each other. On the smoked salmon platter we had the chili jelly and cream cheese and water crackers nearby to build a little sandwich on.
If you have something especially unusual or you just like labelling things, you can make little Alice in Wonderland signs “Try me on a cracker with red jelly and cream cheese!” These cardholders on Amazon are super cute and reusable!
Displaying: I like using all of my serveware! If you have cake stands, etc, get those out and put your desserts on them. It gives the table different heights and depths.
For fun centerpieces (that don’t take up a ton of room) check out these wine bottle cork fairy lights to put in your saved wine bottles- at about fifty cents apiece you really can’t go wrong! It gives the table some additional interest, height, and color!
These little porcelain ramekins are awesome and we use them for individual dipping sauces all the time. They have been super hardy and durable!
As you can see, I use the platters as a centerpiece and layer around them. We almost always have deviled eggs (because they’re MY favorite) and adding pies makes for a fun evening paired with your favorite wines and spirits. That beautiful wooden cake stand comes with a pretty glass dome and I use it all the time! The egg plate and four bowl server are both from Pottery Barn, but unfortunately I don’t think they’re available anymore.
For more ways to use your saved wine bottles, we have a Great Wine Bottle Post on upcycling! And those low white porcelain serving bowls with the bread and crackers are one of my new favorite brands: Dowan on Amazon, their stuff is sturdy, well made, sourced responsibly, and sturdy!
Do you have favorite goodies that you serve around the holidays? If you have combos you love on charcuterie boards, I’d love to hear about them in the comments section below!
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Cheers and Happy Holidays!
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