New Hampshire Home May-June 2023 - 32

HOME COOKING with Mary Ann Esposito
Gather Round the
Charcuterie Board
What began as strictly meatcentric
has become a host's
favorite way to serve cheese,
veggies and dessert, too.
JUST THE SOUND OF THE WORD
" charcuterie " implies something complicated.
But it really isn't! The French term
refers to cooked or cured pork products
like terrines, pâtés, ham, sausage and
bacon. The term was coined in the 15th
century in butcher shops specializing in
the preparation of cooked pork.
Today, serving cured meat products
has evolved into an array of classylooking
charcuterie boards, a canvas if
you will, where edible works of art are
arranged on wooden boards. In current
parlance, the term has evolved to include
foods beyond cured meat, like cheese,
fruit and vegetables.
For many, charcuterie has become the
answer to easy entertaining, and it is a
popular restaurant item for sharing at the
table. For entertaining at home, charcuterie
boards are often the main course.
Creating one can be a lot of fun.
Start with an attractive wooden board
or display platter large enough for the
number of guests you're hosting. Platters
are great for cured and cooked meats,
but for cheeses, go with wood if possible;
it makes slicing into different-textured
cheeses easier. Think about arranging
the food so that it is not one dimensional.
Try rolling ham slices into thin
cylinders, folding salami into triangles,
threading chorizo coins on toothpicks,
and snaking thin slices of prosciutto
down the middle of the board. Add some
height with breadsticks or crackers in
different shapes and flavors piled high
in a container. Cornichons-tiny crisp
and pickled cucumbers-are a mainstay
of charcuterie boards, as are grainy
mustards.
Other interpretations of this popular
arrangement of food could be a cheese
board with mild to assertive cheeses accompanied
by marmalades, dried fruits,
olives, interesting breads like focaccia
and herb sprigs for accent. Hollowed-out
vegetables like eggplant and peppers can
serve as containers for cheese, olives and
cherry tomatoes.
If you don't want to put out a behemoth
display of meats and/or cheeses,
think " jarcuterie, " which became a
BY MARY ANN ESPOSITO | PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOHN W. HESSION
30 New Hampshire Home | May / June 2023
clever idea during the pandemic. Each
guest gets their own mini version of any
and everything, from cured meats and
cheeses to olives and raw vegetables, all
snugly arranged in small jars or glasses.
Dessert boards are nothing new, but
how they are displayed can be. Go for a
variety of color. For instance, a cantaloupe
melon cut in half and placed cut
side down can be an attractive and functional
placeholder for skewered fruit.
Sugar-frosted grapes, poached pears,
filled strawberries, dates stuffed with
cheese and nuts, figs and an assortment
of dried fruits are some options for sweet
endings. For interest, add cookies, nuts
and even chocolates.
Serving a board-charcuterie or otherwise-offers
something for everyone and
showcases the host's personal style. NHH
New Hampshire Home May-June 2023

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