Charcuterie guide

This is a quick and easy charcuterie guide for you to create a spectacular board. Simply pick 2 or more meats, pick 2 or more cheeses, and pick 2 or more accompaniments. (2 ounces per person is the perfect start.) Remember the 2’s.

Pick 2 or more meats

• Uncured Bianco D’Oro Salame is an authentic culinary classic aged to produce a rich, complex flavor.

• Prosciutto.

• Serrano ham.

• Hard Salami has a lightly smoked flavor and is crafted from a blend of pork, beef, and savory spices.

• Chorizo Serrano is made from select cuts of pork and seasoned with paprika and other savory spices.

• Pepperoni.

• Capocollo is a traditional cured Italian meat specialty made from pork shoulder.

• Sopressata dry sausage is a blend of coarsely chopped pork and traditional seasonings dry-cured and naturally aged.

• Mortadella is crafted using select cuts of pork and accented with pistachio nuts, garlic, and spices, then delicately roasted in the Old World Italian way.

• Pancetta is an Italian-style cured specialty, hand-rubbed with salt, peppercorns, and aromatic spices then tightly rolled and dry cured.

Pick 2 or more cheeses

• Swiss is best known for its predominant holey appearance, but also for its nutty flavor and soft texture.

• Gruyere is an earthy, aromatic cheese with a firm texture, sweet but slightly salty.

• Colby is firm but mild-flavored and creamy.

• Havarti is a Danish easy-melting cheese with a mild aroma and flavor with hints of butter and sweetness.

• Fontina is a cross between Havarti and Swiss, this cheese is buttery and mellow.

• Monterey Jack.

• Muenster is full of complex flavors, rich Muenster is soft yet savory with an underlying tang.

• Provolone is an Italian cheese and has a creamy, well-rounded flavor, ideal for melting.

• Smoked Gouda.

• Aged Cheddar.

• Blue cheese.

• Brie.

• Chèvre goat cheese.

Pick 2 or more accompaniments

• Hummus

• Dips

• Spreads

• Pickles, condiments

• An assortment of your favorite nuts, fruits, crackers, or breads

 

We like to have a charcuterie board on Christmas Eve. We use it to melt the cheeses on our Raclette and make individual plates according to what we each like.

Raclette is based on heating cheese and scraping off the melted part, then typically served with boiled potatoes. The modern way of serving raclette uses an electric tabletop grill with small pans for each person to create what they would like to eat.

It is an interactive meal and you can graze while we talk, dance and sing, watch movies, drink wine, do puzzles, and enjoy hanging out together.

Wine pairing

Some wines you might try to pair with a charcuterie board may be a lighter-bodied white wine such as a Sauvignon Blanc or a Pinot Grigio or a light to medium-bodied red wine like a Pinot Noir or Merlot.

If you like your cheeses from the charcuterie board you might try to pair them with dry white wines such as a Chardonnay or a rustic red like a Bordeaux.

If you remember the 2’s have one white and one red wine.