Shine Brighter Together: a charcuterie guide for holiday entertaining.
A well-constructed board with all the trimmings — be it heaps of charcuterie, colorful fruits, or decadent chocolate — is perfect for entertaining, particularly during the holidays, because it requires little prep and almost no cooking. Cheeses are purchased. Meats are sliced. Spreads and dips are displayed in bowls. In this guide you'll find our favorite key ingredients and wines to pair them with, plus tips to assembling your board or grazing table. Happy Holidays from all of us at Sterling!
Grab Your Key Ingredients
Cheese
Variety is the key to choosing the cheese for your board. During the holiday season, your local store will usually sell festive cheeses with flavor profiles that accompany the board. Some of our favorites are cheddar, gruyere, Mimolette, blue cheese, smoked gouda, parmesan, brie, goat cheese, blue cheese, and Havarti.
Charcuterie
In the French tradition, charcuterie (pronounced "shar-kuh-tuh-ree") is the art of preparing and assembling cured meats and meat products. Mostly pork-based, the meats will be fatty and salty pairing nicely with your cheese selections, peppered salami, soppressata, calabrese, and prosciutto just to name a few.
Sweet and Savory Items
Adding fresh and dried fruit will bring color to your board while also providing a flavor contrast to your meats and cheeses. Olives, pickles, honey, candied nuts, and figs will also add unique flavors to your board.
Crackers
Choose crackers of all different shapes, sizes, and flavors.
'Tis the Season for Wine and Cheese
Wine and cheese are two of life's greatest pleasures and finding the perfect match can be a delicious endeavor. We suggest offering a few different varietals. A great option is our 2019 Sterling Blanc De Blancs, this sophisticated and elegant wine is balanced with fruit, structure, and acidity. The 2018 Unoaked Carneros Chardonnay is crisp and acidic, pairing well with each different category of cheese. Our 2016 Reserve Cabernet Franc and 2016 Platinum Cabernet Sauvignon are two versatile red wines that will pair nicely with your seasonal cheese selections and hard cheeses. You really can’t go wrong with your pairings, so pour a glass, start tasting, and have fun!
Assemble Your Board
- Choose the board. The size depends on how many people you are serving. You can always have multiple boards or even lay out craft paper on your kitchen island or table to create a grazing board.
- Start with the cheese. Place the different cheeses around your board and spread them out in different places. Sterling tip: Always pre-cut a few slices or crumble a corner of a wedge to make it easy on your guests and show them how each cheese should be consumed.
- Make space for your condiments and festive decor. These are the bulkiest items, so you want to make sure you have enough room on the board.
- Add your meat. You can get creative here by folding it in half twice or fanning them flat on the board. For thin meat, you can fold them in a ribbon shape or drape them on top of each other to make it easy to grab.
- Don’t forget sweet and savory items. Fill in the gaps with savory and sweet items. Separate the colors and place foods together that pair well with each other. We chose a lot of cheddar cheese because it pairs well with both savory and sweet foods.
- Fill in with crackers and bread. Distribute the crackers and bread throughout the board, thinking about which cheeses and meats each pair with best.
