Build a Charcuterie Board

Second to a cheese board, a charcuterie board has become my second favorite item to order at a restaurant. During my last visit in Chicago, I enjoyed a fantastic charcuterie plate at Publican Quality Meats. And, ever since consuming that plate of food, I've been a sucker for cured meats, pâtes, rillettes, and all the briny fixins of a traditional charcuterie board. 

As simple it is to devour, it is just as easy to create.

See highlighted links for product info!

The Meat

I showcased a range of meat products, from a smooth truffle mousse pâte, to silky, paper-thin slices of melt-in -your- mouth Serrano ham and coppa. The addition of Olympic Provisions' (amazing) Loukanika Salami with cumin and orange zest provides a bit more texture, chew, and punch of flavor.

The Accompaniments

No charcuterie board is complete without accompaniments.

Acidic accompaniments like cornichons, whole grain French mustard, and peppery radishes counteract the richness of  meat and add texture. Marcona almonds also provide a nice crunch, and are fun to just pop in your mouth.

Apricot preserves are a sweet, and unexpected accompaniment. A little spoonful of apricot preserves with pâte on a petit toast is a wondrous flavor combination.

You'll notice that I added Taleggio cheese to the charcuterie board. I just had to! Taleggio is an Italian, washed-rind cheese with such an umami, beefy quality. It's one of my favorite cheeses and pretty darn close to eating meat. In fact, washed-rind cheeses were enjoyed by monastery monks who refrained from eating meat during lent!

The Platform

I like to serve a rustic baguette, petit toasts and water thin crackers. 

Bread is a must have, I love Acme Bread's sweet baguette.

Petit toasts are perfectly bite size and are a great, crusty backdrop for pâte and even cheeses.

Water thin crackers are your everything cracker and have a lovely crisp texture that does not interfere with the flavor of your meats.

Have Fun!

One of the reasons why I really enjoy charcuterie platters is being able to mix up and come up with different flavor combinations. A little bit of this, a spoonful of that... I encourage you to have fun and layer ingredients to come up with unique and exciting combinations!

photography by Maki Photography, styling by me

An Interview with Columbus Salame

 I am very excited to introduce my new blog series, "California Made," where I share my favorite food companies. There's an abundance of tasty products that are produced in California, and this is a way of highlighting them while creating awareness in an effort to purchase locally!

I am happy to bring you Columbus Salame, a premium salame and deli meats producer based in San Francisco. They use the freshest ingredients, which translates to a product that is delicious and
 high in quality.
I hope you enjoy the interview.

Many thanks to Columbus Salame for participating!

Fun Fact: 

"Six North Beach neighborhood friends took over the business in 1957 and signed the deal on the back of a cocktail napkin!"

Image via Columbus Salame

What sets Columbus apart from its competitors?

Quality is what sets us apart from our competitors in both of our salame and deli meat categories.

 In our salame, we have maintained the traditional Italian recipes and methods that our founders brought from Italy. Our salame products are rich and red in color versus the emulsified and pink salame products you see in others.

In our deli meats, we use whole, high quality turkey for our turkey breasts. Very few companies do this. It costs more but it is what differentiates us in quality and taste. We use whole turkey breasts vs a method some other competitors use which uses bits of turkey pieces and “gluing” them together.

What are some of your favorite products that Columbus offers?

We have many favorites!  In our salame category, we love the Hot Sopressata made with Chile de Arbol. The Finocchiona, made with fennel seeds, won the 2013 Good Food Award in charcuterie.

In our deli meats, our favorites are the roasted pork loin and herb turkey breast. Our roasted pork loin has limited distribution, but it’s very delicious!

 What are some great pairings that go well with your products?

First and foremost, it’s whatever you like. If you like a blue cheese and a fennel salame (finocchiona), go for it! As a general rule of thumb, salumi is a lot like wine. You want something to stand up to the wine- ie. Bold cabernet sauvignon with steak. We enjoy pairings that contrast in flavor. We like to pair our mild salame with a robust blue cheese, and a strong, spicy salame with a mild wine. It’s whatever you really like.

"Like wine, a salame should possess unique characteristics."

Image via Columbus Salame

 In what ways does your company try to cater to different diets?

All of our products are gluten free. We also offer low sodium products, as well as lite salame. Some of our products are certified by the American Heart Association.

What are some ways I can enjoy/serve Columbus products?

You can choose a traditional serving: slice salame with cheese, fruits and honey. Or, you can also slice it and roll it into a cheese.

We like incorporating salame into everyday life, such as, simply putting salame on pizza (using salame more than pepperoni) as well as adding more substance and protein into pastas and salads. We save the dry tips of salame and grate it on top of risotto or pasta for a beautiful, easy dish.

Where do you source your products?

In our artisan line of products, we use 100% hand-trimmed pork from hogs that are raised to strict standards – fed 100% vegetarian diets, never ever given antibiotics or growth hormones and raised to the highest standards in reduced-stress environments.  ALL our meat (pork, beef, turkey, etc) is sourced domestically.

How did the company name become Columbus?

When our Italian founders came over in 1917 to start Columbus Salame Company, Columbus was a hero in the Italian community and someone who they looked up to. 

Fatted Calf Charcuterie

The branding of Fatted Calf Charcuterie contains every element that I adore: simplistic typography, chevron print, and a black and white color palette. Great design  clearly visually communicates with the consumer, and there's no doubt Fatted Calf does just that. Their labeling has a personal approach, allowing the staff to write in the necessary details. The handwritten aspect of their packaging personifies the company's handcrafted quality products. Although the Fatted Calf Charcuterie is no longer using this branding program, I do very much enjoy what graphic designer, Victoria Herrera, designed. 

Images via Victoria Herrera on Behance