By far my most popular post so far has been the large charcuterie board I assembled for my sister's engagement party! You guys went crazy for it. I can't blame you. I mean, who doesn't love a snack board full of endless combinations of flavors and textures in every bite!

I love grazing along trying a bit of this and that. All while sipping a glass of red, ah, I can just taste it all now. Not only can the boards be absolutely gorgeous to look at, I have an easy plan I follow each time when I'm selecting what to put on my board. They are a show stopper at every party and are the perfect appetizer to any meal. Or for your meal itself...I may have done this a few times. But who's keeping track.
So there are a few places I shop specifically, but feel free to check out whatever grocery store you use for meats and cheese because they likely have a great selection! I do most of my weekly grocery shopping at Aldi, so I would say I mostly get my "supplies" from there. However there is one cheese in particular that I can't get there, Sartori Merlot BellaVitano. I put it on every board and every time it's the first one gone. It is a firm chees so I usually cube it. It has great flavor and adds an amazing pop of color to the board! If I'm doing it for a large crowd, I go to Sam's because of the bulk amounts that I can buy.
So here is my formula for my boards:
Cheese
- Soft Cheese (brie, goat cheese, burrata)
- Hard White Cheese (Sartori BellaVitano, white cheddar, manchego)
- Hard Yellow Cheese (mild cheddar, gouda)
Meats
- Hard Salami
- Prosciutto
Crackers
- Mini Toasts
- Wheat Thins or Nut Thins
Extras, Get Creative!
- Olives
- Pickles
- Honey (hot honey is AMAZING!)
- Mixed Nuts
- Fruit (Pears, grapes, dried fruit)
After I have all my items I gather up my boards, bowls, and utensils. For demonstration purposes I'm using a smaller board I would make up for 2-3 people. Now I'll explain how I assemble!
- Place a couple of bowls on the board where I want them. 2 or 3 is a good number of small bowls.
- Add sliced salami in a "winding" figure, snake them around the board. I use this as the anchor for everything else.
- For cheeses, I usually cut them in wedges, cubes, & slices. Place these right next to the meats.
- Fill the bowls with your extra's such as olives, honey, and pickles. Anything "wet" you are going to want in the bowls and not touching the meats and cheeses.
- Add sliced fruits and mixed nuts to fill in the gaps between the meats and cheese.
- If there are any further gaps, stuff them with torn pieces of the prosciutto.
- Serve crackers in a bowl on the side or if there is room you may add them to the board!
Tray: Soapstone Tray
Twila says
We are a group of volunteers and opening a new
scheme in our community. Your site offered us with
valuable information
to work on. You have done a
formidable job and our whole community will be thankful to you.
Olivia says
GIMMIE ALL THE CHEESE!! I love this post!!!!!
Vanessa says
Love these tips! It’s a good reminder to buy multiple colors and textures of cheese. Plus I agree... hot honey IS amazing!! Xxo