LIFT UP LOCAL 021
Written by Pamela Patton
📷 courtesy of Amber Rose Photography
Crafting Charcuterie Boards for the Holidays
Danielle Mayes loves hosting. It doesn’t matter what type of gathering; she is “the hostess with the mostess.” She even turned her love of hosting into a profession, working as an event planner for numerous private and corporate events. But the pandemic meant no events and no work for Danielle.
“It was the height of the pandemic when I saw the charcuterie trend rising on Instagram on the West Coast. I’ve always loved presenting food creatively at my events, so I thought I could create a new business creating charcuterie boards.”
Her company, Amayesing Graze, is a mid-Michigan licensed and fully insured catering company specializing in charcuterie and cheese grazing boards, using fresh, elegant, and locally sourced ingredients arranged into a stylish, abundant showcase.
📷 courtesy of Amber Rose Photography
Historically, charcuterie boards are nothing new. The first known use of charcuterie was in 1825. The word is French and literally means pork butcher’s shop, Middle French chaircuiterie; chaircutier pork butcher, and chair cuite cooked meat. Various hard cheeses often accompanied the dried, cured meats. But only in recent years have charcuterie boards upped their game to be a treat for the eyes and taste buds.
To build her business, Danielle worked with a mentor from Harvard Business School who guided those wishing to run a successful business. “She taught the ins and outs, from marketing and sourcing products to even the proper ways to cut cheeses.”
Why is charcuterie so popular? “I honestly don’t know. At first, it was a niche thing, sometimes called girl dinner. But they’ve grown in popularity because they offer something for everyone. It complements wine well for entertaining and is lighter than a sit-down dinner.”
“[Charcuterie boards have] grown in popularity because they offer a little bit of something for everyone. It complements wine well for entertaining and is lighter than a sit-down dinner.””
📷 courtesy of Amber Rose Photography
And the charcuterie trend has grown—literally. “Grazing tables are extensive displays that you may see as a centerpiece at a larger cocktail party or a wedding. They’re a great opportunity to present a lot of different meats, cheeses, fruit, and nuts.”
Several principles guide creating a charcuterie board, starting with the board. “The only reason a wood board is used is to get the cheese to the correct temperatures. Otherwise, any serving platter will work as well. I sell my creations on disposable surfaces, so it doesn’t matter.”
📷 courtesy of Amber Rose Photography
And you don’t have to visit a gourmet store to shop for charcuterie board ingredients. Capital City Market has everything you need to make a beautiful charcuterie board, from an extensive selection of meats and cheese, including Cheese Lady cheese, to fresh produce, nuts, honey, and jams.
Many dried meats, including salami, ham, prosciutto, and pastrami, can be used on a charcuterie board. Arrange them in different patterns and shapes to add visual interest.
Dried meats pair well with different hard and semi-soft cheeses. You can cut your cheese into slices, serve them cubed in a stack, or present them with various cheese-cutting knives for your guests. “The idea is to create the perfect bite: Cracker, a bit of cheese, and a bit of meat. But don’t make the mistake of placing the crackers on the board with the food because they can quickly become soft and soggy and will make the cheeses and meats dry. Present them separately in a basket or pretty tray.”
📷 courtesy of Amber Rose Photography
The finishing touches to the board are small ramekins or dishes with honey, jam, mustard, olives, nuts, and fruits such as grapes. “You can also scatter the nuts and olives among the meats and cheeses, but when I do, I use a board with a lip so things don’t roll off onto the floor. Then, I fill the bare spots with seasonal fruits, such as blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries, and place fruit, such as sliced strawberries, on top of a brie.
To help you craft the perfect board, the right knives and cutters are a must. “To cut a soft or semi-soft cheese, pop it in the freezer for about 10 minutes. Then, use a wire cheese cutter to cut into slices. A set of cheese knives are uniquely designed for slicing hard cheeses. You also want some cute spreaders, custard spoons, a honey dauber, small tongs, decorative toothpicks, and small plates that make it easy for guests to serve themselves.”
📷 courtesy of Amber Rose Photography
And, of course, you can create a theme for your board. Consider dipped pretzels with red and green sprinkles, star-shaped ramekins, and holiday spreaders during the holidays, or jams, jellies, and fruit in the color of your favorite sports team. But Danielle offers a word of caution: “Don’t put anything on the board that might be mistakenly eaten or non-edible, such as flowers. Flowers and greens like pine boughs and pinecones can leach onto the food they touch. Baby’s Breath is particularly toxic. “If you must add non-edible decorative items for your theme, ensure they are food-safe.”
Take your creation out of the refrigerator about 20 minutes before presenting so the cheeses can come to the correct temperature to let the different flavor profiles open as they become warmer. “For example, if a brie round is served very cold, you don’t get certain notes of the nuttiness or the butteriness. And if you are serving a soft cheese blended with fruit, you want it to be the right temperature to enjoy all the flavors.”
📷 courtesy of Amber Rose Photography
Danielle leads charcuterie classes at the Capital City Market for those interested in the art of charcuterie. “I share my favorite ideas for a unique board, such as using a cookie cutter to cut a shape out of brie and then filling the space with honey or jam. I’ll also share how I arrange meats into interesting shapes—including flowers without using a wine glass) creating a Prosciutto ribbon, and presenting fruits with an interesting zig-zag border.”
If you’re still intimidated, Danielle has some advice. “Just wing it and practice. When I started, I’d envisioned a board, but when I arranged it, I was disappointed. But I kept arranging and pushing through, creating a board I was proud of. Keep going; you’ll be surprised how well it looks once it’s all together.”