What is Charcuterie?
Charcuterie is a French meat plate made with prepared and/or smoked meat products such as bacons, hams, sausages, pates, salamis and other cold cuts.
Loosely translated into English, charcuterie means “Pork Butcher” or “deli”.
10 Tips to Create The Perfect Charcuterie Platter
1. Use A Mixture of Cured Meats & Salamis
- Options to consider: Cured meats such as Jamon Serrano, Proscuitto, Mocetta, Capicola, Sopressata, etc.
- Cured sausages: Spanish dried chorizo, Genoa salami, etc.
2. Add A Paté
- Paté is a mixture of cooked ground meat with added ingredients such as vegetables, truffles or nuts
- Paté is minced into a creamy spreadable taste
- A must-add to your charcuterie platter as it provides a new flavour and texture to the plate
- The great thing about Paté is that you can buy as little or as much as you like as they are often sold by weight
3. Incorporate Bread and/or Crackers
- Crackers or a fresh baguette sliced thin are a must-add to any plate
- Pro Tip: If slicing a fresh baguette, slice on the diagonal
- Want to mix it up even more? Try serving with a croissant!
4. Get Pickled
- Adding a pickled vegetable is a must!
- baby pickles
- pickled red onions
- pickled okra
- pickled mushrooms
- pickled asparagus
- pickled beans
- pickled olives
5. Spreads & Jellies
- Pair your meat platter with sweet & savoury spreads
- These go well with crackers & sliced meats
- Try fruit preserves or grainy mustards
- Hummus
6. Try New Things
- Be adventurous at the deli! Don’t recognize the cold cut? Great!
- The more interesting, the better
- This is the perfect opportunity to try something new
7. Look In The Fridge
- Have some meaty leftovers that are still good? Slice them thin and add to your meaty platter
8. Add Fruit
- Fresh grapes, figs, apricots, whatever is in season is a great bet!
- Dried fruits are also great, like dried peaches or dried apples
9. Go Nuts
- Adding almonds, pistachios, walnuts and/or cashews is a great choice for your platter
10. Have Enough For the People Your Serving
- The go to portion size is about 2 to 3 ounces (55 to 85 g) of meat per person
11. (BONUS TIP!) Be Careful Of Temperatures
- Don’t let your charcuterie sit our for more than two hours at room temperature
