This Charcuterie Board is the perfect centerpiece of a holiday party, or just a tasty addition to a gathering of friends and family. Decorated to look like a Christmas Wreath, it displays delicious cheeses, cured meats, fruits, veggies and snacks.
A charcuterie board is the ideal holiday appetizer: it’s simple, doesn’t require any cooking or baking, and is shareable. In fact, most of these appetizers are so simple that you use store-bought items and can prepare in minutes. Of course, charcuterie boards come in all shapes and sizes, but every good one is made up of some combination of cured meats and cheeses.
Making a charcuterie board is a delightful way to serve your guests at Christmas. This tutorial will help you through the process of assembling different meats and cheeses on a board, as well as add some festive accents to make it look great. Enjoy!
Why You’ll Love this Wreath Charcuterie Board
- Great for entertaining!
- Festive for the holidays!
- Can be made quickly!
- You just need a few ingredients!
What is a Charcuterie Board?
A charcuterie board is an appetizer made out of thinly sliced meat, cheese, and vegetables.
What’s the Difference Between a Charcuterie Board and a Cheese Board?
A charcuterie board is used to serve cold cuts and other meats, while a cheese board is best suited for cheeses.
Taste the Difference
Cheese Board
A cheese board should be used to display a variety of cheeses that complement each other. The flavor of each cheese should be allowed to shine without too much interference from any other ingredients. The most common accompaniments are apples, grapes, nuts and crackers or bread. Use your imagination and you can come up with all sorts of combinations to match your tastes and preferences.
Charcuterie Board
A charcuterie board tends to have more variety; however, the meats served on a charcuterie board tend to be denser than those found on a cheese board. To that end, cheeses with stronger flavors—such as stinky blue cheese—work well on a charcuterie board because they can stand up to more assertive flavors of cured meats. Breads can also be added, although they’re often saved for sharing after the meats have been eaten.
Charcuterie Board Tips
- The best way to start a charcuterie board is with an assortment of meats and cheeses.
- Choose three different cheeses; one soft, one semi-soft and one hard (such as Cheddar, Brie and Parmesan). Arrange them on a wooden cutting board alongside some jam, honey or preserves (such as apricot jam or honey), mustard, cornichons (tiny French pickles), crackers or small toasts (such as baguette slices).
- Fill a pretty bowl with olives (any variety is fine), add wedges of fresh lemon or orange and serve
- Dot the board with your favorite sauces — mustards work well — to add some pop to your presentation. If desired, add some freshly-baked bread rounds or crackers to serve with the board.
- Use cured meats like salami, prosciutto and others to infuse flavor.
- Add grapes for acidity/sweetness and texture various cheeses.
- Consider nuts for extra fat and more flavor such as almonds or cashews but stay away if there are allergies.
What You’ll Need
- Salami
- Broccoli
- Fresh Rosemary
- Peppered Jelly
- Mini Pretzels
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Pita Crackers
- Colby Cheddar Cubes
- Pepper Jack Cheddar Cubes
- Stuffed Olives
- Sausage Bites
- Grapes
- Herb Cheese Ball
How to Assemble a Charcuterie Board Wreath
Prepare your charcuterie board by washing and drying it. I find that the round charcuterie boards are easier to make a wreath with.
Make a meat rose out of salami and place towards the top of the charcuterie board.
Set the broccoli, rosemary and cherry tomatoes aside. Work your way around the charcuterie board with a combination of meats, cheeses, fruits, veggies, snacks, and cheese ball making it the shape of a wreath and leaving enough space in the middle.
Use a star shaped cookie cutter to cut the shape out of the peppered jelly and place on the charcuterie board.
Make a ring in the middle by laying a circle of broccoli followed by rosemary and then place cherry tomatoes throughout the inner ring on top of the broccoli.
Add serving utensils such as cheese knives for the jelly and cheese ball, tongs for the board and appetizer plates.
Christmas Wreath Charcuterie Board
This Charcuterie Board is the perfect centerpiece of a holiday party, or just a tasty addition to a gathering of friends and family. Decorated to look like a Christmas Wreath, it displays delicious cheeses, cured meats, fruits, veggies and snacks.
Ingredients
- Salami
- Broccoli
- Fresh Rosemary
- Peppered Jelly
- Mini Pretzels
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Pita Crackers
- Colby Cheddar Cubes
- Pepper Jack Cheddar Cubes
- Stuffed Olives
- Sausage Bites
- Grapes
- Herb Cheese Ball
Instructions
- Prepare your charcuterie board by washing and drying it. I find that the round charcuterie boards are easier to make a wreath with.
- Make a meat rose out of salami and place towards the top of the charcuterie board.
- Set the broccoli, rosemary and cherry tomatoes aside. Work your way around the charcuterie board with a combination of meats, cheeses, fruits, veggies, snacks, and cheese ball making it the shape of a wreath and leaving enough space in the middle.
- Use a star shaped cookie cutter to cut the shape out of the peppered jelly and place on the charcuterie board.
- Make a ring in the middle by laying a circle of broccoli followed by rosemary and then place cherry tomatoes throughout the inner ring on top of the broccoli.
- Add serving utensils such as cheese knives for the jelly and cheese ball, tongs for the board and appetizer plates.
Notes
Charcuterie Board Tips
- The best way to start a charcuterie board is with an assortment of meats and cheeses.
- Choose three different cheeses; one soft, one semi-soft and one hard (such as Cheddar, Brie and Parmesan). Arrange them on a wooden cutting board alongside some jam, honey or preserves (such as apricot jam or honey), mustard, cornichons (tiny French pickles), crackers or small toasts (such as baguette slices).
- Fill a pretty bowl with olives (any variety is fine), add wedges of fresh lemon or orange and serve
- Dot the board with your favorite sauces — mustards work well — to add some pop to your presentation. If desired, add some freshly-baked bread rounds or crackers to serve with the board.
- Use cured meats like salami, prosciutto and others to infuse flavor.
- Add grapes for acidity/sweetness and texture various cheeses.
- Consider nuts for extra fat and more flavor such as almonds or cashews but stay away if there are allergies.
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