How Charcuterie Can Inspire You To Bake

Who doesn't love staring at a nice charcuterie board? Here's one in case you forgot!

What makes this board so nice to look at? Surprisingly, it's probably the same thing you look for in a good bake. Let's think about it.

Color

A cake without any decoration would be very dull. In the same way, a good charcuterie board should feature a variation of colors. But, be sure to stick with a theme. Too many random colors, or colors that aren't cohesive with the rest of the board, can be too distracting. On a classic charcuterie board, stick with earthy, natural colors. On a dessert board, you may be able to kick it up a notch and add some exciting, exotic colors.

Texture

Would you rather look at a picture of a cake, or a cake itself? Sounds like a weird question, but the point is that 2D is not exciting. Make your charcuterie board come alive by adding textures and shapes, like these pepperoni rosettes. Stack things, but don't stack everything. Leave some things flat, too, so that you get a beautiful depth to your art.

Composition

How things are arranged is almost as important as what is arranged. Colors and textures can come together beautifully, or not so beautifully. Be careful of what is where. Too much red on one side, and too much brown on another side, can leave your board looking like a dull, wanna-be rainbow. Putting together a board is a delicate balance of having colors mixed together, but keeping things someone separate. The good thing is, you have a lot of pins on Pinterest and photos on Insta to go through to learn what you like about certain boards. Then, you can learn to make those looks your own!

Contents

What is there shouldn't leave you lacking. Just like in a bake, you don't want it to be too boring. A chocolate cake becomes a LOT more exciting when you add some strawberries, cherries, or even some green tea icing. Think outside the box, and pair things well! Don't leave off the basics, but don't be afraid to add more so that you exceed expectations.

Love

The phrase "made with love" is so cliché, but so true! You can just tell when love was involved. No amount of ingredients can make up for the passion involved in creating a masterpiece. To me, it seems that art, like painting or photography, and baking or cooking, are almost one and the same. It takes the same dedication, passion, and motivation to create something beautiful.

So even if charcuterie doesn't inspire you to bake, let it inspire you to do something. Put your passions to work. What will you create?