‘Tis the season to be merry and jolly and have all the cozy feelings. When I think of this time of year, good food is near the very top of my list of things I enjoy most. Whether it’s making a festive meal or sharing one with friends, there is something so wonderfully special about the food that brings us all together as friends and family to celebrate Christ’s birth!
This past summer my sister in law got married. You may remember this post from the garden inspired bridal shower I threw her this past July. I previously shared a bit about the Charcuterie board I made, but have gotten lots of questions about it since, so I thought I would write out a more helpful tutorial - just in time for your holiday parties or gatherings!
Using food as a centerpiece has grown on me immensely over the years. I love a good flower arrangement, or simple greenery, but I have found that placing ornamental and beautiful food displays at the center of the table can really set the tone for a party and focus guests together at their seats, making gatherings more intimate.
This is such a fun piece to make because you can get as decadent and creative as you’d like, without spending all night slaving over the oven or stove. If you plan to travel and bring this to a party, assemble it when you arrive for fear of salami getting sloshed around your car only to be found when you search for an odd smell the following weeks. In total, I think this took me 15 minutes to actually put together, and trust me - your guests won’t mind.
Although this will look just as lovely on a large wooden cutting board, or even a silver platter, I love this serving plank my sweet husband made me. I showed him one on Magnolia Markets website (to the tune of $88) and he promptly went out and made one for much, much less. The measurements are 42"x 12" and while that may seem large, it is actually quite practical. I’ve used it just to casually serve finger foods when friends come over, but also to present a whole roasted pig as a dinner centerpiece (more on that coming to the blog soon!). Whichever means of presentation you choose, make sure you have enough room to properly display all the goodies you will be serving, without needing to refill constantly. The board I made for my sisters shower was to serve 14 people, if that gives you a good visual idea. I think I added things two times over the day which made it manageable to keep my eye on.
Okay, now to the fun part, assembly! I opted to start by putting the meat on the board first because it needs its own space, unlike a cracker which can be squeezed in open spaces as needed.
I laid out the salami, prosciutto and roasted turkey in a curved pattern. I had places for it to start and stop which would later be filled with other things. You want each main element to be found along the plate, not just relegated to one corner, so keep that in mind as you plate. I had four kinds of meat, so I did four sections across my board. I have seen meats layered together but didn’t prefer to do that for fear of something being missed or the look of the board smudged as people searched for what they wanted. In order to get a good amount on the plate I did double layers of the folded meats - turkey and prosciutto. This allowed the original board to last much longer without replenishment.
Next, I layered on my cheeses next to the meat. To keep things visually interesting I cut a dubliner cheese into cubes, made Gouda cheese into triangles and kept the wheel of Brie while so it could be baked to perfection. Just having different textures and shapes really adds to the visual interest that makes Charcuterie boards work so well.
To round out the “main” items, I added crackers. I had three kinds of crackers (Parmesan crisps, water crackers, and rosemary & raisin crisps) and one kind of bread stick. I used a small glass to prop up the breadsticks to add some height and layered on the rest. Crackers go fast on these boards so make sure to put as many as is possible. Once again, use them at different spots in the board to make it look complete.
Next I added the “fillers” or smaller things that fill in the spaces leftover. With these, you want the board to look like it is overflowing and bursting with goodness so don’t be shy with quantity. Grapes always look luxurious and can be draped over the sides or layered with things like nuts or crumbled cheese. I also added some herbed and candies nuts, hot peppers, pickles, hummus and a garlic spread. This is where starting out with curved lines of meats or cheese comes in handy because it allows things to be filled in more naturally rather than just squares of space leftover. I’ve seen greenery and herb stems added to the board which looks fantastic as well! I laid my board on a bed of olive branches which added the natural and fresh tone I was looking for. After presenting this at the table I added some small forks to make things easier to serve.
All in all this is such a simple and lovely item to put together, and works wonderfully as a hearty appetizer.
If you make one of these, leave a comment below - I’d love to know how it turns out!
xo, b
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