Ever wonder, what is a charcuterie or cheese board? No! then let me tell you about it. Charcuterie is a French word which literally means ‘flesh cooked’. In France, it mainly consisted of processed meat but with food industry evolving, many new ideas and concept are adapted by the people. Firstly, a charcuterie board is a wooden board and can be in any shape. The board is then filled with a number of elements like processed meat, cheese, fruits, dips, breads, and nuts. In Pakistan, charcuterie boards are made by different home based food vloggers on order. Charcuterie boards can be served at a party before meal as an appetizer on the side lines of the venue. They add beauty to your food table and who in the world does not love cheese!!! Further you do add something sweet, salty and mixture of both to the board.
“How to Assemble and What to Add on a
Charcuterie Board?”
Board Selection:
In
my opinion, you can use any size or shaped board. The size of the board depends
on how much food you want to put on it and how many people you are catering to.
The only thing I prefer is that board should have an inch or two inch rim, so
that the food does not slip off the board in carrying. If you do not have a charcuterie, you can
also use a wooden cutting board or a tray.
What food to put on it:
1. Processed meat: As the board is named
after cooked flesh, so we will first talk about the meat selection. You can add
ham, sausages cut into bite sized pieces, pepperoni, and beef jerkies. All
these processed meats are available at high end grocery stores like Green
Valley and Al-Fatah Islamabad.
2. Cheese: Selection of cheese is
very important. You can add sliced parmesan, fresh Mozzarella balls and Cheddar
Cheese wheel on the board. Other cheeses which are available at Al-Fatah
Islamabad and can be placed on the board are Blue Cheese, Goat Cheese, Brie and
Camembert.
3. Breads: For bread choice, I use
bread sticks that you can make at home from leftover pizza dough. You can also
use a baguette. Cut 2 inch thick slices of a baguette, brush them with some
olive oil and bake for 10 mins at 180 degree Celsius. Also, you can add fish
crackers or wheat biscuits to the board which pair really well with the
cheeses.
4. Dips: Add something to your
board that you can dip your bread and crackers. Hummus a famous Arabian
condiment that pair with the breads. Add a jar of honey or fruit chutneys.
5. Nuts: Add salted nuts to add a
savory flavor to the board. Almonds, peanuts, cashew nuts, walnuts, pistachios,
and macadamia nuts. A vide variety is available in the Pakistani market to
choose from.
6. Fruits: Lastly, add something
fresh on the board. Like apple slices, mandarins, avocado, grapes and think of
any seasonal fruits. And for extra sweetness you can always add chocolate.
7. Olives: Apart also add pitted
olives, although they are not a fruit, but they hold a special place in my heart.
And do use pitted olives so no one breaks his/her teeth. As that will not
be a good scene to view next to your Charcuterie Board.
How to Assemble the Charcuterie Board:
Place
the element that is served in a bowl in middle. It can be either some kind of
dip or your hummus bowl. Place four kinds of cheese on the four corners of the
food. And place your processed meat choices around these cheeses. Most of your
board will be filled with only these elements. Place crackers and bread near
the cheese and meat. Then fill the spaces with nuts and fruits and dips.
A
picture of one of the assembled charcuterie board is attached to this blog for
your assistance. And you can also watch various videos available on internet
and YouTube for further assistance.
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