By Rachel Hergett EBS COLUMNIST
Sometimes, cooking is not on the menu. On days when whipping up dinner feels like too much of a chore and going out to eat requires pants I do not want to put on, I often turn to charcuterie. I can usually muster the energy to put salami and prosciutto on a plate with some olives and cheese. Plus, eating it makes me feel a little fancy.
Charcuterie is a French term for cold cured, smoked or otherwise processed meats (usually pork) and the shop that sells them. Its origin, “chair cuit” translates to the slightly haunting phrase “cooked flesh” in English. Though the idea of preserving meats was born of necessity thousands of years ago, the French refined and expanded the practice at the end of the Middle Ages, enveloping charcuterie into its culinary tradition.
And charcuterie has expanded. Today, charcuterie has gone well beyond the meats. We’re talking big platters piled with meats, cheeses, fruits, nuts, olives, breads, crackers and various jams, mustards and sauces. We see charcuterie boards on fine dining menus. We see giant charcuterie spreads sometimes known as grazing tables at weddings. We even meet its bastardized cousin, the sausage and cheese platter at grocery stores. This last one will do in a pinch, but I can’t say it’s recommended.
In Big Sky, charcuterie boards are on the menu at The Rocks, Alpenglow at Montage, Chet’s, Everett’s 8800 and probably more. Michelangelo’s antipasti, the small bites that start a traditional Italian meal, is certainly in the family (Antipasti is possibly closer to what we consider charcuterie today, with more reliance on ingredients other than meat). Graze Craze in Four Corners is entirely dedicated to boards of various sizes and ingredients, even offering a “char-cutie-cup” for an easy snack. Maven’s Market and Fink’s Deli in Bozeman, as well as countless caterers will also create their own versions for events. I’m sure I’m missing some here. Charcuterie is that popular.
While I love when someone places a beautiful charcuterie board in front of me, there is still something to be said for the power of choice when you do it yourself. It can be as simple as my dinner plates, with their Costco cured meats and brie or Boursin soft cheese paired with grapes and olives. It can also be incredibly tedious, depending on one’s level of commitment and love for charcuterie. I watched a video last week of a woman making a “charcutree,” a tree-shaped centerpiece with a variety of meats, cheeses, tomatoes and rosemary sprigs (to make it look more tree-like). Her guests, she said, sadly didn’t eat the creation, choosing to graze from the less towering options.
The “board” in “charcuterie board” is also open to interpretation. Normal choices are wood or slate boards, or simple serving platters. In the mountains, the latest trend is to use a ski or snowboard, a “charcuteski,” if you will.
“A flat patch of snow is preferable,” Lentine Alexis advises in a how-to Backcountry article. “If the snow is hard-packed, you can serve directly on the topside of your skis or board. If the snow is deeper, you may choose to flip your skis over (binding side down) and serve on the bottom of the skis.”
Charcuteski is pronounced “shar-ku-tuh-ski,” according to charcuteski.com, whose founders popularized the term. They also considered “charcuterski,” which seemed to make more sense in my head until I learned charcuteski’s four-syllable pronunciation.
Like any other charcuterie board, a charcuteski’s ingredients are open to interpretation. That’s the beauty of this whole style. Inspiration is everywhere. Use what you have. Go crazy at the deli or in the processed meats and cheeses aisle of your local market.
While it seems I often write about definitions of words, I’m not a stickler for following the rules, so I won’t judge if you forgo the meat altogether and make your charcuterie vegetarian. You do you, and then put it on a platter—or your skis.
Rachel Hergett is a foodie and cook from Montana. She is arts editor emeritus at the Bozeman Daily Chronicle and has written for publications such as Food Network Magazine and Montana Quarterly. Rachel is also the host of the Magic Monday Show on KGLT-FM and teaches at Montana State University.
