Meat & Cheese Charcuterie Board

Serving Size: 6-8

Charcuterie boards are a great way to serve a crowd while combining sweet, salty, and savory flavors into one meal. This recipe includes some of our favorite cheeses paired with our very own meats. If there’s one thing we’ve learned about charcuterie, the quality of your meats and cheeses makes the difference in how the flavors come together. Feel free to add or leave out ingredients that don’t fit your gathering’s flavor profile!

Ingredients:

• 1 bottle of garlic stuffed queen olives - 8 oz 
• 1 bottle of kalamata olives 8 oz
• 6 oz of gouda cheese
• 6 oz Finnish cheese
• 6 oz of BellaVitano Cheese, Merlot (some of our favorite from a Wisconsin business)
• ½ wedge of Red Temper Honey Chipotle Cheddar
• 6 oz of brie, softened
• 1 Beef Summer Sausage Chub
• 1 package of Beef Pepper Sticks, cut into bite size pieces
• 1 package of Beef Cheddar Sticks, cut into bite size pieces
• 1 package of Dried Beef Slices
• 1 package of Beef Jerky, cut into squares
• 8 oz of thin sliced salami
• 2 tomatoes, sliced
• 8 oz package of raspberries
• 8 oz package of blueberries
• 2 apples, slides (can spritz with lemon to keep from turning brown)
• 1 cup almonds, unsalted
• 1 cup pecans
• ⅓ cup of stone ground mustard
• ⅓ cup of pepper jelly (pairs well with Finnish cheese)
• 1 sleeve of crackers

Supplies:

• 1 Charcuterie Board / Wooden cutting board
• 2 small dip bowls
• 2 spoons
• 1 cheese knife
• Toothpicks or small forks

Directions:

1. Put pepper jelly and ground mustard each into the small dip bowls, and place on the charcuterie board. Place spoons inside bowls or to the side, ready to serve.
2. Heat up brie slice till warmed, and place on the desired board location. (Note: Too much heat will make your brie runny, and can be hard to contain it. Slowly heat in microwave, checking often.)
3. Cube all cheeses and cut meats into bite size portions. 
4. Starting with the olives, place groupings of items around your charcuterie board. Be careful to drain off liquid from olives before placing them on the board, or it can make your crackers soggy.
5. Prepare your overflow items to re-supply your board as people enjoy its flavors.  
6. Place utensils of choice (toothpicks or small forks) out to the side of your board for guests to use when serving themselves

Tip: If you’d like to add flair to your charcuterie design with a salami rose like we did, the best way to do this is to fold your thin sliced salami pieces over the rim of a wine glass in layers. Once you have enough layers filled in for the petals, gently flip your rose over onto the charcuterie board!