Tips for making the Perfect Christmas Charcuterie Board

Charcuterie is the perfect way to impress everyone with your creativity, while also leaving them gushing over your delicious food. I have made a Christmas charcuterie board during the holiday season for little Christmas tree decorating parties, girls’ nights, my classes, and even for a couple Christmas parties. It is actually amazing how many events go on during the holidays; and somehow, they all require me to bring food. Luckily, I love making Charcuterie, and after reading this I hope you will too. Charcuterie is a great way to make a festive dish that is both easy to do ahead of time and impressive to display for your guests.

My Holiday Board

My youngest sister just moved into her first apartment **sniffle, sniffle, small tear** To celebrate the season she had a little girl’s night and asked each of us to bring a dish. I was obviously asked to bring the Christmas charcuterie board, and so I gathered all my favorite holiday flavors and created a board. I almost always have to include a baked brie and marinated mozzarella. From there I can mix it up a little. Here are couple things I added to give my board a holiday edge…

Cranberry Compote: This yummy compote is so simple to make and tastes like the holiday season. It’s also perfect for adding a pop of Christmas color to your board. In a sauce pan simply add a cup of cranberries and a half cup of sugar and cook over medium heat until the cranberries start to burst. You will end up with a jam like consistency.

Pomegranate: Not only does pomegranate pair well with cheese, it’s a beautiful fruit that is often used in holiday recipes.
Know your audience: I included a couple of store-bought favorites for my friends, including my sister’s favorite chocolate caramels. Don’t underestimate what it means to your guests to be considered.

Why a Gorgeous Christmas Charcuterie board is Great for all Gatherings

It can easily accommodate all dietary restrictions

I have catered a wedding that was completely vegetarian and it was still just as beautiful and, most importantly, delicious. A simple cheese board with fresh fruit is so delicious. To replace meat we included bowls of bruschetta with crostini’s, brie with blackberry compote and local honey, and hummus with peppers, carrots and crackers. These three combinations served as the centerpieces of the board, and were surrounded by dried fruit, assorted cheeses and various crackers and pretzels. There are so many hardy and unique types of cheese around which you can build a great board, including goat cheese, blue cheese, spreadable cheese, and brie cheese.

The holiday season is stressful enough without trying to remember everyone’s allergies. Luckily with a festive charcuterie board, you can include something for everyone. Or if you do know certain eating restrictions, you can easily cater your board to fit those needs.

It is perfect for personalization.

The fun part about charcuterie boards/grazing tables is that you can easily be creative and make them your own, which is extra fun for holiday parties. To add some Christmas magic into your board for holiday gatherings, there are so many fun things you can do. You can shape your holiday charcuterie board in different, fun shapes, like a Christmas tree shape, candy canes or even a gorgeous wreath. Another fun way to create a festive Christmas charcuterie board is to add in small serving bowls in festive colors. Like these.

Tips for Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board

The simplest way to design a Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board is to have an actual Christmas tree shaped board. The Christmas season may be the only time you use it, but it will make a simple themed charcuterie board. Here is one for a great price. The best part about this board is that it makes creating a holiday board so simple–just arrange your treats to cover it and you’re all set! It doesn’t matter how you cut and display your cherry tomatoes, green olives, fresh rosemary sprigs or sweet treats. It’s going to turn out great!

The other option is to use a board you already have whether it be a wooden board, marble board, or even a slate board. Optimally, a rectangular board would work best. When designing this board, you have to be more aware on how you are going to assemble it. You can start by using a length of hemp, dental floss or really any kind of string, just to outline your Christmas tree on top of the board. Next, fill it in with your charcuterie items. It is best to use smaller cuts of cheese–even cubes work nicely–to give you more flexibility in filling out the tree shape. Other great choices for cheese in this board are Chevre which is often cut into round discs and can be brightly colored (my favorite Chevre is blueberry). Fresh mozzarella balls are always a crowd pleaser as well.

In terms of veggies, cherry tomatoes act as beautiful ornaments and green olives have a similar effect. Fresh herbs, like rosemary can really give the pine tree effect. However, during the winter season, fresh herbs can be a little on the pricey side. In addition, they can sometimes be hard to find as well. As a substitute, you could use clean, well rinsed fresh greenery to achieve the same look. Even a small pinecone here and there would be okay.

Tips for Christmas Wreath Charcuterie Board

For this board design I recommend using a round board. As with the Christmas tree board, it is best to use smaller items to make this design. Large pieces of cheese or fruit can be hard to “fit in” to the ring you’re creating. So cherry tomatoes, green olives, small cuts of cheese, small salami roses, candied nuts, chocolate covered nuts, pomegranate and other fruits are great for creating the wreath shape.

Things that make creating a Christmas charcuterie wreath more difficult are large cuts of cheese (brie wheels, wedges of aged parmesan), and certain cured meats that are displayed as a log. Remember, the key is adding some greenery in there, so you can use either fresh herbs, fresh greenery or fake greenery. Herbs are nice because they are both beautiful and edible, but they can be hard to find during the winter months. Sometimes you have to resort to artificial greens; but, on the upside, they are reusable!

Products that are very helpful in festive board design:

–Small cookie cutter for cheeses— add a great festive touch! This is a variety pack of mini cookie cutters that are for veggies. The way they are made makes them nice for cutting cheeses as well.

–Christmas tree board

-Round Wreath Board

– Holiday Accessories: Mini Christmas bowls, Mini Baked Brie dish in red, Artificial Greenery (perfect for decorating and reusing year to year), Artificial Holly for decorating.

Personalizing the flavors

For example, I created a Father’s Day Grazing box at our bakery. Fathers are not, generally, the key demographic for charcuteries boards, maybe because they are drawn to more filling or hardy food groups. With that in mind I included pigs in a blanket with a spicy mustard, summer sausage with cheese cubes, peanut butter pretzels, full sized chocolate chip cookies, and brie with spicy honey (my favorite part). I also love the idea of including a special board for kids with peanut butter sandwiches, colorful fruit snacks and crackers.

It is easy to assemble ahead of time

This is definitely one of the most important things to think about when preparing for a event, especially during the already busy holiday season. Most of the items on a charcuterie board require refrigeration, so you need to make sure you have room in your refrigerator. I think it helps to store each component separately in the refrigerator and then put it together right before the party. Prep is the most crucial part of charcuterie, but also the most useful. When event time comes around you just set out your spread and relax.

Tips for assembly:

Keep meat products in the refrigerator until the last minute. They should only be out of the fridge for two hours.
Although cheese should not be out for a prolonged amount of time, they are served best at room temperature. So, try to get it out 30 minutes before your event.
Prep everything that can be out of the refrigerator beforehand.
Keep any crackers in their package until last minute.
Have a layout planned for everything. Set your boards and cake stands up beforehand so all you have to do is fill in the gaps.
Any items that go into a bowl, like hummus or a dip, should be in the bowl and in the fridge.
Prep is very important to charcuterie for large groups.

Dessert Christmas Charcuterie Board

During the holidays it’s all about the sweets. If you feel more confident in baking than cooking, this may be the perfect option for you. The key to a great dessert charcuterie board is to have plenty of variety. So, try a good mix of sweet Christmas cookies along with some savory aspects, like chocolate covered pretzels or chocolate covered chips. Fruit can also add variety to a sweet board.

Hot Chocolate Board

Under the same category of Dessert Charcuterie boards is the Hot Chocolate board. The way to create a hot cocoa board is simply get creative with all the things you would love IN your hot cocoa or DIPPED IN your hot cocoa. Examples include peppermint sticks, different marshmallows, sprinkles, sauces, syrups, maple syrup, chocolate candies, etc… You can also include items that pair well with a hot cup of cocoa; brownies, sugar cookies and chocolate covered pretzels. You can even mix in homemade marshmallows, homemade marshmallow fluff, and even homemade salted caramel. Or for the simplest option, purchase it all from the grocery store!

Butter Boards

Another great option for the holiday season is butter boards. For on overview on what abutter board is and how to create one, check out The Ultimate Guide to Butter Boards. For a specific Holiday Butter Board check out our Cranberry Pomegranate Butter Board.