These individual charcuterie cups are everything you love about charcuterie boards but loads more fun! I'll show you how to pack a charcuterie board to go. These tasty single–serve treats are easy to make, portable, and perfect for gatherings large and small.
Line up your cups on a table or working surface. Begin by filling the bottom of the cups with loose foods like nuts, chocolates, berries, sliced cheese, and/or crackers.You can add more loose ingredients after the skewers have been added in order to fill the cup, but it is good to start with dense items like nuts to help weigh the base of the cup down.
Create 3 types of skewers with at least 3 ingredients to put in each cup. Remember that if the skewers are too top-heavy, they will make the cup tip so be sure the add some heavy pieces (like grapes or olives) towards the bottom of each skewer.
Place 3 finished skewers in each cup, making sure to include a variety of ingredients in each cup. Use additional loose items to finish filling the cups making them look full and balanced.
Place finished cups on a tray, cover in plastic wrap, and place in the fridge until ready to serve.
Notes
Here is exactly what I used to make my charcuterie cups:
Base – Nuts (walnuts and pecans), blackberries, and foil-wrapped chocolates were added to the bottom. Crackers, blackberries, sliced white cheddar, sliced Wensleydale cheese with cranberries, and foil-wrapped chocolates were added to fill the cups after the skewers were added.
Skewer 1 – Blackberry, baby cucumber, baby mozzarella ball, folded prosciutto (2), and green grapes (3).
Skewer 2 – Garlic stuffed green olive, rolled Italian dry salami (3), and purple grapes (3).
Skewer 3 – Cubed yellow cheddar, folded Italian dry salami, folded peppered dry salami, folded coppa, green grape, purple grape, and garlic stuffed green olive.
Ingredient Notes
Cheese – For the skewers, the cheese should be cubed. Avoid dry hard cheese like parmesan as it can crack and crumble when skewered. Soft cheeses without a rind also are not great options for the skewers. The best cheeses for the skewers are semi-hard or semi-soft cheeses that hold their shape well but also do not crumble. Sliced hard cheese can be added loose to the base of the cup.
Meats – Meats can be rolled or folded for the skewers. Wet-cured meats can be used but are harder to skewer than dry-cured meats and may need to be rolled tightly in order to stay on.
When deciding what to put in your charcuterie cups, consider both balance and variety. You want each cup to have enough variety to be interesting but also contain ingredients that complement each other and go well together. Have fun with both flavors and textures, including sweet, savory, salty, crunchy, soft, cured, and fresh ingredients.
Variations
Add pizzazz to your cups or glass containers (called Jarcuteries) and customize them to include seasonal or themed items. Holiday shaped cookies, seasonal flavored items, in-season produce, and homemade treats all make great additions.
Have a favorite cheese or specialty shop? Select personal or local favorites to give your cups a unique feel.
**Please note that the nutritional information will vary greatly based on the amounts you choose to put in each cup, the types of meats, cheeses, crackers, etc.