First off, don’t feel like you have to go crazy. I love a simple charcuterie board. You can do just one meat and one cheese and have some mustard and good bread and call it a day. Or you could also go crazy and make a huge impressive platter! You do you. You are after all, the star of your meat and cheese bar.

Grab your board. Just in case you’re wondering, do you need a fancy marble and wood charcuterie board? The answer is nope, you can use any old cutting board or plate you have at home! In these photos we used a baking sheet.
Little bowls. Put down a couple of small bowls for things like olives, rillettes, mustards, jams, dips, nuts, anything that you don’t want spreading all over the board. The bowls add height to your board and also give you more space because you can lean/stack things against them. How many bowls depends on the size of your board or plate.
Meats and cheeses. After the bowls are on the platter, add the sliced meats, either in neat rows or in a organic pile. Add the cheese. While the exact combination is up to you, a little further below we have suggested amounts, varieties, and mixes.
You don’t have to go fancy though. Sometimes the best thing to do is to stick to one kind of meat, a really good mustard, and some olives. Keep it simple, keep it crazy, keep it you. It’s delicious no matter how you slice it (pun intended).

First off, don’t feel like you have to go crazy. I love a simple charcuterie board. You can do just one meat and one cheese and have some mustard and good bread and call it a day. Or you could also go crazy and make a huge impressive platter! You do you. You are after all, the star of your meat and cheese bar.

Grab your board. Just in case you’re wondering, do you need a fancy marble and wood charcuterie board? The answer is nope, you can use any old cutting board or plate you have at home! In these photos we used a baking sheet.
Little bowls. Put down a couple of small bowls for things like olives, rillettes, mustards, jams, dips, nuts, anything that you don’t want spreading all over the board. The bowls add height to your board and also give you more space because you can lean/stack things against them. How many bowls depends on the size of your board or plate.
Meats and cheeses. After the bowls are on the platter, add the sliced meats, either in neat rows or in a organic pile. Add the cheese. While the exact combination is up to you, a little further below we have suggested amounts, varieties, and mixes.
You don’t have to go fancy though. Sometimes the best thing to do is to stick to one kind of meat, a really good mustard, and some olives. Keep it simple, keep it crazy, keep it you. It’s delicious no matter how you slice it (pun intended).

Charcuterie is the french term for prepared meat products like hams, sausages, terrines, and pâtés. While traditionally that was more or less it, these days a charcuterie board implies a big spread of cured meats, cheeses, fresh fruits, spreads, crackers, and breads.
Ever since, we’ve always made charcuterie and cheese boards at home. The best part is coming up with fun little accompaniments, because stuff that makes everything prettier makes things tastier too, right?
Part of the fun of charcuterie is that everything is prepared and all you have to do is pick out your favorites and make everything look pretty. It’s easy and delicious and can feel fancy or casual, but always luxurious. You can go from grocery store pâtés to local artisanal cheeses and everything in between.

Why are charcuterie boards so popular?
I think it’s because people like choice and abundance. Place a charcuterie board down in front of people and they get to pick and choose what they like, making flavor combinations appeal to them – kind of like a food version of choose-your-own-adventure. With one or two items, it’s a low key appetizer or light meal, perfect for pairing with drinks. If you go all out, it’s also super easy for fancy entertaining or for a casual date night in. We’ve used charcuterie boards as easy-yet-fancy appetizers for dinner parties that can be quickly thrown together more times than I can remember.

ENTERTAININGEASYSTARTERS
A grown up, fancy version of lunchables but for dinner aka the best kind of choose your own adventure, the kind you can eat!
I love date-nights in. So cozy and romantic. You get to pick the music, or maybe a movie, light some candles and just chill with your boo. My favorite way to do an easy night in is a charcuterie board.

Mike and I first discovered our love for charcuterie together. Way back in the day, years and years ago, a hot new restaurant opened in a literal alley in a very sketchy part of town. It was hipster before being hipster was a thing. They offered flights of meat and cheese for an insane amount of money (to us, back then) and we fell in love.

After our fourth visit there in 2 weeks, we wised up to the fact that we were spending an absurd amount of money on something that we could easily do at home. After all, the restaurant literally told us where they sourced their charcuterie from. This was way before made-in-house was a thing. So, we went right to the source, bought a bunch of our favorites, which we handily already knew, and went to town.

How much charcuterie per person?
It’s nice to get a mix of meats and cheeses but the ratio is up to you! We base everything on a minimum order of 2oz.

For an appetizer, get 2 different meats/cheeses per person (4oz total per person)
As a main, get 4 different meats/cheeses per person (8oz total per person).
This is a rough estimate that’s dependent on how much (or little) you eat, but since its better to have too much food instead of running out (especially if its a dinner party), we usually get 4oz per item, so for the two of us as a main, we get 32oz of stuff and have enough for two nights of charcuterie.

Breads and crackers. Stack or lay out the carbs in little piles, keeping the crackers with the crackers and the breads with the breads.
Spreads. We like to use a couple of different mustards (usually 1 English and 1 stone ground French) as well as whatever jelly we have sitting around.
Fruit and garnish. Add some seasonal fruit and herbs for color and freshness! In the photos we use a little trick we learned from Cassia in Santa Monica: pairing charcuterie with Vietnamese herbs. It’s genius!
I also made some little flags, for fun, and plated the pâté in a restaurant-like fashion. Sometimes when we hit up restaurants, we notice that they smear pâté onto a plate to the edge like this. It’s super easy to do at home and we really love it.

Prepare Beatiful Table For Guests
If you want to go all out and make the perfect charcuterie board, this is our formula:

Something machine-sliced: These are your cured meats like prosciutto, sliced thin for a salty, savory hit. Since you probably don’t have a meat slicer, if they don’t already come sliced, get these from the deli and ask them to slice them as thin as they recommend (different meats require different thicknesses).
Something hand-sliced: These are the cured meats that you want with a little bit of a heartier/heftier bite, sausages and the like that you can slice yourself at home.
Something spreadable: These are the squishy spreadable things that add a bit of fat and are smooth and rich on the tongue. We like to go for a couple pâtés or terrines, and always add a small scoop of rillettes too.
Cheese. Not all charcuterie boards include cheese, but the best ones do, in my opinion! You can just add one as an accent or do a combination that highlight contrasting flavors and textures. We like to go about 70/30 meats vs cheese, usually one brie and one harder cheese like gouda (more on this below).

First off, don’t feel like you have to go crazy. I love a simple charcuterie board. You can do just one meat and one cheese and have some mustard and good bread and call it a day. Or you could also go crazy and make a huge impressive platter! You do you. You are after all, the star of your meat and cheese bar.

Grab your board. Just in case you’re wondering, do you need a fancy marble and wood charcuterie board? The answer is nope, you can use any old cutting board or plate you have at home! In these photos we used a baking sheet.
Little bowls. Put down a couple of small bowls for things like olives, rillettes, mustards, jams, dips, nuts, anything that you don’t want spreading all over the board. The bowls add height to your board and also give you more space because you can lean/stack things against them. How many bowls depends on the size of your board or plate.
Meats and cheeses. After the bowls are on the platter, add the sliced meats, either in neat rows or in a organic pile. Add the cheese. While the exact combination is up to you, a little further below we have suggested amounts, varieties, and mixes.
You don’t have to go fancy though. Sometimes the best thing to do is to stick to one kind of meat, a really good mustard, and some olives. Keep it simple, keep it crazy, keep it you. It’s delicious no matter how you slice it (pun intended).

Ingredients

2 oz prosciutto thinly sliced at the deli
2 oz soppressata thinly sliced at the deli
2 oz finocchiona thinly sliced at the deli
2 oz duck with truffles pâté
2 oz pork rillettes
2 oz double creme brie or bleu
2 oz Kaasaggio Robusto Gouda
2 oz boursin high-low baby
1 baguette 1/3″ sliced at the bakery
1/2 package crackers see blog for recommendations
1/4 cup stone ground mustard
1/4 cup English mustard
1/2 cup olives see blog for recommendations
1/4 cup cornichons
1 fruit thinly sliced, seasonal

Instructions
Toast your baguettes in a 350ºF oven for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, slice your cheeses and salamis, if needed
Arrange your mustards, olives, cornichons, and other spreads in small dishes.
Smear your pâté, rillettes, and soft cheeses along the edges of deep plates.
Remove baguette from oven and arrange in a large bowl or two. In a separate bowl, snap into small pieces (if homemade) and arrange your crackers.
Serve immediately with tongs, forks, or other serving utensils.

Ingredients

2 oz prosciutto thinly sliced at the deli
2 oz soppressata thinly sliced at the deli
2 oz finocchiona thinly sliced at the deli
2 oz duck with truffles pâté
2 oz pork rillettes
2 oz double creme brie or bleu
2 oz Kaasaggio Robusto Gouda
2 oz boursin high-low baby
1 baguette 1/3″ sliced at the bakery
1/2 package crackers see blog for recommendations
1/4 cup stone ground mustard
1/4 cup English mustard
1/2 cup olives see blog for recommendations
1/4 cup cornichons
1 fruit thinly sliced, seasonal

Instructions
Toast your baguettes in a 350ºF oven for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, slice your cheeses and salamis, if needed
Arrange your mustards, olives, cornichons, and other spreads in small dishes.
Smear your pâté, rillettes, and soft cheeses along the edges of deep plates.
Remove baguette from oven and arrange in a large bowl or two. In a separate bowl, snap into small pieces (if homemade) and arrange your crackers.
Serve immediately with tongs, forks, or other serving utensils.

First off, don’t feel like you have to go crazy. I love a simple charcuterie board. You can do just one meat and one cheese and have some mustard and good bread and call it a day. Or you could also go crazy and make a huge impressive platter! You do you. You are after all, the star of your meat and cheese bar.

Grab your board. Just in case you’re wondering, do you need a fancy marble and wood charcuterie board? The answer is nope, you can use any old cutting board or plate you have at home! In these photos we used a baking sheet.
Little bowls. Put down a couple of small bowls for things like olives, rillettes, mustards, jams, dips, nuts, anything that you don’t want spreading all over the board. The bowls add height to your board and also give you more space because you can lean/stack things against them. How many bowls depends on the size of your board or plate.
Meats and cheeses. After the bowls are on the platter, add the sliced meats, either in neat rows or in a organic pile. Add the cheese. While the exact combination is up to you, a little further below we have suggested amounts, varieties, and mixes.
You don’t have to go fancy though. Sometimes the best thing to do is to stick to one kind of meat, a really good mustard, and some olives. Keep it simple, keep it crazy, keep it you. It’s delicious no matter how you slice it (pun intended).

Charcuterie is the french term for prepared meat products like hams, sausages, terrines, and pâtés. While traditionally that was more or less it, these days a charcuterie board implies a big spread of cured meats, cheeses, fresh fruits, spreads, crackers, and breads.
Ever since, we’ve always made charcuterie and cheese boards at home. The best part is coming up with fun little accompaniments, because stuff that makes everything prettier makes things tastier too, right?
Part of the fun of charcuterie is that everything is prepared and all you have to do is pick out your favorites and make everything look pretty. It’s easy and delicious and can feel fancy or casual, but always luxurious. You can go from grocery store pâtés to local artisanal cheeses and everything in between.

Why are charcuterie boards so popular?
I think it’s because people like choice and abundance. Place a charcuterie board down in front of people and they get to pick and choose what they like, making flavor combinations appeal to them – kind of like a food version of choose-your-own-adventure. With one or two items, it’s a low key appetizer or light meal, perfect for pairing with drinks. If you go all out, it’s also super easy for fancy entertaining or for a casual date night in. We’ve used charcuterie boards as easy-yet-fancy appetizers for dinner parties that can be quickly thrown together more times than I can remember.

If you want to go all out and make the perfect charcuterie board, this is our formula:

Something machine-sliced: These are your cured meats like prosciutto, sliced thin for a salty, savory hit. Since you probably don’t have a meat slicer, if they don’t already come sliced, get these from the deli and ask them to slice them as thin as they recommend (different meats require different thicknesses).
Something hand-sliced: These are the cured meats that you want with a little bit of a heartier/heftier bite, sausages and the like that you can slice yourself at home.
Something spreadable: These are the squishy spreadable things that add a bit of fat and are smooth and rich on the tongue. We like to go for a couple pâtés or terrines, and always add a small scoop of rillettes too.
Cheese. Not all charcuterie boards include cheese, but the best ones do, in my opinion! You can just add one as an accent or do a combination that highlight contrasting flavors and textures. We like to go about 70/30 meats vs cheese, usually one brie and one harder cheese like gouda (more on this below).

How much charcuterie per person?
It’s nice to get a mix of meats and cheeses but the ratio is up to you! We base everything on a minimum order of 2oz.

For an appetizer, get 2 different meats/cheeses per person (4oz total per person)
As a main, get 4 different meats/cheeses per person (8oz total per person).
This is a rough estimate that’s dependent on how much (or little) you eat, but since its better to have too much food instead of running out (especially if its a dinner party), we usually get 4oz per item, so for the two of us as a main, we get 32oz of stuff and have enough for two nights of charcuterie.

Breads and crackers. Stack or lay out the carbs in little piles, keeping the crackers with the crackers and the breads with the breads.
Spreads. We like to use a couple of different mustards (usually 1 English and 1 stone ground French) as well as whatever jelly we have sitting around.
Fruit and garnish. Add some seasonal fruit and herbs for color and freshness! In the photos we use a little trick we learned from Cassia in Santa Monica: pairing charcuterie with Vietnamese herbs. It’s genius!
I also made some little flags, for fun, and plated the pâté in a restaurant-like fashion. Sometimes when we hit up restaurants, we notice that they smear pâté onto a plate to the edge like this. It’s super easy to do at home and we really love it.

ENTERTAININGEASYSTARTERS
A grown up, fancy version of lunchables but for dinner aka the best kind of choose your own adventure, the kind you can eat!
I love date-nights in. So cozy and romantic. You get to pick the music, or maybe a movie, light some candles and just chill with your boo. My favorite way to do an easy night in is a charcuterie board.

Mike and I first discovered our love for charcuterie together. Way back in the day, years and years ago, a hot new restaurant opened in a literal alley in a very sketchy part of town. It was hipster before being hipster was a thing. They offered flights of meat and cheese for an insane amount of money (to us, back then) and we fell in love.

After our fourth visit there in 2 weeks, we wised up to the fact that we were spending an absurd amount of money on something that we could easily do at home. After all, the restaurant literally told us where they sourced their charcuterie from. This was way before made-in-house was a thing. So, we went right to the source, bought a bunch of our favorites, which we handily already knew, and went to town.