Three Steps to a Perfect Charcuterie Board

We eat first with our eyes, and it's certainly true of grazing boards. Here are some tips for making your own charcuterie board this holiday season!

Choose Your Cheese

Pick three to five types of cheese. You'll want to pick a variety of milks (cow, sheep, goat) and textures (blue, creamy, hard).

• It's nice to pre-cut the hard cheeses so that guests can easily select their portion.
• Pull the cheeses out of the refrigerator 45 minutes prior to serving so their full flavour blooms.

Pick Two to Three Meats

Or pick up a Smoke & Salt Box that includes Smoked Chicken Breast, Prosciutto, Pork & Beef Dry Cure Protein Sticks and Beef Braesola to easily assemble the perfect board. You could also add beef jerky for texture.

"Fold" your meat slices in half or quarters on the platter and then you can create a curving meat "river" on the board.

Finishing Touches

Consider the flavours on your board and add colour and flavour to your board with fruit (dried or fresh), sliced vegetables, nuts, pickles and olives.

Jams, chutneys, mustards, honey and dips add that sweet-salty contrast. Garnish with a sprig of herbs or edible flowers to make it festive.

Crackers, baguette and chips add crunch and are vessels for carrying all that meat, cheese and condiments!