Create Your Own Charcuterie Board
Everybody likes to entertain around the holidays, but what do you make for your guests? Steve McVicker of Matt & Steve’s, shows us how to put together the ultimate holiday platter, chock-full of cheese, meat, and other sweet, spicy, savory, and tart elements that your guests will love.
Something Savory
No charcuterie board is complete without these crowd-pleasing essentials: meat and cheese. You want to select an assortment of both for your board, including soft and hard cheese selections, and mild and bold flavor choices for both.
Something Tart
Think: pickles, olives, pickled jalapeños, or pickled asparagus. These tart flavors compliment bold meats, such as salami, well. For the smaller briny items, such as olives or jalapeños, consider arranging them on a toothpick alongside complementary cheese or meat that have been cut to size.
Something Sweet
To cut some of the saltiness of your board, add some seasonal fruit to the mix, which can act as something of a palate cleanser.
Something to Cleanse the Palate
Speaking of palate cleansers, you can also include crackers or sliced baguette to your board, first ensuring that they are mild in flavor, in order to better compliment the bolder tastes of the meat, cheese, and pickled elements.