It’s the season of hors d’oeuvres and happy hours, grazing and gatherings, and bringing loved ones together over plates of bountiful food. For me, that means making my fair share of cheese and charcuterie boards, and I have to say that with years of practice, I’ve perfected a proven formula for creating the perfect holiday charcuterie board that’s gorgeous, delicious, and a winner. Don’t exceed your budget.
Today’s post definitely falls into the no-recipe recipe category, but since I get so many questions from you every time I share a cheeseboard on Instagram, it might be helpful to start this hosting season off with an essential guide to making a cheeseboard. I thought it was the same. This holiday charcuterie board is perfect for any Christmas gathering. Scroll through for all our tips on how to choose meat and cheese to buy at the grocery store, how to prepare it, and the finishing touches that will make it festive.
First, choose the best board for your charcuterie.
Choosing the right board to place your cheese and charcuterie on is the first step. Think about the material (wood, marble, or ceramic), the shape (do you want it round or rectangular?), and most importantly, the size.
It may be prejudice, but Casa Zuma’s Gathering Committee This is our top choice for a beautiful board for your holiday charcuterie (or any kind of snack board). The generous 1-inch thickness gives it a sturdy feel no matter how much you place it on it, and the walnut and oak planks have a beautiful grain that reflects their handmade quality. They just feel special.
Choose your board size based on the number of people you are feeding. Our large boards are the perfect size for larger groups, while our smaller boards are perfect for 1 to 4 people.
Add Holiday Charcuterie Board Ingredients
Making a great cheese board is all about variety. It needs texture, color and interest. Everything you need to make a great holiday charcuterie board is here.
cheese
What are the best cheeses to include on a holiday charcuterie board? Typically, you’ll want to mix different types of cheese with hard cheeses. This board feeds 5 or more people and includes some of my favorite cheeses: creamy blue cheese wedges, sharp cheddar, and creamy goat cheese. If you want to bulk up, you can add sheep’s milk manchego, creamy brie, fresh mozzarella, aged Gouda or Gruyere cheese. For smaller groups, you can indulge in two types of cheese (usually cream cheese and hard cheese).
meat
I like to serve two types of meat on most charcuterie boards. Thinly sliced salami and paper thin slices of prosciutto. Both are easy to find at your local grocery store.
crackers and bread
This is the bowl that holds all the cheese and spreads. I usually eat toasted baguettes, simple water crackers, and seeded gluten-free crackers like Mary’s Gone Crackers.
fruit
Adding a variety of fruit or two to your holiday charcuterie board is a great way to bring a sense of the season. In the winter, I like to add persimmons, pears, cranberries, pomegranates, and dates to my boards, while summer boards might include fresh strawberries and cherries. I also like dried fruits like cranberries and apricots because of their chewy texture.
Pro tip: “Parmigiana goes really well with grapes,” says Italian chef Erind Halilaj.
nuts
Cheese boards should have a salty crunch, made even better by adding Marcona almonds, toasted pistachios, salted cashews or candied pecans.
spread
I always include a semi-sweet spread on my boards to help my guests create the “perfect bite.” Fig chutney goes really well with blue cheese, and I love a tart citrus marmalade with parmesan cheese. When in doubt, have a small bowl of delicious honey ready to drizzle on top of anything.
olive
my choice? Dark green olives with seeds (and a small bowl to throw away). I like castelvetrano or serinola olives for the meatiest, most satisfying flavor.
I like to think of one “wow factor” item that makes a charcuterie board memorable. Sprinkle the top with edible flowers, or in this case the special honeycomb-shaped wedges that are Pierre de Resistance. It could be an unexpected way to serve it, like a wheel of brie cheese smothered in beautiful jam.
Holiday Charcuterie Board Assembly Tips
Here’s a simple formula for creating beautiful boards every time:
Step 1: Start with Cheese
We’ll secure the board and guide you through the rest of the construction. I like to spread the cheese on different corners of the board to give it a balanced feel.
Step 2: Add Meat
This is another “rich” element of the board, and I like to keep the meat slightly separated from the cheese. I layer the prosciutto in tiny piles and spread the salami in overlapping lines.
Step 3: Add fruit
This is where all the gorgeous seasonal colors come in, so treat it like an art project, adding visual interest where needed. I usually place the fruit next to the cheese that tastes best to take the guesswork out of the pairing for my guests.
Step 4: Fill with final touches
Now comes the fun part. Fill in the gaps with all the fasteners that make the board look really rich. Incorporating mini bowls and ramekins helps keep things organized and interesting, and they’re great vessels for small snacks and any dips or spreads you choose to display. Add crackers and bread, olives, nuts, chutneys and even fresh herbs like rosemary sprigs as a finishing touch.
How to Stay Budget Friendly
Yes, it really is possible to make a beautiful charcuterie board that won’t break the bank (which is key during the holidays!) Here are our top tips for keeping your charcuterie board budget-friendly.
Include just one expensive cheese.
I always choose one cheese as my “splurge” and make sure everyone has a chance to try it. Everyone will be so enamored with that unforgettable cheese that they won’t notice if other cheeses are a little less prominent.
Slice strategically
This is a tricky skill I learned during my catering days! that method Giving it certain cheeses can make it feel more luxurious and rich. Serve the Parmesan cheese in long, skinny wedges that take up a lot of space on the platter. Cut the cheaper cheddar cheese into long, thin slices that can be piled or fanned out. (And so it doesn’t look like a block of cheese from the grocery store.) And as I mentioned earlier, I like to wrap the brie in a circle around the pear. Cut into thin slices and drizzle honey on top.
Go crazy with decorations
This is the most effective trick for making an inexpensive charcuterie board because the decorations are usually the least expensive elements. Slice the baguette, scatter a few toasted walnuts, fan out a few apple slices, place a small bowl of olives and place a few slices of cheap salami on the empty space on the board. When in doubt, stock up on grapes!
See this post for more tips on how to make a budget-friendly cheese board.
Amount of meat and cheese per person
As an event planner, I’ve learned to consider 1 to 2 ounces of cheese and 1 to 2 ounces of meat per person when creating a cheese and charcuterie tray for a holiday party. This is the perfect appetizer when your guests know they can also snack on fruit, nuts, bread, and olives. If serving the charcuterie board as a main meal, increase the servings to 2 to 3 ounces each.
explanation
This is how to make the perfect holiday charcuterie board, the perfect festive appetizer for any party.
- Assorted cheeses: soft, hard, etc., 1-2 ounces per person.
- Assorted meats: salami and prosciutto, 1 to 2 ounces per person.
- crackers and bread
- Seasonal fruits: persimmons, pears, figs, citrus fruits, pomegranate seeds, jujubes
- Nuts: pistachios, Marcona almonds, candied pecans
- Spread: Fig Chutney, Marmalade, Honey
- Olives: cerignola or Castelvetrano
- Extras: rosemary sprigs, edible flowers, honeycomb.
- Start with the cheese to anchor the board and guide the rest of the construction. I like to spread the cheese on different corners of the board to give it a balanced feel.
- Add the meat and keep it slightly separated from the cheese. I layer the prosciutto in tiny piles and spread the salami in overlapping lines.
- Sell fruit for brilliant seasonal color. I usually place the fruit next to the cheese that tastes best to take the guesswork out of the pairing for my guests.
- Fill in the gaps with all the fasteners that make the board look really rich. I add crackers and bread, olives, nuts, chutney (in a small bowl) and even a sprig of rosemary as a finishing touch.
