Charcuterie (shar koo tah ree) plates are my absolute thing to order at a restaurant. They are first and foremost delicious, and I love pairing the different meats and cheeses together so that it’s really more like 4 different meals rather than just one. It also makes me fee like a queen from the (long-ago) century because you know they had all these ingredients back then… a panini press? – not so much. It’s also very easy to eat in small bites whereas a hamburger can sometimes be a bit awkward to eat if you’re at a work lunch, first date, anniversary dinner, etc. but sometimes you are really hungary at those things and want more than a salad. When I googled “how to make a charcuterie plate”I was pretty overwhelmed. So this is a guide on how to make a simple charcuterie plate. It might not be approved by trained chefs, or cheese connoisseurs, but it tastes delicious to me. 

First up, the cheese! Pick two or three that are your favorite, or just look cool in the store, or are the three cheapest. A hard, medium, and soft might be a good way to choose them too. Just pick three, knowing there are no right or wrong choices and move on.  I love 95% of cheeses the odds of picking ones I like are with me.

next up, the meat. You can get as many as you want but I went with two, mainly because this is all they had in the small grocery next door. In the grocery, these meats will be by the cheeses and are usually in a stand alone refrigerator-bin section of the store. I love prosciutto and any thin meat that already has the cracked pepper on it – devine.  

next up is the “extras” You of course need crackers as the vehicle for this goodness. My favorites are the water crackers (the big round light colored ones) but I also used wheat thins and a random kind. Green grapes and apricots go well as would figs, pears, and pickle slices. I used mustard as my sauce but you can also use horseradish if you want it to be spicier – or….. have TWO sauces! A jam would also be great to put in a little saucer and serve with this. We went with stuffed blue cheese olives but any kind would work. 

One of the most important ingredients for the charcuterie plate… the wine! If you’re in a red mood, go with red, and if you’re in a white mood, go with white. haha There really is no wrong with this dish which is probably another reason I love it. It’s no-cook, always good, different every time, and absolutely impossible to mess up. Enjoy!