Elizabeth Canas loves creating charcuterie boards.
“They are very huge in my family,” she said.
In her blog, The Corny Cook, the Augusta resident refers to charcuterie boards as “Canasuterie boards” referencing her last name, and she said they are some of her favorite things to photograph and put up on her personal social media.
Elizabeth Canas enjoys making charcuterie boards for friends and family. Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Canas. 
Elizabeth Canas, an Augustan with a blog called The Corny Cook, makes charcuterie boards for friends and family. Courtesy of Elizabeth Canas. 
Elizabeth Canas likes to make charcuterie boards. Courtesy of Elizabeth Canas.
At the basic level, a charcuterie board is about a preparation with cured and aged meats, according to Becca Ledford, who along with Kristin Hampson have a charcuterie business called Salt and Savannah, but meat needs to be paired with something.
“Most people, when they think about meat, they think about cheese,” Ledford said.
The concept behind charcuterie boards has been around for centuries.
Multiple blogs tell similar histories of the charcuterie board. The word is derived from a couple of French words meaning cooked flesh, and it was used to describe 15th century French butcher shops that sold preserved and salted meat products.
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Canas said staples of charcuterie boards are meats such as sopressata, salami, capocolla and bresaola.
“They should have a variety of cheeses from different milks and different textures to go with them,” she said.
From there, the only limit to the board is in the amount of imagination.
“Fruits and pickled items are on our boards,” said Ledford.
The duo has made gluten-free, vegetarian and sweet boards. The sweet boards had cookies and candies on them.
Becca Ledford and Kristin Hampson have partnered to operate Salt and Savannah, specializing in charcuterie boards. Photo Courtesy Ledford and Hampson. Salt and Savannah put charcuterie board elements in cones for a pandemic-safe experience. Photo Courtesy of Becca Ledford and Kristin Hampson. A charcuterie board by Salt and Savannah. Photo courtesy of Salt and Savannah, Becca Ledford and Kristin Hampson.
Hampson said that the traditional boards are great for people on Keto because there are no carbs in the meat and cheese.
Other items that can be included are freshly made jams or honey, according to Canas. A favorite sweet to add to her charcuterie boards are sugared cranberries. She has a recipe on her blog.
Canas doesn’t do catering for a living, but she does make boards for friends and family get togethers.
The trend has expanded to brunch boards, jarcuterie which is a charcuterie board in a jar, and charcutinis, which are charcuteries in a glass. Ledford said they’ve also put them in paper cone-shaped wrappers as a pandemic friendly way of not spreading germs
Ledford and Hampson said they knew that about the trend, but they had no idea just how popular it was until they started their business back in September. Both women are medical professionals.
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“This is way bigger than we expected,” Ledford said.
They’ve done baby showers, bridal showers and gatherings. They’ve even presented workshops and classes.
While they typically package everything for their customers, they have started a partnership with Perry and Co., which custom makes wooden boards people can serve the food on.
Ledford said they plan on having a giveaway soon on their Instagram @salt_and_savannah and Facebook pages, facebook.com/SaltSavannah20. Also look to those pages for ordering details and information on upcoming workshops.
Canas’ Sugared Cranberry Recipe from thecornycook.com.
Ingredients
1 12 oz bag cranberries, washed
2 cups sugar, divided
1/2 cup water
1. Combine 1/2 cup sugar and the water in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Continue to stir until the sugar is dissolved. Note: don’t let the mixture reach a boil.
2. Stir in the fresh cranberries and coat them all well. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and lined with a wire rack. The wire rack is key to allowing the cranberries to dry properly, while covering the baking sheet helps a lot with mess.
3. Let the cranberries sit for an hour. Place remaining sugar in a bowl of dish. Roll the cranberries in the sugar to generously coat.
4. Eat right away or store in an airtight container up to 2-3 days. Enjoy!
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Features Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com
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