Simple Tips for An Amazing Cheese and Meat Platter

Here are my simple tips for an amazing cheese and meat platter. 

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Can you believe Christmas is just in a couple of weeks? Eeks! We had at least 12 extended family members celebrating Thanksgiving with us this year and it was such a blast since we rarely get to see them. I created a charcuterie board on Thanksgiving day so that everyone could munch on something while prepping for the big meal that evening. Here are my simple tips for an amazing cheese and meat platter.

I love hosting family and friends during the holidays and I especially love putting together a charcuterie board. It’s my favorite way of creating an appetizer so that people can hang out in the kitchen and munch until the next meal is prepared.

Here’s a time lapse video I made when I was putting this together. You can see all the little cousins wanted to help put this together. 

Tip 1: Grab a board or two or even a cake stand

When creating a meat and cheese board, I like to vary the heights of the platters. I mixed boards in sizes and added cake stands. This creates a layered look and allows for lots of yummy ingredients to add. 

Tip 2: Serve a variety of cheeses and meats

I like to add a mix of meats like prosciutto, salami, pepperoni, etc. A variety of cheeses are also key. You can find some good cheese at Costco or you neighborhood grocery store. We bought the variety pack and also our family favorite called the Bellavitano. Our small group leaders introduced us to this cheese and it’s delicious!

Tip 3: Add color through fruits and olives 

I always add clusters of grapes in a meat and cheese platter along with some olives. Our favorite olives are called castelvetrano and they have a more buttery taste. I usually stock up on these from World Market. Grapes are such a great pairing with cheeses and I added green and dark purple for added color. You could also add pomegranates, citrus fruits to add to the presentation. Crudités like celery and carrot sticks are also a great addition.  

Tip 4: Sprinkle in a mix of crackers and bread

For this meat and cheese platter, we toasted a baguette and pre-sliced them. I also added sweet potato and almond crackers. These were a big hit. They provide substance and balance out the saltiness from the cheese and meats.

Tip 5: Throw in some nuts

I usually like to add pistachios and almonds to my charcuterie boards. You could also add raisins, pretzels or other gourmet crackers. There’s really no wrong way! I would’ve added some garnish like rosemary all around the platters for an added touch of embellishment. Don’t forget to add some small cheese knives so guests can serve themselves. This is also a great time to add some delicious spreads, hummus or butter. The choices are endless and all delicious!

Tip 6: Pair it with some wine

Serve some wine for your guests or ask them to bring their favorite one. Our cousin is a big on wine and brought some for all of us to enjoy during Thanksgiving. He had saved them for a special occasion and was excited to share it with all of us. He also made a very simple  homemade bread which I hope to share soon on the blog. 

If you’re looking for a simple appetizer that will wow and satisfy your guests, try creating a meat and cheese platter. It was all gone by dinner time!

 

Thanks for reading! Just a reminder that there are 7 more days to vote every day for the La-Z-Boy Design Dash competition. I truly appreciate all your support! Thank you so much!

xoxo,

 

 

 

Let all that you do be done in Love. 1 Corinthians 16:14