Charcuterie platter
This is my take on classic charcuterie board that will have everyone talking about all the differents flavors and textures. It's a well balance mix of fresh and aged, mild and tangy. Plus, it comes with wine pairing anf a regional aperitivo called "spritz".
Equipment
- wood trays x 2
- bowls for crackers, olives, pickled vegetables and tapenade
- cheese knives
- small signs for ingredients
- tall glass
- wine carafe
- wine glasses
Ingredients
- fresh cheese I used mozzarella
- semi soft cheese I used Morella
- aged cheese I used Piave
- herborinated cheese I used a Brie cheese coated in herbs
- prosciutto crudo
- coppa or capacolla
- mortadella
- salame
- marinated olives
- marinated artichokes
- pickled vegetables
- tapenade I used olive and pepper
- grissini bread sticks
- crackers
- Prosecco wine
- Aperol liquer
- orange organic, if possible
- Pinot Grigio
- Pinot Noir
Instructions
- Gather your ingredients
- On a wood cutting board, place the cheeses and cheese knives next to them, as shown.
- On another wood board, place slices of cured meats, neatly arranged and separated by group, as shown. Make sure you ask the deli professional to slice your cured meats fairly thin. They should be almost paper thin.
- Place the vegetables in different bowls.
- Place the tapenade in bowls and do the same with the crackers.
- Wrap the some of the prosciutto around the grissini bread sticks and place them inside the tall .glass
- Write your ingredients on the signs and place them next to the food items.
- Make the spritz: slice the orange in 1/2 an inch thick slices and then cut each slice in half; pour 2 parts of Prosecco in the glass and 1 part of Aperol; drop a slice of orange. Make right before serving.
- Open the red wine to aerate about 1 hour prior to the guests arriving and pour it into the carafe; open the white wine, after chilling for a few hours.
- For a large gathering, you might want to invest in wine glass markers. These are little "earrings" that will hook to the stem of the wine glass. Every guest can choose a different shape and they will know which glass belongs to them.
Notes
My take on this charcuterie showcases four different cheese, four different cured meats, and an assortment of crackers, pickled vegetables, and tapenades. The wine is paired as follows: the Pinot Grigio with the cheeses and the Pinot Noir with the meats. I chose these wines for their mild tones and therefore they allow all the guests to appreciate the different flavors on the board. I purchased all my ingredients at a local grocery store, so they’re easy to find. The classic spritz is traditionally offered before eating, as an aperitivo. It has a very unique flavor, lightly sweet with a hint of bitterness on the tongue and a bit of sparkling from the Prosecco. It helps stimulate the appetite before a meal. It’s a very festive drink and it’s often offered at gatherings and people also drink it at the bar while taking a break from a stroll around the piazza. This is a common version of the spritz, however, in the Veneto region, where I come from, there’s plenty of debates as far as how it should be made. And this can turn into a matter of friendly discussion.Â