A should have a wide variety of quality meats.
Derived from the French word for "cooked meat," charcuterie is a platter of fine cooked and dry-cured meats, sausages and pate with various acidic and savory garnishes that's served as an appetizer. Very customizable with a lot of mix-and-match potential, it should include a showy array of colors, textures and flavors.
Instructions
1. Head to a reputable butcher or gourmet shop with an epicurean selection of meats. Select two or three meats in each category: dry-cured meat, dry-cured sausages and cooked sausages. Ask the butcher to slice the meats paper-thin.
2. Refrigerate meats until ready to use.
3. About 20 minutes before serving, remove meat from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature.
4. To assemble the charcuterie platter, fold meats in half and place the on the platter. Group them by type, taking care to overlap slices, and save space for pate and accompaniments.
5. Group pate and accompaniments in small piles around the platter and serve.
Tags: charcuterie platter, pate accompaniments