It’s hard to stand out from the crowd, but that’s exactly what makes a good host and extraordinary host!
Good hosts make guests feel welcome and comfortable, extraordinary hosts make guests feel like royalty.
Good hosts introduce their guests to one another, extraordinary hosts make meaningful connections.
Good hosts serve food, extraordinary hosts understand that great food transforms an evening into an event.
Think of a host you admire. You can become that person, and we want to help you get there by introducing you to the hottest trend in entertainment today, charcuterie.
Where Charcuterie Came From
Have you ever sat down at a restaurant, looked at the menu, and saw the word "Charcuterie?". You look up at your dinner guest with a confused look and exclaim, "What in the world is Charcuterie? (How do I even say it?)”
Lynn and Liana Designs is here to help you answer that question!
Charcuterie has been around for many, many years. It is a beautiful culinary art that was developed as a way of preserving meat before refrigerators were available.
For example, one of the most common types of meat to use in charcuterie is prosciutto. prosciutto is a fatty cut of meat that’s cured in salt and hung to dry over several months. Prosciutto is usually made from pork, but cured lamb, duck, or other meats that undergo the same process can also be considered a type of prosciutto.
Charcuterie is a way of preparing and presenting meat in an elegant and delicious fashion. The art is most often described as an artisan meat and cheese board. The word "charcuterie" originated in France, and it translates to "pork-butcher shop." While the original French translation refers to pork, modern charcuterie boards include other types of food like pate, cheese, olives, pickles, crackers, fruit, nuts, and dips.
Why do you need Charcuterie in your life?
Planning a dinner party is a challenge!
What to serve your guests?
How do you make appealing food with so little time??
How do you make every event from birthdays to holiday gatherings to corporate dinners memorable?
Charcuterie is the answer!
Creating a charcuterie board is simple and quick for anybody to learn. With a short trip to your local grocery store and a bit of time to prepare, you can have an elegant and jaw dropping platter that will be sure to leave your guests impressed and coming back for more.
Making a charcuterie board is a fun, creative, quick and most certainly delicious solution for any occasion involving food. You can make the cheese board however YOU want it to be; as expensive or inexpensive as you like. There are no rules and no limitations. Take your favorite foods and design your own beautiful creation.
Whether it’s a breakfast board, dessert board, vegan board, appetizer board… The options are endless.
Grocery List
Use this grocery shopping list as a guide next time you are planning an event! This is a basic list of ingredients for a simple and delicious charcuterie creation.
- Smoked Gouda
- Genoa Salami
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
- Seeded crackers (or crackers of choice)
- Pecans
- Hummus
- Fresh Rosemary
Assembling your Charcuterie Board
We love to follow the "cheese by numbers" method created by Marissa Mullen. You can find her best selling book here -That Cheese Plate Will Change Your Life — THAT CHEESE PLATE.
(FIRST TIP - Place a ramekin on your board for the dip before beginning, so you have something to work around and don't run out of space later on.)
Step 1 - CHEESE.
On your board, place your Gouda in the corner diagonally across from your ramekin.
Step 2 - MEAT.
Layer the meat by folding each piece in half twice. Layer the pieces against each other like a river across the board.
Step 3 - PRODUCE.
Spread out your fruit wherever you desire on the board.
Step 4 - CRUNCH.
Place your crackers close to your cheese, dip, and meat, or whenever there are empty spaces on the board. Then sprinkle pecans to fill in any small gaps. The goal is to have no gaps anywhere on the board (It's supposed to look full!)
Step 5 - DIPS.
Add your dip of choice (hummus in this case) to your ramekin.
Step 6 - GARNISH.
Place your fresh rosemary on top of the dip as well as cheese, for a beautiful finishing touch and pop of green.
And that’s it! A simple guide for creating a delicious charcuterie board that will WOW your guests and make you the extraordinary host you dream of being!
Now next time you find yourself stressed about what to serve your guests, grab one of our gorgeous handmade Cheese boards and create your very own charcuterie board! Your party will be the one your family and friends are talking about for months to come.
That’s all for now,
Happy hosting!