Charcuterie Guide
Charcuterie boards make the perfect appetizer for your holiday gatherings — or anytime! And they are totally customizable based on your favorite treats, what you have on hand, and the preferences of your guests.
Follow these simple steps for charcuterie success!
It’s all about visual appeal. When selecting elements for your spread, shoot for a variety of colors and textures. If you have red cherry tomatoes, then use orange or yellow bell pepper slices, for example. Some colors will repeat and that’s okay, just try to avoid putting those elements next to each other on your board.
Don’t know where to start? Anchor your board with ramekins — filled with dips, olives, berries, or nuts, for example — followed by your cheeses and meats. Think of these as your “boulders.” You can then fill in around them with your “pebbles,” the elements that are more gestural and fluid to arrange across the board, like cascading sliced veggies, crackers, and fruit.
When arranging sliced, cured meats on your charcuterie board, try to avoid laying anything flat. Scrunch and fold them and arrange to create height and texture — this will also leave more room on your board for other items!
Shoot for the rule of threes: three cheeses, three meats, and three crackers, then fill in any negative space with your accoutrements and flair. This should help achieve the desired abundance and balance that we imagine when we think of the perfect charcuterie board.
Above all else: have fun with it!
Make Your Holiday Merc Made!
Our Lawrence bakery uses local eggs and Kansas flour to bake dozens of treats each day. Whether you’re looking for a decadent slice of cheesecake, a vegan peanut butter cookie or a dozen scones to serve your guests, our bakery has what you need.