I Need Charcuterie Plate Help

[tarheelmjfan]

We have a 5:00 pm dinner reservation for Thanksgiving. That's very early for our family to eat, so I'd like to put together a charcuterie plate to snack on later in the evening. The last charcuterie plate we had was takeout from a restaurant across the street. It was $35 & was little more than a small snack for DH & me. We're both light eaters. DS will be here Thanksgiving night & he can eat. He would have consumed that by himself & been looking for more food. I want to put together a platter by picking up stuff at a local deli, but have no experience making one myself. What should I buy to put together a really good charcuterie board for 3 people one of which eats a lot? I need recommendations for meat, cheese, bread & accompaniments. Specific quantities that I should ask for would be great.

@NYCgrrl, do you have any recommendations for a really awesome charcuterie plate with a lot of variety? If you have a suggestion of how much I should buy for a family of 3 with one person that can eat like 3 people, that would be helpful too.

 

[kaytieeldr]

What should I buy to put together a really good charcuterie board for 3 people one of which eats a lot?

Very honnestly, just meats and cheeses your family like. https://www.bhg.com/recipes/party/appetizers/charcuterie-plate/

 

[a1tinkfans]

I’d honestly peek at Pinterest and decide what items you’d want to incorporate first. Olives? Roasted peppers, gardenier? Artichokes? Nuts? Fruit? I typically do an Italian type version but there are so many food choices it’d be better to know what you 3 actually like to eat. As a start I’d say 2 cheeses. Choose your favorite and go from there. Would you prefer more variety/small Amt of each or less variety and much more in the amount of each?

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Very honnestly, just meats and cheeses your family like. https://www.bhg.com/recipes/party/appetizers/charcuterie-plate/

My family will eat anything. We prefer trying things we haven't tried previously. I'll check out your link.

I’d honestly peek at Pinterest and decide what items you’d want to incorporate first. Olives? Roasted peppers, gardenier? Artichokes? Nuts? Fruit? I typically do an Italian type version but there are so many food choices it’d be better to know what you 3 actually like to eat. As a start I’d say 2 cheeses. Choose your favorite and go from there. Would you prefer more variety/small Amt of each or less variety and much more in the amount of each?

I'm kind of Pinterest challenged. Every time I go there, I feel like I'm going down a rabbit hole.

We will try anything. The more unusual the better for us. I guess I'm looking for a recommendation for the ultimate, most adventurous charcuterie plate possible. We would definitely prefer a smaller amount of each item & more variety.

 

[BadPinkTink]

ok, seeing as you are looking for specifics, this is what I would do

Soft Cheese
Brie
Camembert
Port Salut

Hard Cheese
Smoked Cheddar
Vintage Cheddar
Flavoured Cheddar

Goats Cheese

Blue Cheese
Stilton

Sheeps Cheese

Parma Ham
Chorizo
Salami

Breadsticks
Crispbread
Water crackers
Toothpicks

Chutney
Relish
Sundried tomatoes
Olives

 

[kaytieeldr]

That's a lot of cheese - and where's the meat?

OP, while that site gives some general ideas, I linked it so you could see that charcuterie isn't specific. If you want to try new things, ask your deli and cheese shop for suggestions.

 

[BadPinkTink]

That's a lot of cheese - and where's the meat?

OP, while that site gives some general ideas, I linked it so you could see that charcuterie isn't specific. If you want to try new things, ask your deli and cheese shop for suggestions.

• Parma Ham
• Chorizo
• Salami

These are the meats, you just buy whatever quantity you need.

For the cheeses, you don't have to have the entire lot, it depends on the amount of people.

As a basic, I would put one of each type

1. one soft
2. one hard
3. one Goats cheese
4. one blue cheese
5. one flavoured cheese

You don't have to eat ALL the cheese, usually when my family does this, we have cheese left over.

 

[mikehn]

My board would include a variety of italian meats like prosciutto, coppo, soppressata and a bunch of pickled stuff like mushrooms, olives, peppers. I like hard nutty cheeses that have a little crunch in them. This year Im gonna add some stir fried shishito peppers.

 

[1GoldenSun]

What @BadPinkTink describes sounds delicious, although I would probably choose either Brie or Camembert because although I love them both my palate is not refined enough to tell the difference.

I'd go to one of those olive bars like they have at Whole Foods and get an assortment of pickled stuff--stuffed olives, cornichons, marinated mushrooms, roasted red peppers, etc.

When I put together a charcuterie platter (although I call it a cheese board because I usually go way heavier on the cheeses) I like to have varying heights to give it-- well, I guess the trendy word would be "architectural interest." I put grissini or any kind of hard, thin breadsticks in a rocks glass, I include a champagne flute filled with smoked almonds, I take a small, handcrafted pottery bowl that someone once made for me and turn it upside down and put a cheese on that-- anything to vary the heights and make it look more interesting than a flat board.

I also like to add dried apricots, dates, and Craisins. I put these around the board in small groupings-- I don't sprinkle them, but just place a small handful of Craisins here and another there, maybe flowing over onto one of the cheeses a little. Also, small clusters of grapes and slices of apple (dipped in lemon juice so they don't brown) and maybe a perfectly ripe pear. If you get a really nice, ripe pear you can place the whole thing on the board and people can slice off pieces like they do the cheeses-- this looks attractive, especially a Bosc pear with a tinge of red. I also include walnuts and pecan halves, and maybe some cashews. Oh, and berries--strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, maybe blueberries--again in little clusters. I'd put anything runny or oily in ramekins, with the exception of apricot preserves or a nice chutney which looks pretty and tastes great when you pour it partially over a goat cheese, leaving half of it uncovered for people who prefer it without.

I don't know anything about quantities; I just eyeball that. If you have leftovers, just about everything goes great chopped up on a salad the next day, or on pasta.

Oh, you know what's really good? That Wesleydale cheese with apricots or cranberries in it--so good! Now I'm getting hungry.

 

[Sabeking]

Add in some caper berries too!

 

[Turn the Page]

Good cheddar with honey, blue cheese and craisins, pepper jam goes well with various cheeses as well.

Those are a few of our favorite combos.

 

[BadPinkTink]

@1GoldenSun thanks, what you do sounds really good too. I was just trying to keep it basic but like what you do, basically anything can be added according to tastes and dietary requirements.

I didn't want to get to specific with cheeses as what we can get in UK and Ireland may not be available in USA.

Also while of course you can find great cheese and meat in a regular supermarket, sometimes for a special occasion its nice to splurge and get some more unusual things from a speciality cheese shop or up market supermarket or deli.

 

[ronandannette]

@1GoldenSun thanks, what you do sounds really good too. I was just trying to keep it basic but like what you do, basically anything can be added according to tastes and dietary requirements.

I didn't want to get to specific with cheeses as what we can get in UK and Ireland may not be available in USA.

Also while of course you can find great cheese and meat in a regular supermarket, sometimes for a special occasion its nice to splurge and get some more unusual things from a speciality cheese shop or up market supermarket or deli.

Your “board” sounded awesome but it would have been breathtakingly expensive. Here deli meats and cheeses run about $3/100g. Rather than spending upwards of $100 on a snack tray I’d buy a couple of bottles of amazing wine and get everyone tipsy enough that baloney and Ritz crackers would taste great!

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

The Disney owned restaurants have far superior plates of meats and cheeses than the independents.

 

[BadPinkTink]

Your “board” sounded awesome but it would have been breathtakingly expensive. Here deli meats and cheeses run about $3/100g. Rather than spending upwards of $100 on a snack tray I’d buy a couple of bottles of amazing wine and get everyone tipsy enough that baloney and Ritz crackers would taste great!

Really, I just priced this up from my local everyday grocery store, which is not a gourmet or speciality or top range chain. It would be similar to Walmart or Costco in USA

Soft Cheese
Brie 200 g - €3.75
Camembert 250 g - €3.99
Port Salut 185 g- € 3.49

Hard Cheese
Smoked Cheddar 200 g- €4.00
Vintage Cheddar 200g - €3.00
Flavoured Cheddar 200 g - €4.00

Goats Cheese 150 g- € 3.99

Blue Cheese
Stilton 125g - €3.29

Parma Ham slices 78g x 2- €4.00
Chorizo slices 150g x 2- €3.38
Salami slices 100g x 2- € 3.00

Breadsticks 125 g - €0.69
Crispbread 250g - €1.95
Water crackers 125g- €2.29
Toothpicks - €

Chutney 230g - €2.69
Relish 310g - €3.19
Sundried tomatoes 285g - €1.09
Olives 95g - €1.00

Total € 52.79 converted to US Dollars $58.18
Total in Euros per person €17.59
Total in US Dollars per person $19.39

 

[Carol_]

ok, seeing as you are looking for specifics, this is what I would do

Soft Cheese
Brie
Camembert
Port Salut

Hard Cheese
Smoked Cheddar
Vintage Cheddar
Flavoured Cheddar

Goats Cheese

Blue Cheese
Stilton

Sheeps Cheese

Parma Ham
Chorizo
Salami

Breadsticks
Crispbread
Water crackers
Toothpicks

Chutney
Relish
Sundried tomatoes
Olives

This made my mouth water... It is a work of genius.
But every genius must be critiqued.
Add pepperoni.

 

[jamescanuck2001]

The Disney owned restaurants have far superior plates of meats and cheeses than the independents.

I know Le Chefs France has a nice plate. What other WDW restaurants have a nice plate?

 

[BadPinkTink]

ok, for transparency, for all those who are liking my suggestion, I am a former chef, and my family is a foodie family, so something like this is easy for me to put together

 

[Owlpost23]

If you have a Trader Joe's near you,just peruse the aisles.All sorts of goodies there.

 

[ZZBane]

This made my mouth water... It is a work of genius.
But every genius must be critiqued.
Add pepperoni.

Also, head cheese