Crowd-pleasing charcuterie

Crowd-pleasing

Crowd-pleasing charcuterie

BY DANIEL BONTJE | PHOTOS BY DONG KIM echnically, a “charcuterie” is a pork-specific butcher shop and the pork products inside, but when we talk charcuterie boards, that’s not what the typical Canadian is thinking. Instead, we have seen a resurgence of these colourful sharing boards in restaurants and across Instagram accounts, overflowing with meats and cheese, and with nuts, olives, fruits, jellies and jams.

The combination of ease and variety make it perfect for nibbles any time—a robust board and a bottle of wine could be the perfect nosh with friends. But putting together a sharing board can be daunting for the same reason that it can be fun—there doesn’t seem to be any rules. t

We reached out to Sera Duros, co-owner at The Italian Store, and Gino Marghella, General Manager at the Italian Centre Shop, to compare notes and tips for making charcuterie boards easy, balanced, and crowd-pleasing. Sometimes, the stress can start with the board itself.

“I always tell people not to worry what kind of board or platter they have,” says Duros, “incorporate the little dishes you have there as well,” and Marghella echoes

charcuterie boards because they are easy to eat, last well at room temperature, and have good intensity of flavour. “If you have kids around, pepperoni sticks or a farmer sausage is great,” says Duros.

Cheese follows a similar rule—look for contrast and variety. “What I usually do is pick one or two cheeses and pair them with the right jam or honey.” recommends Marghella.”Prima Donna with pepper jelly, appenzeller with fresh green grapes,

A simple rule is to think in terms of contrast—if you have dried meat, like salami, then look to balance it out with a softer texture, like prosciutto.

that sentiment. “I like to use little bowls,” he suggests, “they add a different element and some height.”

Once you have your surface, Duros suggests starting with meat as the anchor. “You need to have good quality beef, you need to have some pork, and you want to have different textures of meat.”

A simple rule is to think in terms of contrast—if you have dried meat, like salami, then look to balance it out with a softer texture, like prosciutto. Don’t scatter it across your board either, suggests Marghella. “Putting big groups of meat together makes it easy to tell what’s what; it makes it easier to eat and it helps the board look bigger and fuller.” Cured meats are traditional for manchego and quince, brie and camembert go with any jelly!”

“My favourite?” Duros laughs, “I guess it is a good dry cheese like a Reggiano or maybe a Manchego, I think it’s a must!” Cut or crumble those harder cheeses, but with softer cheeses like Camembert, leave them whole and let people cut their own. Those softer cheeses are crying out for a vehicle such as sliced, toasted baguette, or go for crackers that are sturdy and load-bearing, but remember that the crackers are not the star of the show. Marghella tells us “I always like thin, crunchy breadsticks, but focaccia too can bring out a different quality in the meat.” Once you have your meat, cheese, and carbs, it’s time to add the accoutrements that will take things to the next level, and Duros has plenty of ideas to elevate and tie together your charcuterie board. “Roasted peppers, some nice dips like an olive tapenade, maybe a bowl of Marcona almonds to give it some height—the bowl also is a great way to separate out nuts for allergies,” she adds.

While sweet fruits are an ideal component, many of the classic choices like sliced figs, grapes, or dried cherries, share two key features. Firstly, they are bite-sized and easy to handle, and they still look good hours later. Pears and brie may sound nice at first, but after a couple of hours they may look a little sad. Preserves and honey are another great way to add variety, and a little goes a long way. “It’s about being creative, having different colours, and that there are different pairings too,” says Marghella.

Above all, put your personality on the board, use it as an opportunity to share the flavours you love, and don’t be afraid to experiment. The most important part of enjoying charcuterie is picking the right people to enjoy it with, and the same rules apply: look for variety and contrast, and remember the wisdom of keeping the nuts a little bit separate.

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