Holiday Charcuterie Board:

I love making charcuterie boards because they make for a no-fuss party option, snack option, or even a loaded dinner option.  And for these holiday inspired charcuterie board, most of the items I used can be found at Trader Joe’s.

What is a charcuterie board?

Charcuterie, it is pronounced [shahr-koo-tuh–ree]. And it is basically an art of creating and assembling a variety of meats and cheese. Learn more about how to prep your own here.

Preparing charcuterie board:

I like to have a theme or color scheme I am striving to achieve before getting started. And since it’s the most wonderful time of the year. I wanted to share a variety of options for your holiday entertaining. And one of my rule of thumbs, no empty space! Don’t be afraid to load up your boards, the more the merrier.

Trader Joe’s fall favorites:

Trader Joe’s is one of my favorite stores to shop at during the holidays. But I also find a lot of similar items at a variety of other grocery stores. Such as: Mother’s Market, Sprouts, Wholefoods, Bristol Farms. And don’t worry if you don’t have any of these stores near you, you can still create an amazing Holiday charcuterie board with items that are available to you at your local grocery stores.

Meats:

Italian Dry Salami

I also really love Buy Ranch Direct Salami’s ( I order online)

Cheese:

1. White Stilton Cheese with cranberries
2. Apricot cherry cranberry goat’s milk cheese
3. Cranberry chèvre goat cheese
4. Creamy Toscano cheese dusted with cinnamon
5. Pepper jack cheese ( love using cookie cutters to create fun shapes based on holidays)
6. Mini brie bites
7. Blueberry chèvre goat cheese
8. Toscano soaked in Syrah
9. Asiago with rosemary and olive oil
10. Goat cheese Brie

Crackers:

1. Pumpkin cranberry crisps
2. Fig and Olive crisps
3. Rosemary sourdough crackers
4. Pistachio and pomegranate crisps
5. Cracker assortment

Fruit:

I love shopping seasonally when it comes to creating my charcuterie boards. And if I have the time, shopping at my local Farmers Markets is my favorite for getting a variety of seasonal fruits. But if you don’t have access to a farmer market, you can still find great options at the grocery stores.

1. Blueberries
2. Pomegranate
3. Sliced pears
4. Apples
5. Grapes
6. Kiwi
7. Raspberries

Nuts:

1. Maple Almonds
2. Truffle Marcona Almonds
3. Chocolate covered almonds

Sweet:

1. Manuka Honey
2. Bee Seasonal honey
3. Fig butter

Olives + pickled items:

1. Black or green olives
2. Cornichons

Decor and garnish:

1. Frosted rosemary
2. Candied cranberries

Vegetables:

1. Persian cucumbers
2. Rainbow carrots
3. Radishes

Frosted rosemary and cranberries:

And make sure to prep a batch of frosted rosemary and cranberries. It adds such a festive touch to all holiday boards, festive drinks, or desserts. And they are super easy to prepare. Using equal parts sugar and water heat on a medium low heat for a couple minutes or until the sugar is melted. Add the rosemary first, coat with the sugar mixture, with a slotted spoon transfer to a wired rack. Do the same thing for the cranberries. And let them sit on the wired rack for at least an hour. And then roll them in some sugar and garnish away.

Assembling the wreath board:

Start by adding chopped cheese’s, sliced cheese, rose salami’s, fig jam, nuts, cornichons, around the board to create a circle. And leave about 1 inch of a border on the outer part of the board for the frosted rosemary. Continue to add items creating a circle and leaving space in the middle for a small circle. And keep in mind as you are filling the colors and textures you are placing next to each other. But don’t worry, you can adjust as you go. And lastly, add the frosted rosemary around the outside of the plate and in the middle to create the wreath look. And when serving place honey pot in the middle of the plate.

Assembling the tree board:

And for the tree board, I used a Christmas tree board. But if you don’t have one, you can form your own on a flat serving board. I started with the trunk of the tree by using homemade candied pecans. And then I used chopped cheddar cheese for first row, salami, pepper jack cheese, slices of Persian cucumbers, and continue until tree is formed. I garnished with frosted rosemary along the sides and used some sourdough star crackers.

What drinks to serve with charcuterie:

I like to have a variety of options of drinks for my guest. Because I know everyone has preferences that they like with their charcuterie boards. And my favorite brand of wines I like to have on hand at all times, is Secco. Because their wines are low carb, Paleo, Keto, no added sugars or additives. And they don’t leave me feeling like crap the next day!