56 Nebraskaland • January-February 2021
MIXED BAG
MAKING A WILDLIFE CHARCUTERIE BOARD
By Julie Geiser
C h a rc u te r i e ( p ro n o u n c e d
SHärˈko͞ odərē or "shahr-ku-tuh-ree")
boards have become popular in the past
couple of years. Putting one together
with harvested meat can be fun and may
give you some new wild game recipes.
Charcuterie is a French word that
describes varieties of cold-cooked or
cured meats that are the rock stars of a
charcuterie board. Served with cheese,
crackers, bread, fruits and vegetables,
the sky is the limit when making a
simple or elaborate board.
After harvesting deer and waterfowl,
my family processes meat into summer
sausage and corned and smoked meats,
which are great for charcuterie boards.
I also wanted to try some new meat
spreads; I found a duck pâté recipe
through a Google search that fit the
bill.
Start by making a list of the meats to
put on a board, then use a combination
of hard and soft cheeses. Pre-cut hard
cheese into cracker-size pieces that
make it easy to grab and go.
Fill the bare areas of the board with
fresh and dried fruits that will pair well
with the selected meats and cheeses.
Blueberries, grapes, apple slices, figs,
dates, dried apricots and mangos will
help fill the board and give it some
character and different flavors.
There is no right or wrong way
to fill a charcuterie board, so be
creative. The board can be large
plates, platters, cutting boards, wood
serving boards or whatever you have
at home. Add different sizes of bowls
to the board for dips, honey, jams and
spreads or even nuts, olives or berries;
the bowls will break up the space,
making all the components of the
board look nice.
Start arranging the food items by
placing the bowls on the board, using
them to prop up the meats, crackers
and cut cheese as needed. Meats can
be rolled, folded or fanned among
crumbled or sliced cheese for a touch
of flair. Keep texture, shape, color and
flavor in mind when deciding where to
place things. Don't worry about filling
in all the extra space on the board yet.
After the larger items are on the
board, fill the space with more neutral
items like nuts, berries, crackers, fruits
or vegetables.
After putting everything together,
this board (pictured) consisted of two
types of deer summer sausage — one
jalapeno and one plain, deer jerky,
corned goose, elk sticks, duck pâté,
pickled wild asparagus with carrots and
cauliflower, green olives, homemade
and store-bought crackers, homemade
apricot jam, blueberries, dried apricots
and mangos, four different cheeses,
mixed nuts and some sprigs of minty
wild henbit.
PHOTO
BY
JULIE
GEISER
