Create a Culinary Masterpiece on Our Olive Wood Cheeseboard
Something that we love to put our whole heart into is culinary creations in our kitchens! Hailey and I both love to host! Whether that’s parties, Sunday Family Dinners, a casual movie night or a lively girls night in, we love putting all the details together and bringing our favorite people together for a memorable experience. For us, it’s more than just opening up our home, it’s the planning, attention to details and of course the menu! A staple for any party or gathering is a charcuterie or simple meat and cheese board. The possibilities are endless when it comes to creating one and that’s why they’re so much fun! You get to be creative and experiment with different food combinations. Food is also beautiful and acts as it’s own centerpiece but it can be elevated with the right accessories. That’s why, we love that at Meraki Collective, we get to carry some of the most beautiful olive wood pieces from Ghayran Stoneware! All of their pieces are hand crafted, which makes each one a little unique! One of our favorite pieces is the Olive Wood Cheeseboard and today, we want to share 5 simple steps for using our cheeseboard to create your own culinary masterpiece!
Cheese Selection
For me, cheese is the focal point of a charcuterie board and is always the first thing I am shopping for when gathering items for my spread. Everything else I choose will be based off of my cheese selection - the pairings, flavors and colors! The number of different cheeses you should select depends on the size of board you are using. For our Olive Wood Cheeseboard (that’s on the smaller side), I would pick 1-2. For a larger board, it’s safe to choose 3-4. Place the cheese in a focal spot on your board. It’s great to include variety on your cheeseboard so don’t pick cheeses that are similar in texture, flavor or color. There are 4 different categories of cheese so be mindful about your selection. The four categories include: hard cheese, semi-soft, soft cheese and fresh cheese. If you’re picking 2 different types to include on your board - pick a hard cheese and a semi-soft or a soft cheese. Some of my favorite combinations include, cheddar and havarti or gouda and brie. Check out your local grocers artisan cheese selection for various flavors too! One of my favorite local brands that can be found in a grocery store is Beehive Cheese and they have so many different cheddar flavors that meet all palettes - from spicy to sweet. For locally sourced and fresh cheese in Wasatch County, Heber Valley Artisan Cheese is a must stop to pick up meat and cheese for your next party! Grab some fresh ice cream while you’re in there too.
2. Meat Selection
Next up is the meat selection and the variety and possibilities are endless here as well! The standard charcuterie contains cured meats like salami, pepperoni and prosciutto. However, if cured meats isn’t your thing, no big deal! There is no wrong answer when it comes to a meat and cheese board. Grill up a steak or chicken and cut it up into bite sized pieces or cook a spicy andouille sausage to add a little kick to the flavor palette. You can even serve fish for a lighter option. Between Hailey and I, we’ve had our fair share of pregnancies which meant we were avoiding deli and uncooked meats so we got really good at mixing our charcuterie boards up with cooked meat options and they were just as good! Check out this cheese and meat pairing guide from Off the Mrkt blog - it gives some great pairing recommendations. If you’re local to the Heber Valley, any of our local grocery stores have great charcuterie meat options or if you’re looking for a little more fresh, check out Heber Valley Artisan Cheese or Heber Valley Meat. I would recommend choosing 2 different types of meat to incorporate in your creation - again, depending on the size of the serving platter. Arrange the meat around or near the cheese.
3. Crackers, Bread + Other Dippers
Crackers and bread are must haves for your charcuterie board and they serve multiple purposes. Need something to dip in a hummus or spread? Or are you looking for something to serves as the foundation of your meat and cheese pairing. If you’re adding crackers to stack cheese and meat on, choose crackers that don’t have a lot of flavor or seasoning. Crackers like water crackers are great choices because they help the flavors of the meat and cheese standout. Other great options include, flavored crackers and dips, baguettes or other breads dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, naan dippers or fun crostini combinations. Home Made Simple blog recommends doing 2 crackers and 2 breads (adjust for size of board). Some of their bread recommendations include: sourdough, asiago, ciabatta or a raisin rye. My personal recommendation for selecting bread options would be to go artisan! Visit the bakery of your favorite grocer and see what that days specials are! Feel like a real go getter? Make your own from scratch!
4. Fruit Selection
Adding a variety of fruit to your display is a lot of fun! It adds flavor, color and sweetness. When choosing fruit for your board it’s important to choose fruit that is in season for the freshest and tastiest options. Not sure what fruit is at its peak during any time of the year? Check out the Seasonal Food Guide for a great resource and guiding tool. Select your state and the month and it will pull of a comprehensive list of options! Right now (early June) in Utah, the freshest fruit options include: blueberries, strawberries, cherries, raspberries and plums. My favorite part about the summer are all of the fruit stands and farmers markets throughout town. Grab some incredibly fresh and local options there or even pull fresh berries from your own garden! I would recommend incorporating some dried fruit to your spread as well! My personal favorite? Dried mangos! But the possibilities are endless. Dried fruit also helps pull flavors from the meat, cheese and bread. I typically include two different types of fresh fruit and one dried fruit on my charcuterie boards.
5. Fillers
You’ve created the perfect charcuterie board and are almost ready to put it on display for your party or girls night in but there are just a few additional touches that should be made. You can fill in the remaining space of your board with “fillers”. What are charcuterie fillers? Anything you could think up!! These should be small items, packed with flavor and pair well with your cheese, meat, bread, cracker and fruit selections. Probably the most popular filler is nuts. They add a little salt and some healthy fats. They also compliment most fruit, meat and cheeses very well! Some of my favorite nuts to incorporate are almonds, walnuts and pecans. I would highly recommend cashews or pistachios too but you will always find those missing from my boards due to a cute little boy who is highly allergic. Be sure to know of any allergies when feeding a crowd! Olives are another great filler option! They add a great zing and vinegar component. They’re perfect if you’re looking to add a little punch to the flavor palette of your spread. Want to add something sweet? You already know what I’m going to say…. add CHOCOLATE! You cannot go wrong with a beautiful, rich and delicious chocolate bar on your platter. My favorite chocolate comes from right here in Heber City at Ritual Chocolate Factory! I highly suggest checking them out and stopping in for a chocolate tasting or grab a coffee and treat. Last but not least, your dips and spreads are included in this filler category. These can be mustards, jams, various dips, olive oil + balsamic vinegar combos etc. Building your creation on our olive wood cheeseboard? We’ve got beautiful Olive Wood Spreaders that will match perfectly and are a great tool to spread your chosen mustard, jam or hummus. Get creative and use your board as your inspiration. Notice what flavors might be missing or what could enhance your already beautiful spread.
Try these 5 simples steps out and build your own charcuterie board! Better yet, build it on the Meraki Olive Wood Cheeseboard! Share your creation with us by commenting here or tagging us on Instagram! Don’t forget to use the hashtag #merakimoment. Let us know what your favorite combos and selections are. What are your must-have and go to meat and cheese board items?
