Okay so I haven’t been baking much this month because my oven is broken and I am waiting on the replacement. As a result I have been doing more of other sorts of cooking and food photography. Last week I got to spend the afternoon with some friends and thought charcuterie would be an awesome poolside snack. I love a good cheese board (okay, but who doesn’t, right??), and since I had also just received a cheese board lightroom preset from Foodtography School I thought it would be a fun thing to write about.
When I was thinking about what makes a good cheese board I landed on the four Ss: Sweet, Savory, Salty, and Soft. If you follow these, then your charcuterie will definitley be balanced and delicious:
First up is sweet. This can be a lot of different things. Some people use jam or honey to offer a sweetness factor to their charcuterie. Personally, I like to use fruit (although there is no reason you can’t use both). Green grapes and red apples are my absolute favorite fruits, so I decided to use them for this one. I also added some candied walnuts to this cheese board in order to add a little extra crunch.
Next up, savory. Unless you are vegetarian, this S can be easily satisfied with some sort of meat. Most common is usually salami or prosciutto. I like to splurge a bit and get prosciutto for mine, because I think it pairs well with just about any cheese and it always looks pretty on the platter.
Third is salty. This is usually the vehicle for your cheese. I like to use crackers because they are easier to eat than a thick slice of bread, but a baguette can also work. You can use basically any cracker you want and it is going to taste good. Even if you do charcuterie on a budget and use ritz crackers it will probably be delicious.
The last S is for Soft. You have to have a balance of soft and hard cheeses on your platter. I always use brie as my soft cheese and then add in whatever else I am feeling to balance it out. For the one I made last week, I used manchego slices and a special truffle cheese I just happened to find at Trader Joes when I was grocery shopping.
I don’t pretend to be a charcuterie expert, but I think this is a great way to start building a cheese board that everyone will enjoy!
Baking With Izzy 