'Tis the season for festive charcuterie platters, right? So why not go the All-Oregon route and build one of your own for holiday fun, local eating and supporting Oregon producers? It's also a neat way to include family and friends—everyone can pile on a favorite Oregon item.

We suspect this month's guest blogger, Martin McClanan, has not only a lot of personal experience crafting charcuterie platters over the years, but tasting them as well. His charcuterie platters are known to be epic. So we asked him for his tasting notes on the myriad tastes that fill a festive, creative charcuterie platter. In this case, an All-Oregon one!

Turning it over to Martin...

Oregon native James Beard built his reputation in the “cocktail party craze” of 1937 in New York City. He founded Hors d ‘Oeuvre, Inc., a food business which catered the fanciest parties in New York in the 30s & 40s….a remarkable thing amidst a time that was decidedly not fancy. He bolstered this image writing Hors D ‘Oeuvre and Canapés and later Menus for Entertaining in the ensuing years.

His many books and first national cooking show in television history revealed that the celebration of local-seasonal food with friends inspired and energized him, and today we can all relate to this as one of the universal glues that binds us.

In honor of Mr. Beard's Oregon roots, I thought it would be fun to construct an entire charcuterie board made and grown by Oregon producers. This is only a sampling of the many delicious, local things you can find when you search for local producers on Oregontaste.com and at your local farmers markets that run year round.  

A good charcuterie plate, according to Mr. Beard, contains cheese (4-5 types) caviar, foie gras, prosciutto, good bread, fruit and smoked salmon. While a few of these items aren’t readily available from Oregon (though I hear the Yakima nation is selling caviar), most of them are.  Here’s some of my favorites…please let us know of other makers you love in the comment section so we can highlight them for others to discover in future articles.

Martin's All-Oregon Charcuterie Platter Ideas

CHEESES

The milkshed in Oregon is crazy good. The quality of Oregon produced milk and the artisans who are making our cheese continue to up their game. Here are a few of my favorites with a strong bias toward cheeses that are delicious and have fun names:

Rogue Creamery makes Oregonzola (gorgonzola style), which is far more approachable than many “blue style” cheeses and is a real crowd pleaser. 

The talented cheesemakers at Face Rock Creamery in Bandon are really making a name for themselves and for the southern coast. My favorite is one called Face 2 Face which is both sheep and cow cheddar. I’m making an exception to the fun name rule since they have cheeses with way more fun names (like Vampire Slayer).

Chevre style goat cheeses are epic on a cheese board because they can be both a spread and a free standing cheese. Two of my favorites are the Chef’s Blend Chevre (chives & red pepper) from Fraga Farm. If you are not into herby chevre, try the fromage balance with sea salt from By George Creamery in Jacksonville, OR.

I’d like to also firmly come down in favor of firmer cheeses which are perfect for slicing and serving on the board to let you guests serve themselves. The Kazoo Gouda from Umapine Creamery in Milton-Freewater is tasty and broadly appealing.

From Dundee, Briar Rose Creamery continues to garner attention with their artisan rinds evocative of a trip through southern France. Their semi soft rind Maia is both eye and palate pleasing.

The eighty farm families that form Tillamook County Creamery Association (TCCA) can’t be forgotten on the platter since big doesn’t necessarily work against better.  The vintage series of their aged cheddars are splendid examples reminiscent of the country cheddars of the United Kingdom. My favorite is the 2016 reserve.

St. Paul based Ken & June’s does some dry roasting that goes really well with cheese.

Oregon Orchards’ Himalayan Sea Salt Hazelnuts are also winners.

While not grown in Oregon, Bend based Pili Hunters produces delicious Pili nuts.

Native American owned Native Candy catches their fish in the Columbia River. Their Alder Smoked Chinook King Salmon is a superb choice for an All-Oregon charcuterie platter. You can also find other smoked salmon from local tribes at most farmer’s markets through the state.

Aaron Silverman’s Tail’s & Trotters is a local favorite in Portland for their hazelnut finished pork. Their Finocchiona (fennel salami) spices up any platter. The porcini one is also terrific.

Olympia Provisions continues to be build its national reputation with its consistently well-made sausages. Try serving their pork rillettes a little warm and your mouth will water with the deliciously spreadable loose unctuous ramekin of joy. My other go-to favorites are a variety in this Olympia provisions pork pate sampler.

Michael Pan is having trouble curbing his enthusiasm for all the attention he’s been getting recently at Pan’s mushroom jerky with his recent Mark Cuban investment and Larry David’s shout out. His salt & pepper mushroom jerky is a delicious vegan addition to the All-Oregon platter.

Honey is money going great on bread, many cheeses and even on fruit. Jacobsen’s has a lovely carrot flower honey.

The Spanish compliment their appetizers with a delicious quince paste called membrillo. Oregon Growers have a pear hazelnut fruity pate and quince fruit pate which serve a very similar delicious purpose.

The Biggi’s at Beaverton foods make me smile every time I see the beaver brand mustard all over the universe. The honey mustard is sweet and savory all at the same time and goes great with salami.

Don't forget Oregon’s iconic Harry & David with their cranberry/pear chutney celebrating two Oregon grown fruits.

I have no idea what a Moondog is, but Moondog's Farm from Eugene is crazy creative with items like Hakurei Turnip & Radish.

That passion now has a name: The Beautiful Pig. Christopher developed more than twenty original recipes for pork and beef products inspired by the traditions of Spain, France, Italy, Poland, Hungary and the USA.

Find incredible Oregon meats through the variety of OregonTaste.coms listings provided by Oregon Pasture Network. You'll be inspired to start crafting your own board while directly supporting Oregon pasture farms!

Look here for more information about The Beautiful Pig and Oregon Pasture Network.