Gluten Free Charcuterie Board

What Is Charcuterie

Charcuterie, pronounced SHärˈko͞odərē or shar-KOO-ta-REE, has a long interesting history. Google it if you’re curious. The modern charcuterie board I'm talking about is a meat and cheese tray on steroids!

Although charcuterie all started with the meat there are gorgeous colour themed boards loaded with vegetables and dips, pretzels, chocolate, candy canes and more. There are plenty of vegan charcuterie boards as well as boards for breakfast and brunch.

What Goes on a Charcuterie Board

There's no recipe but this guide is full of charcuterie board ideas and it doubles as a grocery list. Print it, circle what you want and take it shopping.

Choose at least six of the ten categories. Meat, cheese and accompaniments are the three main categories but I divided accompaniments to make sure I had enough variety. For an amazing board aim for three items in each of the categories you choose. Trust me, you won't be sorry.

• Charcuterie (meat) – Dried or cured meats. Prosciutto, sopressata, Genoa salami, chorizo, capicola or any of your favourites. Fold or pile the pieces to add variety to the board.

• Cheese – Aim for a combination of soft and hard, mild and strong.
  • HARD: Parmesan, Gouda, Asiago
  • FIRM: Manchego, Gruyere, Cheddar, Comte
  • SEMI-SOFT: Brie, Camembert
  • SOFT: Burrata, Bocconcini, Mascarpone
  • BLUE: Gorgonzola, Cambazola
  • CRUMBLY: feta, goat cheese. There’s no end to cheese.

• Pickles – French cornichon pickles, olives, marinated artichoke hearts, pickled asparagus (or beans, pearl onions and so on), baby dills, gherkins etc.

• Chutney & Sauces – Fig chutney and honey are two popular choices but watch for more ideas when you're near the cheese.

• Fresh Fruit – Use colourful fruit like grapes, small oranges, sliced apple, pears (canned or fresh), persimmons, pomegranate arils (messy but beautiful).

• Dried Fruit – Apricots, cranberries, figs, dates or raisins.

• Nuts, plain or seasoned – Salted almonds, pistachios, cashews, pecans, walnuts or mixed nuts.

• Crackers – Include different shapes and sizes from your list of favourite gluten free crackers.

• Vegetables – A few colourful vegetables with your favourite dip can look nice but aren’t necessary.

• Extra – Some people insist on serving chocolate so add your own must haves to the list so you don’t forget them.

6 Tips To Build a Charcuterie Board

1. Build your board where you’re going to serve it. It's impossible to move.
2. Make sure all the cheese is at room temperature. Cut several pieces from a block or round so people will dig in right away.
3. Put wet or saucy ingredients in small dishes or ramekins.
4. Place meat and cheese around the edges of your board to keep smaller ingredients from falling off.
5. Variety is key so choose 3 to 5 items from each category. You’ll be happy you did and your board will look amazing!
6. Don’t skip the final garnish such as fresh herbs, cedar boughs or mandarin oranges depending on the season.

6 Entertaining Ideas For Gluten Free Charcuterie

Gluten free cooks have come up with creative ways for hosting a party but not having to do all the work in advance. Building a charcuterie board can be a fun activity. Start with a clean counter and welcome the unopened packages. Pour the drinks and build together.

Here are some different ideas to create a safe, stress free charcuterie party. You know yourself best so pick the ideas that you feel good about.

1. Set clear guidelines for purchasing, including brand names and stores to help your friends buy safe food. Pictures to share are a bonus.
2. Purchase the risky ingredients yourself. Assign what you consider reasonable for your friends to buy.
3. The host always gets the leftovers so don’t be shy about asking for packages of things you’ll only use a small amount of. It’s your party!
4. Keep a file of photos for that special someone who’s excellent at following instructions. Ask for a variety of the gluten free crackers you want or plenty of dried fruits and nuts.
5. Assign wine to anyone you can’t rely on to buy safe food. One for the party and one for the host seems fair to me. (You can stock a very nice wine cellar with this one so set the standard and set it high!)
6. If you’re most comfortable buying all the food then do it. No need to apologize. Come up with your standard line for your idea of a stress free party and stick with it. Figure out the best way to share the cost in advance so you can relax and enjoy.

Get The Tools

You probably have some trays, cutting boards or platters that would work just fine but sometimes you want the right thing. Here are a few items to consider.

• Simple round serving board.
• Extra large bamboo board.
• Mini slate cheese boards for individual servings.
• Ramekins come in all shapes and sizes, you can never have too many.