Before I tell you the best jams for charcuterie board, let’s understand what a charcuterie board is. The hardest part for me is pronouncing the word, lol, but these boards have become very popular. Typically, a charcuterie board or cheese board will have your favorite meats, different types of cheese, sweet jams (or your favorite jams), seasonal fruit, dried fruit, variety of nuts and crackers. Of course, not limited to these items there is no wrong way to assemble a charcuterie board or what to add to one.
What is a charcuterie board?
A charcuterie board is an appetizer typically served on a wooden board or stone slab, either eaten straight from the board itself or portioned onto flatware. It features a selection of preserved foods, especially cured meats or pâtés, as well as cheeses and crackers or bread. (Wikipedia)
Course: Appetizer
Main ingredients: Charcuterie, cheeses, breads, fruits, vegetables, nuts, spreads
Serving temperature: Cold
Here’s a type of charcuterie board that I created, however I called it a “Graze Box” – Chicken Salad Graze Box
What is on a charcuterie board?
- cured meats
- soft cheeses
- hard cheeses
- savory jams or your favorite jams
- sweeter jams and any kind of jam
- hot pepper jelly
- fresh fruit
- dried fruit
- fruit preserves
- fruit spreads
- variety of crackers or small slices of bread
- variety of olives
- variety of nuts
Do I need cheese on my charcuterie board?
Most charcuterie boards do have a variety of cheeses from 4-6 different types on them, but you can make one without cheese. If someone that you are making a charcuterie plate for, like for the holiday season, is lactose intolerant or has other dietary needs then leave out the cheeses and add extra cured meats or sweet fruit.
What type of cheese for a charcuterie board?
- mild cheese
- sharp cheese
- aged cheese
- creamy cheese
- parmigiano reggiano
- brie cheese
- savory cheeses
- fresh cheeses
- vegan cheese
- milder cheeses
- fresh goat cheese
- sharp blue cheese
What kind of meat for a charcuterie board?
- Prosciutto
- Pepperoni
- Rillettes
- Ham
- Saucisson Sec
- Turkey
- Sopressata
- Genoa Salami
- Mortadella
- Spanish chorizo
What are 5 tips to making a charcuterie board?
- Choose a board, tray or box
- Choose easy to find ingredients.
- Find pre-sliced or pre-portioned ingredients.
- Use a picture for a reference
- Choose an assortment of bright colored fruits and vegetables
- Choose little cute bowls or containers
How do you fold meat for a charcuterie board?
Folding pieces in quarters and then fanning them out on the board makes the pieces easier to pick up, plus makes a prettier arrangements. Don’t be intimidated on how to make these cute meat pieces, just go to the internet and you can find simple instructions for folding meats on a charcuterie board.
What kind of jams for a charcuterie board?
Typically, the commonly used jams are apricot jam and fig jam. But, finding the right jam is not hard if these 2 jams are not your personal preference. To add the jam to your board find cute little containers and set or scatter them around your board to fill any gaps. You can find mini little spreading knives to add to your board for easy serving. Here are a few different types of jams:
- peach jam
- cherry jam
- strawberry jam
- pear jams
- raspberry jam
Top 3 Best Jam for Charcuterie Board
2. Stonewall Kitchen Classic Sampler Collection
The concept of a charcuterie board can almost be overwhelming. Experts say to have jam pairings and cheese pairings, but one of the easiest ways that I have found to making these charcuterie boards are to just add what food items that you enjoy and don’t let it be hard. For the perfect charcuterie board choose your flavor combinations of your perfect cheese, meats, fruits, nuts and different types of jam. Try new bold flavors, plus there is a wide variety of popular jams or a fig spread.
However, the most important factor is to enjoy making these neat little boards or even adding them to cute little brown boxes with a pretty ribbon. So, enjoy and remember that anyway that you make them is the correct way! 🙂
