Hey all! My name is Madisyn, and I help out Chef Dani by managing her kitchen. I started working for Orders UP Delivery a little over a year ago now and I have been loving this little niche of the food service world. Before I started at Orders UP, I was going to school at Montana State University for my bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management Farm to Table. I’ve known from a young age that food was my passion and that I needed to pursue something in the field. Orders UP has been an amazing outlet for me to grow creatively and really figure out what I specifically love to make.
If you’re following us on any of our socials there is a chance that you’ve seen at least one of my charcuterie boards. I LOVE to make these boards for any and every occasion. You can have such creative freedom changing the cheeses or making special jams and dips. My favorite addition to a board is a homemade dip or spread like marmalade or mostarda.
Marmalade is traditionally a fruit preserve that is made with citrus fruits. In order to make a marmalade, you boil the citrus (peels and all) with water and sugar. This differs from fruit preserves because of the addition of the peel. The consistency is also different as marmalade usually has a chunkier texture, whereas jam is smoother and more spreadable.
Mostarda is a traditional Italian condiment made from fresh or dried fruit with spices. In the kitchen, I have made apple mostarda and a dried apricot mostarda. From my personal experience using dried fruits gives the spread more of a thick chunky texture like a marmalade, where fresh fruits give a closer texture to jams.
If you’re not a jam, marmalade, preserves, etc. kind of person there are plenty of other things you can have fun with on a charcuterie board. Like have you ever thought of rolling soft cheeses in lemon zest or dried lavender? Not only does this make the cheese look even more aesthetically pleasing, but it can add a subtle taste to the cheese if marinating long enough. Or if the cheese is soft enough you can use a spoon and press out a little well and fill it with a spread of your choice like honeycomb.
The best part about a charcuterie board is that there is no correct way to assemble one. Every board will be different depending on the need or occasion. I know that they can seem intimidating at first to assemble, but I promise they are rather simple if you just follow a couple of guidelines:
- Textures are your friend! You eat with your eyes first and different textures will make the board visually appealing and keep you engaged and curious.
- Don’t be afraid to add things to the board that you’ve never tried before, you might like them!
- Variety will always serve you better with a charcuterie board. You can stick with one type of cheese and protein, but maybe you can fold the salami into roses or shape goat cheese into a bowl for honey.
- Herbs, herbs, and more HERBS! I love a fragrant board and adding herbs is like adding little delicious bouquets. Edible flowers can be a delightful addition if available, though their seasonality greatly affects their accessibility.
- Make a board checklist. I make sure that I have a couple kinds of dried fruit, nuts, cheeses, meats, and dips.
- Sometimes it can be hard to choose a starting point… try placing one cheese down near a corner and building off of that. Or place down where you would like all of your dips and spreads and build around them.
With all of that being said, make sure that you have fun making the board and it will come together! Leave us some comments below of some boards you’ve made, we would love to see them!