10 Tips to the Perfect Charcuterie

Charcuterie, meat platter, plate of meat or just calling it a stuff to eat.

Whatever you call yours, a charcuterie is a great way to welcome unexpected guests or have as a centrepiece to a table.

It’s such an easy plate to put together, that I use it often as a backup when people ‘drop by’. Just a word here, I hate it when people drop by unexpectedly, so don’t do it.

You know who I’m talking to!

I’m am a friendly kinda gal, so is the lovely Mr G, and there’s always lots to eat, or get prepared to eat in my fridge, but I’m not one of those people who like to be surprised my unannounced guests.

Probably to do with my upbringing or my introvert/extravert personality which drives me to have to prepare myself for any social event, no matter how small, how much fun it is or how much I love the people involved.

It might also be because I could be dancing around in my pants, and no one wants to see that!

You can’t be surprised by now to know that I, most often than not, have things in my pantry and fridge to throw a charcuterie platter together in a hurry.

An unplanned plate like this doesn’t have to be complicated or have unusual ingredients, but when I’m planning a platter, I get a little more adventurous with it.

Here are my top ten tips, hints and hacks to a perfect charcutier board.

1) What is it and how do you say that?

For such an easy dish to put together, saying it is a bit tricky for me, because I don’t think I’ve ever said it right the first time, I figured that I couldn’t be the only one.

I’ve checked it out and according to the internet, and we all know that never lies, one way of saying it is “shar - koo - tuh - ree” .

I think it’s not too much of a secret that the idea is French, but until I was writing this and did a bit of digging, I didn’t know that it’s derived from the French word for flesh and cooked.

In the 15th century, the word was used to describe shops that sold pork products, including the pigs internal organs.

Not such a nice thought!

Now it’s more a mixture of meats and other accompanying things to show the different ways they’re cured, preserved, the different textures, all put together to look good, not all pork related either.

Having a beautiful platter of cooked and cured meats works no matter the occasion, and it doesn’t have to be all meat based either.

Made right, this simple idea of piling things on a plate can become a centrepiece for a table perfect for a wine tasting, summer get together or a book club get together.

It’s a great idea to make seasonal ones too.

A festive platter for a Christmas party goes down really well, and if I’m having a New Year get together, taking one out to a sparkly table as everyone sits down with their favourite tipples, always brings smiles to faces and great food to rumbly tums.

At this time of year, it’s always a welcome break from the inevitable festive food.

I’ve even made a few of charcuterie platters for wedding receptions (wish i kept the pictures to show you) adding fresh flowers and related wedding items, and this can be done for most occasions.

2) Have a selection

When I’m staring at the deli counter, it’s easy for me to get carried away with one type of meat, usually the theme is salami, most notably garlic sausage.

I’ve a bit of a soft spot for salamis, I get this from my parents and I think my sisters have the salami bug too.

When I’m planning a charcutier, the first thing I think about are the people who’ll be eating it.

I like a bit of everything on the platter, partly because I’m really greedy, partly because I love the idea of what’s called in my house, ‘picky’ food but mostly to try to accommodate everyone’s preferences.

A mixture of fatty meats, lean, spicy and less spicy is a good thing to start with.

Making sure that the shapes of the slices and the colours differ too is a way of keeping things interesting and eye catching.

Pâté, not traditionally included, is actually a great thing to have hanging out there, and with so many to choose from on the shelves, it can be difficult choosing just one.

I always go for a smooth texture which seems to be more of a crowd pleaser than a rougher type.

Try these recipes if you’re going to make your own, both I make a lot and there’s never been any left at the end.

Smooth Chicken Liver Pâté

450g Chicken Livers – Trimmed
200g Butter – Melted
50ml Double Cream
1 Tbsp Brandy
Malden Salt & Fresh Black Pepper
Whizz everything up in a food processor until combined and smooth.
Pour into moulds or a serving bowl
Place in the fridge and allow it to set completely before serving.
Serve with toasts

Or this:

Course Chicken and Bacon Pate

500 g Chicken Mince or Finely Chopped Chicken
6 Rashers of Streaky Bacon– Finely Chopped
100g Butter – Melted
1 Medium Onion
2 Tbsp Sherry, Port or Brandy
5 Tbsp Greek Yoghurt – or Mayonnaise

½ Lime - Juice

½ Teaspoon Hot Sauce

1 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg

Maldon Salt & Fresh Black Pepper

Dash of paprika for serving

Place the chicken, bacon and onion into a shallow pan along with a good pinch of Maldon salt and ground black pepper
Frying over a medium heat until completely cooked.
Place the cooked mixture into a food processor and blitz until the meat is brown down but not a smooth paste
Place the melted butter, nutmeg, hot sauce, lime juice, Greek yoghurt, alcohol into a bowl and give it a mix.
Pour the butter mixture over the chicken mixture and stir together until very well incorporated.
Pour into serving bowls and place in the fridge and allow it to cool completely
Sprinkle the paprika on the top to serve.
Serve with toasts rosemary and walnut crackers.

3) Throw on some cheese

Cheese, cheese and more cheese, soft, hard, blue and creamy are all that it takes to make a charcuterie a wow when it’s served.

Now, I’m lucky in that I have a bit of a cheese lover in the lovely Mr G.

I’m not saying that he’s a qualified cheese expert, but he’s definitely a connoisseur and a lover of the milky mixture, this means that I usually leave the cheese addition up to him.

I may give him a few hints and nudges in the right direction just to get him started, but where the cheese comes, well you get the idea!.

Cheese adds another dimension to a platter, and the direction I usually ask the lovely Mr G to go in is to cover three categories.

One hard, usually the cheddar variety which ticks a lot of boxes for a lot of people, a soft blue cheese for those who like a little bit of mould and then I like to add a bit of goats cheese which sits somewhere in the middle.

I figure, with these three, there will be something for everyone to enjoy without shocking peoples pallets too much.

For the blue, my favourite has to be a great tangy Stilton or a subtle soft Cambazola, which has extra cream added to it making it an uber rich consistency with a semi hard rind, a little like camembert.

It’s milder than Gorgonzola and very smooth with an incredibly mild blue flavour.

If you don’t like either of these, try a Manchego, which has a subtle sweet and nut flavour, or a Pecorino cheese which is incredibly rich and creamy with tones of butter and roasted nuts.

4) Don’t forget the pickle

To even out the taste profiles a pickle of some sort needs to be in or at least near the platter when it’s served.

There is the good old Branston, other types are available, if I’m honest, I love Aldi or Lidl equivalent even more than the labelled brand, probably the same makers, but who knows for sure.

Another crunchy and vinegary element to have to hand is a gherkin of something of that nature.

I like the mini, they can be placed around the platter as a decoration as well as a bonus flavour profile.

Piccalilli, sometimes thought of as an old-fashioned pickle is having a resurgence in the culinary field and if it’s perfect for this occasion. It has a fantastic mouth tingle and crisp vegetables too.

5) Make something yourself

I can’t help but make things for the platters I serve, I guess you wouldn’t expect anything else?

Oven blushed tomatoes are something I make all year-round, making special hay in the summer when there is a glut of tomatoes and I can get my hands on small ones at really good prices.

You’ll find the recipe for these beauties here, and don’t limit yourself to just making the tomatoes either.

Oven roasted tomatoes - Little bursts of flavour

Roasting some colourful peppers, courgette slices, aubergines or keep it creamy with some roasted cauliflower florets, they add so much and are perfect to have next to the pâtés and meats.

Now if you want to go all out and really impress why not try a making a terrine?

Try this smoked salmon terrine by Sarah Cook from the Good Food Website.

6) Crunch it up with some fresh veggies

Of course, veggies have to be on the plate and for me they have to be raw

especially if there are some roasted veggies on there too.

Think about things that are colourful and with different textures. Carrot batons and crunchy green mange tout are perfect for that.

I’m a mushroom lover, but they are not something that appeals to everyone, but I like to see them displayed on the platter and if they are small and whole, they look good as the fillers of holes around the plate.

Of course, crunch can be in the form of crackers, bought or made from scratch, for me they are essential as part of the day.

Roast the peppers in the oven or over a hot flame until the skin is black.

7) Who says you have to choose?

When asked to choose between two things, the lovely Mr G will always ask why he needs to choose?

In the case of choosing between great bread or great savoury crackers I have to agree with him, so let’s have both.

There’s not always time to make bread or crackers from scratch and why should you if the charcuterie is full of fabulous meats, cheeses, pickles, pates and vegetables ready to entertain and be enjoyed, but if you want a tasty and really easy recipe for some crackers, this one is wonderful and can be adapted to add any flavour that appeals.

Rosemary & Walnut Crackers

150g Plain Flour
1 Tsp Maldon Salt
1 Tsp Castor Sugar
1 Tbsp Rosemary – Finely Chopped
35g Chopped Walnuts
80ml Water mixed with 2Tbsp Olive Oil
Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix with your hands to combine into a rough dough.
If it’s too sticky, add a little more flour so it’s nice and smooth.
Knead the dough until its smooth – Don’t over knead
Cover oven trays with non-stick baking parchment
Roll out the dough to the thickness of a £1 coin
Cut it into squares, triangles etc and place them onto the prepared trays with a space between them.
Brush the squares with a little water
Prick them all over with a fork
Bake in the hot oven for 12-15 minutes until slightly golden brown.
Let them cool completely
Store in a tin for up to two weeks.

If rosemary or walnuts aren’t the things for you, try different flavours.

Replace the rosemary with some finely grated parmesan or make them thyme crackers by chopping dried thyme and adding that instead.

Before making them with nuts, check that no one has an allergy.

A particular flavour profile favourite of mine is to add lots of fresh ground black pepper which makes it have a bite in every bite!

With so many types of bread out there, I always find it difficult to just choose one, so I go for the lovey Mr Gs philosophy on life and choosing, I buy more than one type, a crispy French stick is always my first go to bread, and then I opt for a flavoured bread or highly grained bread, I figure that covers all of my basis and will give everyone something they like.

Don’t forget the butter and make sure it’s cold and kept out of the sun.

To keep it from melting, I find that bringing out small pots often is better than leaving one large pot sitting in the hot sun melting and becoming rancid.

8) Make it look pretty – Try the twist!

With all of the things on the platter, it would be very unlucky for it not to look fabulous, but just in case I have a couple of ideas about how to present it.

I think of a snake and try to place the main ingredients around an S shape, once they’re placed, it’s time to fill in the gaps with the rest.

If there are doubles of the same item, make sure that they are spread about.

Laying the meat slices down flat isn’t the best way to get the most from them.

Try twisting each slice as it’s put down so that each pile of meat is risen above the flatter cheeses etc.

Gently gather individual slices creating easy to eat bundles or folding the larger slices in half or quarters.

It may seem silly to talk about the display as a painting, but thinking like that is good way to lay things out to look appealing. Yes, I’m aware this sounds really nerdy and maybe a little bit geeky, but you can’t still be surprised that this is something I do? 

Even though the main focus is on the charcuterie platter, having smaller bowls or plates orbiting the main event is perfectly acceptable to me.

I fill mine up with things that I think will run out quickly, more rosemary crackers, an extra bowl full of sun blushed tomatoes, a vibrant bowl of yellow piccalilli or some extra raw mange tout so everyone can enjoy the crunch.

Choosing the right vessel for the charcuterie helps immensely with the presentation and the edibility of everything.

9) Platter or plate – depending on how big

How big will yours be?

How many people the charcuterie is for sways me in the direction of the size and style of dish.

Actually, that’s not the only thing that sends me in a particular cupboard direction.

I’ve such a preoccupation with kitchenalia, sometimes much to the dismay to the lovely Mr G.

If I had my way, and by that, I mean an unlimited budget and cupboard space, I would be forever changing and rethinking all of my pots and bowls, so part of the decision to use some bowls is determined by that weeks platter love.

Charcuterie looks great on flat plates of platters, wooden boards are perfect and anything with colour, only adds to the pretty picture.

I’ve taken some pictures to give a few ideas to show that its ok to use whatever you want and no need to go out and spend money on new and expensive bits and pieces.

One of my favourite places to pick up a new piece for my obsession is from a charity shop, this way I get to tick my use again box and have fun buying things on a budget.

Don’t forget that trays are perfect too.

If they are washable or wipeable then that’s great if not, cover with lots of cling film before piling all of the yummies on top.

10) What else?

There are so many other things to add, something sweet is something that is great. Try some honey comb, or some cut fresh figs drizzled with honey
Don’t fill the platter too far in advance, having fresh meats and cheese laying about is not a good thing, so leave taking things out of the fridge until just before serving.

I like to plan ahead and set up the platter beforehand, cover and place it n the fridge until I need it.

Serving bread is fabulous, try serving it warm.
Seasonal charcuteries are perfect, Christmas or new year platters work wonderfully well
Having a few dressings are good to have too, or just serve some extra virgin olive oil with a side of balsamic vinegar is perfect as an add on.
A separate bowl of Maldon salt to sprinkle over everything works well to add an extra flavour too.
Fresh herbs and edible flowers give a big visual impact and being edible, they add to the meal too.

Chive flowers are my favourite.

Serve at room temperature if possible (if it’s going to be out a long time, keep an eye on the temperature).
Raid the pantry to see what’s in there, you’ll be surprised how much will look great a, and taste great on the platter. Imagination of key.

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