Give the Gift of Kansas: Building A Charcuterie for Your Holiday Guests

Give the Gift of Kansas: Building A Charcuterie for Your Holiday Guests

December 23, 2014 | Recipes

If you are looking for a quick dish for a holiday, or any party as the host, or a guest, create a beautiful chartcuterie plate. Giving your guests something to do at the party, like slicing their own cheese, helps create a fun interactive dish and less work for the host! Check out our Kansas packed charchuterie plate below filled with lots of yummy goodies.

Note from Chef Alli: Charcuterie comes from the French, meaning ‘cooked meat’. Creating a simple charcuterie board of cured meats and cheeses requires just a few basic guidelines and it provides a wonderful “noshing” station for any social  gathering. 

Here are the secrets to success for creating appetizing charcuterie boards:

1.  Gathering

  • Select a variety of flavors and textures that will offer an appetizing selection, but not an overwhelming abundance. (Remember – more is not better, better is better!)  Keep in mind the preferences of the guests you’ve invited, making sure to include elements they will be comfortable approaching and eating:
  • Cured and smoked meats, such as salami, sausage, and prosciutto (provided by Oatie Beef, Dwight, Fulmer’s Kansas Premium Meats, Belvue, and James Brothers Lambs, Clay Center)
  • An assortment of stone-ground or Dijon mustards (provided by Grannie’s Mustard, Hillsboro)
  • Baguette slices – you can never have too much bread! (provided by Radina’s BakeHouse,Manhattan)
  • Assorted flavored butters (provided by Radina’s BakeHouse, Manhattan)
  • Duck pate or duck rillette (provided by Hank Charcuterie, Lawrence, and Honeydel Farm of Douglas Co.)
  • Assorted interesting crackers and breadsticks
  • Fruits, such as sliced apples and pears, fresh figs, dried apricots, etc
  • Nuts, such as smoked almonds, pistachios, glazed pecans (Chipotle Pistachios provided, by Nut Nation)
  • Assorted pickles and okra (provided by Holmes-Made Salsa, Wichita)
  • Olives, peppadews, chutneys, fruit spreads and jams, marinated artichokes, pestos, capers
  • 3-5 Cheeses of varying types, including aged, hard, veined, and soft (provided by Alma Creamery, Alma, and Hildebrand Farms Dairy, Junction City.)

2. Presentation

  • Choose an assortment of pretty marble or slate slabs, or use wooden cutting boards and arrange your elements to create a pleasing layout; I like to place my meats more in the center of my boards, surrounding them with small bowls of the other chosen ingredients that will make interesting flavor combinations.

3. Portion Planning

  • In my experience, guests will eat as much as you place out on your boards. As an appetizer, plan on at least 2-3 oz. of total meat per person and about 2 oz. of cheese per person.  Planning for these portions will still allow room for later courses at dinner.
  • If your charcuterie and cheese boards are to be the main course, double the amounts stated above per person.

4.  Serving

  • Cheeses and cured meats are at their optimum flavor when served at room temperature so arrange them on your boards about 30 minutes before your guests arrive.
  • If possible, label the elements included on your boards so guests know what their eating.
  • To avoid mixing the cheeses and spreads, provide knives and serving utensils for each element.

5. Safety

  • It is best not to let your charcuterie and cheese boards stand at room temperature for more than two hours. Using smaller boards will allow you switch to a fresh one as needed after your event gets under way.

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