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Christmas Charcuterie Wreath

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Christmas charcuterie doesn’t get much prettier than this elegant and functional charcuteWREATH! You can make your own beautiful holiday cheeseboard with your favorite snacks to celebrate the season in style.

a christmas charcuterie board on a light table with a white background

Honestly, there’s nothing that turns an ordinary day into an event like a beautiful charcuterie board. It doesn’t matter the theme, the beautifully presented food is enough to make the day special. That’s why I’m so excited to be sharing this Christmas charcuterie wreath with you today!

Whether you plan to make this for a quiet evening with family or a few friends, or your next big holiday soiree, I know these tips will help you entertain like a pro.

horizontal image showing a closeup of a marcona almond and dried cranberry mix made for this board

What is Christmas charcuterie?

There’s nothing inherently “Christmas” about cheese, crackers, and meats. I get it. But you know all the crafty hostesses love a fun presentation. Presentation is what makes Christmas charcuterie.

There are a couple of common shapes you’ll see floating around the inspiration boards. The easiest is an ornament, usually round or drop-shaped. Christmas trees are also really popular. They’re usually laid out using the ingredients in my Easy Italian Salad Skewers (great holiday party app, by the way). And then there’s this, the wreath, or “charcutewreath”!

top view of the cheese board showing the wreath shape

Funny story, I thought I was quite clever when I shared my idea with the Godfather a few weeks back. Then I went online and realized it’s already quite a well-established “thing”! It didn’t dull my enthusiasm though, because this is fun, food is fun, and there’s always room for a little more inspiration.

Most of the boards are savory, but you can also make a sweet version. For example, the items in my s’mores charcuterie board can be artfully arranged in any of the aforementioned shapes.

What should I include in my cheese board?

Cheeses and meats you like to eat. That is step one and non-negotiable. I’m not going to give you any hard and fast rules here because there aren’t since everyone’s tastes are different. I go into a detailed breakdown for creating a balanced cheeseboard in my How to Create the Ultimate Cheese Board post, but I’m providing some general tips here.

close up of one of the cheeses used - a syrah-soaked Toscano - chosen for its festive outer edge color

First, you’ll want to select 3-4 cheeses. A good way to ensure variety is to think of including different textures. A soft cheese, semi-soft cheese, and hard cheese ensure a great selection with three unique options.

You can choose to vary between cow, sheep, and goat’s milk cheeses. Or create a theme within a theme by selecting cheeses from a single country of origin.

For meats, stick to cold cuts that pair well with the cheeses. Salami should be sliced thin or cubed. Don’t forget to have toothpicks or small tongs handy for easy serving.

close up image of the prosciutto roses I show you how to make in the video

You’ll want to include at least 2 kinds of crackers, or a cracker and thinly sliced baguette. Not only are crackers and bread great space fillers, but they also provide a much-needed base for the meats and cheeses.

Finally, choose some snack foods for balance. Fruit is definitely recommended to add flavor, color, and sweetness. Fresh and dried both do quite nicely. Nuts are a wonderful option if there are no allergies. If you’ve made some sugared cranberries, they’re perfect!

I also recommend adding something sweet like dark chocolate. In Christmas boards, I also think adding some small festive cookies would be an adorable touch!

How much food do I need per person on a Christmas charcuterie board?

Plan for 2-3 ounces of meat and cheese per person if you are serving your charcuterie wreath at an event like a cocktail party where there isn’t a full meal.

Err closer to 3 ounces of meat and cheese combined if it’s the feature piece in your heavy hor d’oeuvres spread. If you are serving the cheese board as an appetizer before the main meal, 2 ounces per person is plenty. You may even have a little extra depending on what else you add to the board.

It might not seem like much, but most of the cheeses and meats on charcuterie boards are rich! Additionally, you have fruit, crackers, nuts, chocolate, cookies, etc, adding volume. This fills a plate pretty quickly.

Build a Christmas Charcuterie Wreath with me!

Pardon the lighting situation, I tried to avoid funny colors by turning off the overhead lights and it didn’t work. It gets dark early now, darlings, so we work around it. I still think this is a great little tutorial for my lovely visual learners that need to see something put together to get inspiration for their own creations.

Final tips for charcuterie wreaths…

I recommend making sure that you have enough greenery to give your board the “wreath” look. The best option, in my opinion, is to use rosemary. Not only is fresh rosemary easy to find, it smells nice, and won’t transfer any unwanted flavor to your food.

Other good options are mint, arugula, and thyme. If you wish to use actual pine or wreath greenery, I would put your cheese and other items on plates or some sort of hidden base so they aren’t directly touching the leaves. Most greens sold for wreaths are either treated with chemicals for preservation or might have residual sap.

You can make this just a cheese board if you’d like, or a meat board. There’s no requirement for having both.

Like I mentioned in the video, peppermint transfers flavor very quickly, so plan accordingly! If you’d like to include peppermint without using individually wrapped candy canes, separate it somehow. Peppermint bark is a beautiful addition, but when I use it, I arrange it in a little bowl, or use some of my fruit as a natural barrier between it and other items.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and tips, darlings! When you make your own charcuterie wreaths, don’t forget to share on social and tag me! Cheers to a beautiful (and delicious) holiday season!

close up image of the prosciutto roses I show you how to make in the video

Christmas Charcuterie Wreath

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes

Christmas charcuterie doesn't get much prettier than this elegant and functional charcuteWREATH! You can make your own beautiful holiday cheeseboard with your favorite snacks to celebrate the season in style.

Ingredients

  • 2-3 of your favorite cheeses
  • salami
  • cold cuts
  • prosciutto
  • olives
  • greenery for decoration
  • fruit
  • crackers
  • baguette rounds
  • chocolate
  • cookies

Instructions

  1. Find your favorite assortment of ingredients between the store and your pantry.
  2. Slice your cheeses for easy serving. If you need to slice or cube any meats you're using, do that as well.
  3. Fruits, if using something like grapes, should be cut into small bunches for easy serving.
  4. Arrange your wreath by starting with your first round of greenery. Set your cheeses and other large "anchor" ingredients around the edge of the platter at even intervals.
  5. Fill in the spaces with crackers, baguette rounds, small bowls with nuts or olives, chocolate, fruit, cookies - what makes you feel festive!
  6. Add finishing touches with a little additional greenery, candied fruits or small candies.
  7. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

  • For the best experience, make sure to remove your cheeses from the refrigerator at least 20-30 minutes before you plan to serve.
  • Cold cheese is easier to cut into clean slices, so cut the cheese when cold and then let it sit before serving.
  • You can assemble cheese boards several hours in advance of serving. Don't add the crackers or bread until you are ready to serve so they don't go stale. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until 30 minutes before you plan to enjoy.

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