charcuterie.
As the fall season slowly gets started (or if you live here in DC, it just doesn’t….) and the holidays feel like they’re basically tomorrow, entertaining is inevitable. Much to my husbands’ dismay I have pretty much grown accustom to creating a charcuterie display whenever we are having, well anyone, over for a snack, dinner or drinks. So, I decided to share my little DIY charcuterie buffet.
It’s really just a layering process…. And it all starts with the wood and slate serving trays and cutting boards. I love to mix and match all of the wood cutting boards I have with the raw wood slices and slate tray that I have. Link some good ones here, here, here and oh, here!
Layer two is the meat - my favorite part actually (or at least the yummiest in my opinion). I like to do a mix of size, weight and flavor on my meats. My go to is a small hard salame, a large thin cut salame and a prosciutto, Creminelli is a frequent go to, as is Trader’s Joe’s selection. For the small salami I would go with a sopressata, for the thin cut I recommend an Italian dry and for the prosciutto there is only one, di Parma!
Once the meats are looking pretty (and let’s be honest yummy… and I’ve already eaten half of those that don’t make it to the buffet), it’s time for the cheese. Again I try to choose a mix of consistency and taste. Some go-to’s are brie or Camembert, mozzarella, cheddar, parmesan and goat. I am personally not a fan of blue cheese but for those that are real cheese buffs - go for it! This article is a good one for must try cheeses from Whole Foods (or should I say Amazon?).
Next is I think everyone’s favorite, the carbs. My personal touch is make crostini, and I will build upon that with a variety, cracker, pita, French bread or even homemade focaccia. The carbs usually go in their own baskets and/or are sprinkled throughout the board to fill in large bare areas.
And finally the pièce de résistance are the accents! For fall my go-to’s are pomegranate seeds, lots of nuts, greens and honey. Layered and layered until you have no room left. I always use eucalyptus in it’s various forms but for fall I typically like to layer heavier leaves like fern, rosemary and olive. And top it off with whatever nuts you like!
