Christmas Charcuterie Board

Our Festive Christmas Charcuterie board filled with fresh fruit, your favorite meats, and soft cheeses is perfect for this holiday season!

Styled to look like a Christmas ornament, our beautiful board is a great addition to your holiday gatherings. Bonus – it is easy and doable!

Finger foods have never been cuter! If you can make a zig-zag line, you can make this design!

Supplies:

• Marble Board
• Sharp Knife ***
• Cutting Board

***I pride myself in only linking things that I actually use in my kitchen. These are the Cutco knives that I purchased over 20 years ago.
Are they expensive? Yup!
Did I tell my husband how much they were? Nope! I paid on them for several months and let him fall in love with them before I informed him how much we had spent. (Sorry, hunny)
Are they worth it? Also, yup!

Ingredients for our Christmas Charcuterie Board:

Delicious Cheeses:

• Medium cheddar cheese (we cut the slices of cheese with a small star cookie cutter)
• mozzarella balls
• Colby jack cheese squares

Fruit:

• strawberries
• kiwi (we cut the kiwi slices with a small star cookie cutter)
• raspberries
• blackberries

Savory Meats: 

• pepperoni
• salami
• prosciutto

Garnish:

• Sprigs of rosemary

Starch:

• 3 Cracker varieties (we used circles to accentuate the ornament shape)

Top of the ornament is a square dish filled with green olives

Substitutions: 

• You can use any soft cheeses that you like, including brie and goat cheese.
• A variety of cheeses could include Swiss cheese, Gouda, Havarti, Monterey Jack, and ricotta. 
• For the fruit/vegetable portion, you can use green grapes, cherry tomatoes, black olives, pomegranate seeds, orange slices, pineapple, mangos, peaches, and dried fruit.
• The garnish we used was fresh rosemary, but you can use basil or thyme. 
• A variety of meats could include pancetta, smoked ham, chorizo, pastrami, and cured sausage. 
• Use candy and chocolate for a dessert board full of sweet treats!

Design a charcuterie board in different shapes! You can do a Christmas tree charcuterie board, a Christmas charcuterie wreath, or a candy cane-shaped one. Just make sure to have a large wooden cutting board that you can fill with your goodies.

Tips and Tricks:

• We recommend slicing up your ingredients and putting your board together on the table where it will be served. 
• If you are transporting your board to Christmas parties, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap to keep things from shifting on the way. 

FAQ about charcuterie boards: 

What is the 3 3 3 3 rule for charcuterie board?

• A good rule of thumb is to have three cheeses, three meats, three starches, and three fruits/vegetables or nuts. 

What is the secret to charcuterie?

• Mix a variety of textures and colors for a successful charcuterie board design. Think sweet and salty, hard and soft, crunchy and smooth, and then add a variety of colors for a traditional charcuterie board that will look great at your Christmas party!

Is there anything that I should NOT put on a charcuterie board?

• Any vegetables that needs to be cooked to be eaten would not be ideal. I would shy away from turnips, beets, zucchini, eggplant, and Brussels sprouts.
• Some people say not to use mushrooms, but a good marinated mushroom in small bowls would be so much fun for a festive charcuterie board. Also, use items that are ok at room temperature for a couple of hours. 

The great thing about a holiday charcuterie board is that you can start with any sized wooden board, see what is available at your local grocery store, and by alternating color, texture, and savory and sweet taste, you can create a gorgeous charcuterie board that will be a perfect holiday appetizer. 

If you love our design idea, save this on your Christmas Party Pinterest board and share it with your friends. These grazing boards are our favorite!!!

For more appetizer ideas check out Brie Puff Pastry Bites, Texas Caviar, and our Seven Layer Greek Dip.