Mini Charcuterie Boards

What is a Mini Charcuterie Board?

Mini charcuterie boards are boards that fit enough food to satisfy one to two people. I find these perfect as an activity to do with a group of friends, a couple’s date night or even a team building activity. The basic idea is that each person or couple gets one board. As the host, you provide a variety of charcuterie options and display them as one large charcuterie. You then allow your guests to let their imaginations go wild. There is nothing that brings people closer than good food.

I also think that as a group, it is fun to participate in some group prepping. Maybe you all tackle one simple recipe, or each cut up some cheeses and veggies. People like to get involved and it helps put everyone at ease.

How I used the for a Charcuterie Class

At our bakery, The Flour Barn, we teach a variety of classes. One of those classes is a charcuterie class. I wanted each of my students to have something to take home that was functional and aesthetic. I ended up finding these mini charcuterie boards. During the class we made bruschetta together, trying it with pan fried pieces of sour dough slathered in butter. We also made several other recipes as a group including Honey Blackberry Baked Brie, Caramelized Onion and Bacon Baked Brie, Hummus, Hot Pepper Jelly with Cream cheese and even learned a little about butter boards.

Once we had created several delicious dishes together, each student went back to their own mini board. They then chose from the various supplies and created their own beautiful boards.

After the class was over, I reflected on how much fun I had had teaching it. It was such a comfortable environment. This was a room with several groups of strangers, but by the end of the class, everyone was laughing and talking with one another as friends. It really shows the power of food, and how people can relax and bond over the creating of flavors and memories.

Charcuterie Basics

What is Charcuterie?

It helps to know the basics so that you are able to give some instruction to your own group. The French term Charcuterie is a term used to describe a type of cooking based on the preparation of cold cooked meats. A Charcuterie can also be a term used to describe a store that sells cold cuts. Unlike a typical butcher, the meats you would get from a charcuterie are ready to eat, making it more comparable to a deli.

But lately when referring to charcuterie, people are usually referring to Charcuterie boards. A Charcuterie board is an appetizer served on a type of board that includes different meats, cheeses, spreads and crackers. In the same family of charcuterie boards are grazing boards, or grazing tables. These have the same spread-like appearance as a charcuterie board, but with less strict qualifiers. Grazing tables may include desserts, kid friendly treats, and other unique foods that do not fall into the meat, cheese, bread category. I personally view the two interchangeably when planning events for larger groups, and throughout this article may use the terms interchangeably.

Things to avoid with your Charcuterie Board

There are a few key things to avoid when creating a charcuterie spread.

An Intimidating board:
- New spreads or funky colors you have never seen on cheese can cause panic even to the swankiest among us. You want to make sure that even at first glance your guest can picture the first bite they are going to take. An example of this would be putting your crostini right next to the bruschetta, or the carrot stick next to your hummus. Don’t make your guests have to work too hard to understand how to enjoy your board.

Form over Function:
- So much of charcuterie is making your food look beautiful. But when it comes to food, beautiful should also mean delicious looking. Make sure you choose a cheese that matches the flavors on your board, because the most interesting looking one might also be a very stinky option.
- Make sure you think about how your guests are going to create their bite. Do not include an uncut brie round and then also not have something to spread it with. This is why I would suggest cutting your cheeses and meats into bite sized pieces for your guests.
Lack of Flavor diversity:
- Whether your charcuterie board is for an appetizer, a light afternoon snack or a meal, you always want plenty of diversity in your options. In other words, instead of having all salty snacks on your board, also have hints of sweet throughout the board.
- In turn, if you are making a dessert board, you always want some salty to peak through the sweet. Think chocolate covered potato chips, chocolate peanuts, or pretzels dipped in a sweet spread.

How many people will my Charcuterie board feed?

This depends on what the purpose of your board is:

Appetizer, light snack:
- The rule of thumb for Charcuterie boards is to allow each person 3 oz. If you are like me, it seems impossible to picture three ounces of food. I simplify this equation by breaking my board into three categories. A typical board would be meat, cheese, extra (fruit, veggies, crackers). Therefore if you have 10 people you would want 10 ounces of meat, 10 ounces of cheese and 10 ounces of extras.
Meal:
- When needing enough for a meal, double this amount to 6 ounces. Use the same method to break each category into ounces.
For Mini Charcuterie Boards: Because we want each person to have plenty to fill their board with, while also snacking along the way, we will want to do at least 6 ounces per person.
- Most packaging does include the number of ounces of the items inside. Keep in mind one pound is 16 ounces. If ordering from a deli, you can ask for specific weights of your meats and cheeses. You can also ask for special cuts, such as cracker sized cuts of cheese or thinly sliced meat.

Supplies to Use For Mini Charcuterie

I found the cutest boards on Amazon while doing research for a class. These boards are both affordable and durable. They also are slate which has so many benefits for charcuterie.

Other supplies

If you are making some items as a group, like bruschetta for instance, you may want to make sure everyone has their own individual bowl. Also, if you are including hummus, you will need a bowl for that as well. I bought in bulk and used plastic bowls. If you are having a more intimate gathering, you could also get some nicer glass or ceramic bowls. I used 6-ounce containers for this size charcuterie board.

Since everyone will serve themselves different dips, cheeses and meats, it helps to have plenty of utensils. Owning a bakery means I have a variety of spoons, tongs and knives, but I also found a great variety set of utensils that I have linked below.

How to Schedule Your Evening with Mini Charcuterie Boards

Before Guests Arrive

Put together a large spread of items your guests can choose from for their boards. This should include three main categories; Thrillers, Fillers and Spillers.

Thrillers: This is basically the main course of the board. This could be a bowl of bruschetta, a salami rose, hummus or a cast iron full of baked brie.
Fillers: These items will accompany your thrillers. So if bruschetta is your thriller, then your filler will be crostini to eat the bruschetta on and maybe some burrata cheese to throw on the crostini as well.
- Common combos:
  - Hummus: Naan bread bites, pita chips, carrot sticks.
  - Baked brie: Butter crackers, Triscuits crackers, Baguette slices (crostini)
  - Bruschetta: Marinated Mozzarella, Burrata cheese, Crostini, Toasted Sourdough, Fresh basil
  - Salami Rose: Smoked Gouda, Munster cheese, Cheddar, Butter crackers, Triscuits crackers.
Spillers: These are items that don’t directly pair with any items but add to the overall board. This can include fresh fruits, chocolates, candied nuts and dried fruits.

When guests arrive

When your guest arrive allow them to pick their own mini charcuterie board and give them a brief overview of the activity. I would suggest at this time doing one or two recipes together as a group that you can divide among you.

Make Bruschetta: Let your guests get involved! I have included my favorite recipe and it can be such a joy to make as a group. You are able to chat and look forward to the result together.
Bake a couple Brie and dress them up: If you have never had baked brie you are missing out. You could bake as many brie as you like and when they come out of the oven, top them to your liking. My favorite two combos are Honey and Blackberry Compote, and Caramelized Onion and Bacon. I would suggest having the topping ready to go for your guests because those recipes usually take longer. So as a group, prep your brie, pop it in the oven for 12- 15 min, top them with your amazing toppings and enjoy trying your flavor combos while your brie is fresh.
Decorate mini hummus bowls: Have a large bowl of plain hummus for your guests to scoop into their own mini bowls. Then you all can take turns topping your hummus with a little olive oil and “everything” seasoning. Simple, but oh so delicious.

I like to do some items as a group because I think it almost works as an ice breaker. You feel connected in your adventures, not just like they are picking items that the host has presented.

Assembling your mini charcuterie boards

Give your guests a brief explanation of setting up their board (combining thrillers, fillers and spillers) and set them loose. This should be fun and not too structured. You also now have a couple already made, fresh items for them to utilize on their board. They can take from the fresh bruschetta or the baked brie and use it to add to their own board.

enjoy!

You all may be full already from experimenting different flavor combos or just from snacking, but if not go relax as a group and enjoy the fruits of your labors.