Ode To Charcuterie
Charcuterie—you may simply know it as a “cheese plate” or even “antipasto” if you’re a paesan—is having a moment. You’ve probably seen tons of blog posts of how to construct the perfect charcuterie and they’re usually overwhelming and reminiscent of those “I Spy” books, with delicately folded meats and elegant cups of gourmet mustards tucked between mounds of expertly-sliced cheese. You know the ones I’m talking about, where folks post their creations on time lapse form on social media. Sure, they look okay. (I mean, they often do look like everything would fall off the tray if picked up to be taken to a second location.) But how do they taste?
I can’t take much credit for this board—it was a work get-together/wine tasting over Zoom. Still though, I made it look pretty.
Charcuterie is the perfect dinner in these “fuck it” times. You can graze while binge watching whatever it takes to distract you from impending doom. You can find your favorites and load up a tray with those. I know there are rules such as, “you should have one soft cheese, one medium cheese, one hard cheese.” The old adage says that rules were meant to be broken and when it comes to dairy and cured meats, this is no exception. You like goat cheese? Why limit yourself to one? You hate hard cheese? Fuck ‘em. Especially when it’s a charcuterie for one.
I’ve been refining my cheese board art for quite some time but never thought to share about it because so much of my ingredients were local or otherwise difficult to find. Now that I live in a rural area, I can’t pop over to Saraghina Bakery of Di Bruno Bros for meats and cheeses so I’ve had to start shopping for them online so I’m proud to say that all of the meats, cheeses, sweets, carbs, and wines are available for purchase online and delivery anywhere. If I can get ‘em here in Appalachia, you should have no issues at all.
*If you look hard enough, you can find most of these pieces anywhere but I’m going to try to link most of these items to iGourmet—I’m not being compensated for this by them, but shipping does tend to get pricey so ordering multiple products from one place can save a lot of money.
Cheeses
Where else would we start? Yes, traditionally, Charcuterie boards do not feature cheese but hey: it’s the modern era. The meat and other components are great but on my boards, the cheese is always the star of the show. When making boards for myself, I like to get a small taste of everything, so I’ll cut up five or six small pieces of each cheese.
This is a lunchtime charcuterie—I know, I went a little overboard. It’s 2020 though, and who knows, this could have been my last meal.
Soft Cheese
Purple Haze Chevre
This might not just be one of my favorite goat cheeses, it may be one of my favorite cheeses of all time. It mixes lavender buds with fennel pollen in a creamy chevre. I love the way this tastes spread on a baguette. It’s creamy and quite floral so it goes well with some tart heirloom tomatoes, arugula, or smoked meat. LINK
Lille Coulommiers Cheese
Coulommiers’ is Brie’s lesser-known cousin but I find that it’s a little more pleasing to the palate, especially if you enjoy that warm, mushroomeque kind of taste you get from Brie, just a little lighter. It’s insanely creamy on the inside with the kind of white mold rind you’d expect from a brie. LINK
Isigny Camembert Cheese
If Coulommiers’ is Brie’s slightly-more-subtle cousin, Camembert is Brie punched up a bit. I find it to be a bit stronger, especially this particular Camembert. It’s a good addition to add to a charcuterie board if you want a little “wow” factor. I love the way this one pairs with almost any jam. (We’ll get into those later.) LINK
Semi-Hard Cheese
Deer Creek The Doe Cheese
This is another one of my favorite cheeses. It’s a creamy cheddar with ribbons of Madagascar Vanilla throughout it. It might sound potentially sweet but it’s perfectly savory, with a tiny touch of sweet at the very end. I’ve had this cheese alongside my coffee in the morning with some fruit. It pairs well with a lot of my favorites, such as bourbon, a dry white wine, dark chocolate, or prosciutto. LINK
Baldauf Wild Flower Cheese
This cheese reminds me of—hear me out—my favorite dessert, Knafeh. It’s a cow’s milk cheese wrapped in “edible organic rind that has been covered in a bouquet of fresh herbs and flowers sourced locally from the Alps.” It has the very similar warm, syrupy, botanical taste you get from Knafeh. It’s also a BEAUTIFUL cheese, with all of those herbs and flowers. LINK
Stokes Point Smoked Cheddar Cheese
I’m such a sucker for smoke. This smoked cheddar is a little on the hard/crystalline side, as it’s pretty flaky in the best way possible. I love the way this pairs with fruit, such as some grapes or a very sweet jam, such as quince or blackberry. LINK
5 Spoke Forager Cheese
While these other semi-hard recommendations are big and rich, this cheese is bright and a little tangy. It’s made with raw cow’s milk and features locally-sourced chives and garlic. It’s great on a cheese board (love enjoying it on crusty bread with a fig) but great on salads as well. LINK
Hard Cheese
My first charcuterie in my new home. It’s simple but it’ll always have a special place in my heart.
Extra-Aged Manchego
I love a Manchego. If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve seen that I’ve been using it quite often, and this extra-aged variety is my current favorite. It’s nutty in the best way, I especially love it with apricots, grapes, and ham. It pairs excellently with a good Rioja, as well. LINK
Meadow Creek Dairy's Grayson Cheese
If you’re a fan of Taleggio, you’ll enjoy this. It’s got a nutty but hearty taste, and pairs well with sopressata or a red wine like a Burgundy or a Cab. LINK
Grana Biraghi
If you’re a fan of Parmigiano-Reggiano, you’ll appreciate a good Grana Biraghi. It has a similar taste but just a little more subtle. I love a good parm but sometimes they can be a bit salty for me, which is why I find that when I’m eating it plain, Grana has the edge. LINK
Meats
Ah, yes. The “charcuterie” portion of charcuterie. I do love my cured meats, if you don’t care for them, feel free to skip this section.
Brooklyn Cured Smoked Beef Salami
I LOVE this salami. It instantly transports me back to my Brooklyn days, when I used to eat this for dinner (along with some Trader Jow’s Merlot cheese) over the sink once a week or so. It also pairs really well with pickles. LINK
Olli Salumeria Calabrese Salami
This comes in a few different options but I love the Calabrese because it’s a little spicy. It’s made with red peppers and Sangiovese wine, so you know it’s wonderful. LINK
Duck Prosciutto
I hadn’t gotten into duck until recently and I don’t know why—because it’s delicious. Like a proper prosciutto, it’s nice and fatty, with a slightly more complex flavor to it. LINK
Flott Anchovies in Sunflower Oil
Anchovies are not for everyone, and I know this. However, if you do enjoy them, or if you’re feeling adventurous, I like these even more than “regular” anchovies. They’re semi-cured so they’re a little softer then the anchovies you may be used to. LINK
Fresh fennel with olive oil, salt, and red pepper flakes: another glorious charcuterie addition.
Sweets
If you’re not featuring a few sweets on your cheese board, what are you doing? In addition to what I’m liting here, I’ll also mention that my charcuterie boards often include dried apricots, grapes (team green grape here), figs (my FAVORITES), pomegranate, apple slices, peaches, kumquats, or all of ‘em.
Eucalyptus Honey
I absolutely love drizzling honey over my cheese and meats, and eucalyptus is my favorite variety. It’s quite herbal, some even say it tastes a bit “medicinal.” To me, the eucalyptus is just enough to add a botanical essence without being overbearing. LINK
Dalmatia Quince Spread
This spread is delicious with many of the cheese and meats I listed above, I just love it. It’s very sweet but more in an aromatic, fruity way than a sugary way. I like spreading some on a baguette, adding a slice of manchego on top, then a slice of the duck prosciutto. (Side note, spreading it on a biscuit or piece of toast with some Chocolate Miso is one of my favorite breakfasts.) LINK
Maison Bonage Chocolate
This chocolate is not only delicious, it is also French. I’ve had a few of the varieties but so far, the Milk Chocolate with Lavender and Dark Chocolate with Fennel are my favorites. I know that chocolate may seem out of place on a charcuterie board, but it’s nice to have after the cheese and meats, and also pairs well with the dried fruit.
Fig Salami with Smoked Paprika and Aleppo Pepper
I love figs, but they’re only really in-season for a few weeks out of the year. (And it’s difficult to find fresh ones here in Appalachia.) This “salami” is a fun way to serve figs, I like to think of it as a Fig Newton without the crust. LINK
Nuts & Carbs
I typically include shelled pistachios on my charcuterie boards, which you can find pretty much everywhere. Other options I like include Marcona Almonds with Truffle Salt (yeah, I know truffle salt isn’t a real thing, they still taste good), Chili Spiked Candied Pecans, and Roasted Butternut Squash Seeds. I also make my own pepitas by roasting leftover seeds with olive oil, za’atar, and extra salt.
As for carbs, I love a good baguette. I’ve also been including these Rosemary Sourdough Flatbreads. I will say though, the bread is sort of an afterthought for me.
A classic elevated “fuck it” spread from my first week in Brooklyn.
Wine
This wouldn’t be an adequate charcuterie post if I didn’t include some wine recommendations as well. (But you had to know this was coming.)
Bourbon: another good cheese pairing, to be perfectly honest.
Red Wines
Gerard Bertrand Art de Vivre Vin Rouge 2015
This is a good, well-rounded red wine. It’s savory with stone fruit notes and a little earthy on the back end. LINK
Catena Appellation San Carlos Cabernet Franc 2017
I love a Cab Franc, but they can get a little pricey. This one is from Argentina, and it’s insanely rich. I love that it has a sort of cedar taste to it, and it’s just as herbal as it is fruity. (Think: black pepper meets fresh raspberries.) LINK
Palacios Remondo La Montesa 2016
If you’ve never tried a wine from Rioja, I highly recommend getting on that ASAP. This is a Grenache, it has very nice citrus notes along with the same kind of stone fruit and earthy flavors you’d expect from a more savory red wine. LINK
White Wines
Merry Edwards Sauvignon Blanc 2018
I only recently started appreciating white wines, and I think Sauv Blancs may be my favorite of ‘em. This one is crisp and a bit tangy, with green apple and peach notes, with some richer flavors as well. This wine makes me think of ricotta pie with lemon meringue. I have to say, I think this might be my favorite white wine of all time. LINK
Alta Mora Etna Bianco 2018
This white blend packs a good punch—it’s super herby and even a bit minty, with apple and jasmine notes as well. I love it because it’s complex, with a bit of warmth that reminds me of apple pie (crust and all) while still being refreshing and a bit summer’y. LINK
There you have it, my lengthy ode to charcuterie (and wine). I’ll continue showcasing new additions to my cheese board rotation on Instagram, be sure to follow along.