PROPHECY WINES
THE PERFECT CHARCUTERIE AND CHEESE BOARD
There’s nothing like entertaining with friends, and a great way to delight your guests is to offer a charcuterie and cheese plate full of fresh ingredients. We have just the recipe.
Rosé and Sauvignon Blanc pair incredibly well with fresh fruit. Taste the South of France with the delicate and bright layers of fresh strawberries, raspberries, and a hint of white peach in our Rosé. And delight in the aromas of grapefruit, lychee and lime zest and enticing flavors of mandorine orange and green apple in our Sauvignon Blanc as it showcases the best of New Zealand’s renowned Marlborough region. Both of the wines’ fruit and citrus profiles are enhanced by the creamy cheeses, spicy meats and fresh fruit and nuts that we’ll use to create our platter.
The Board
Let’s start with the board. You can use a paddle-shaped cheese board or anything with a flat surface, like a slab of marble or a wooden cutting board. It’s important that it’s large enough to hold all of your ingredients, but not so big that it can’t be passed around.
The Meats
Now the fun begins. We want to select meats with varying textures. For this pairing, we’re choosing prosciutto, a hard salami, coppa, and speck. Arrangement and presentation is everything, so we’ll take the thinly sliced prosciutto and fold it into triangles, A hard salami or coppa should be sliced and fanned out. Speck should be sliced thinly and presented alongside the other meats. We’ll also want to include dijon mustard and a fig jam.
The Cheeses
For cheeses we’ll want to use a variety of hard and soft options. We’ll start with a brie for our softest cheese and also include smoked gouda and cheddar. Leave the cheeses uncut and include a cheese slicing knife so guests can help themselves.
Fresh Fruit and Nuts
We’ll want to use an abundance of fresh fruit. Fresh strawberries, raspberries, and white peaches will really bring out the flavor notes of the wine as well as help cleanse your palate. Unsalted almonds and casternello olives provide a nice texture.
Bread
Don’t forget the bread. The cheeses and meats can be stacked on top of a sliced baguette or artisan crackers to provide texture and flavor.
Assembling Your Board
Plan to begin to put your board together a half hour to an hour before you plan on serving it. Any earlier and the cheeses may start to dry out. You can also prep it ahead of time by covering it with a clean cloth and refrigerating it.
Try to avoid a one-dimensional plate by adding some height to your board. This can be done by using other dishes on top of it, which can be as simple as adding a bowl for a dip or spread, or incorporating several small dishes for condiments. Then you can build outward from this focal point. Meats should be folded instead of laying flat to create the illusion of a bountiful platter. Larger items that are easy to pick up can be placed towards the back of the board, while smaller items should be arranged in the front. Use fruit to break up similar colors. Greens can also be used as filler and to separate meats and cheeses. Most importantly, have fun with it.
The Ingredient List
- 1/3 lb thinly sliced prosciutto
- 1/3 lb thinly sliced coppa or hard salami
- 1/3 lb thinly sliced speck
- 6 oz cheese (brie, smoked gouda, cheddar)
- 1/2 cup fresh castello olives
- 1/2 cup unsalted almonds
- 4 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 4 Tbsp fig jam
- 1/2 cup fresh strawberries
- 1/2 cup fresh raspberries
- 2 to 3 sliced peaches
- 1 large baguette, sliced into rounds
- 6oz Artisanal crackers
- Decorative flowers (oriental lilies, begonias, or pink petunias)
- Pair with Prophecy Rosé and/or Prophecy Sauvignon Blanc
Enjoy!