Superbowl Charcuterie

As the big game approaches, people are in the midsts of planning their menus for their Superbowl party. While chicken wings and chili are always crowd pleasers, this year you may want to spend less time in the kitchen and more time in front of the big screen TV. If this describes you, consider making a meat and cheese board, also known as a charcuterie (pronounced shahr-koo-tuh–ree) board. Easy to prepare, it contains a great mix of tastes that come together by following these steps:

• Before you buy the food, you'll need something to serve it on. It's customary to put the spread on either a wooden or marble cutting board, so if you don't have either of those, add one to your shopping list. It makes a world of difference in terms of presentation.
• When picking your meat and cheeses, aim to get three to four different kinds of each. Go for a variety of hard and soft cheeses, ranging from mellow to sharp in flavour.  Goat cheese, cheddar, gouda, Brie, and blue cheese are good suggestions. Cheese is best served at room temperature, so cut the cheese (HA!) at least one hour before serving. 
• When it comes to serving size, make sure the pieces are bite-sized - don't worry about making each piece the same size, no one is going to notice. As for the meats, include a similar variety of flavours and textures, such as prosciutto, chorizo sausage, and salumi; consider also adding some pâté to the mix. As with the cheeses, bite-sized portions are preferred. 
• Your guests should have at least one taste of each cheese and meat, so try for 150 to 200 grams of each option per guest.
• Supplement your charcuterie board with some bread and crackers. You don't want anything that outshines the flavours of the cheeses and meats, so go with a simple sliced French baguette and a box of Ritz; if there's a gluten-free option available, feel free to include it. Round everything out with some fresh fruit, and small bowls filled with salted nuts, dill pickles, olives, jellies, mustards, and dips.

With the food now out of the way, you can enjoy watching the Rams make up for their Superbowl XXXVI loss to the Patriots. That's what I'm hoping for anyways...