How to make the ultimate charcuterie board (cheese board)

Step 1

You want to start off by slicing up the cheeses and arranging them on a large wooden or marble cheese board. Make sure to scatter them as far apart from each other to make room for all the other ingredients. 

Step 2

Depending on the cheese, some may need to be crumbled like the Beacher's flagship cheese. Other cheese that is soft and spreadable like the fromager d'affinois or garlic herb spread will need to have a small butter knife wedged into it for serving.

Step 3

Next, begin slicing and folding your cured meats. You want to start with the biggest pieces such as the prosciutto. It’s super thin so all you need to do is simply let them drop in a ribbon right onto the serving board. 

Step 4

Now fold up the Genoa salami, and soppressata into quarters and fan them out beside each other like a deck of cards. The Spanish chorizo is a bit smaller so all you need to do is fold it in half and lay them out the same way.

Step 5

For the peppered and Nola salami, use a sharp knife to slice them into thin rounds and lay them out onto your cheeseboard. Always make sure to spread your meats in sections apart from each other. It looks so much prettier that way!

Step 6

Now you can begin filling your marinated olives, jams, and honey into small bowls or mini glass jars. Try to stay consistent with the type of bowls you use. If you use a bunch of different types, it could look messy.

Step 7

Once your condiments are arranged on the board, begin adding the fruit (clusters of grapes, strawberries, sliced pear, and blueberries.

Step 8

Then you can add the crackers and bread. I used Artisan Rosemary crackers, French bread, whole wheat crackers, and cranberry hazelnut Raincoast crisps.

Step 9

The last and final step would be to add the dried fruit and nuts. The reason we add these last is that once you reach the end of a charcuterie board assembly, you’re left with tiny spaces to fill. Small things like pistachios, almonds, pecans, and small dried fruit fit perfectly in all those little pockets.

Step 10

Before serving, you want to let your charcuterie board ingredients come to room temperature for about 1 hour for optimal flavors.