Description
Festive holiday spirit shines through this Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board, creating a delightful centerpiece for seasonal gatherings. Guests will savor carefully arranged meats, cheeses, and garnishes that delight the palate and spark celebration.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pack prosciutto
- 1 pack salami (rolled or folded)
- 1 pack pepperoni slices
- 1 pack sliced ham or turkey
- 2 brie or camembert wedges
- 1 cup cubed cheddar
- 1 pack gouda slices
- 1 cup blue cheese chunks
- 1 pack fresh mozzarella balls
- 1 small baguette or crostini
- 1 pack assorted crackers
- 1 pack breadsticks
- 1 bunch red grapes
- 1 bunch green grapes
- ½ cup dried apricots
- ¼ cup pomegranate seeds
- ½ cup fresh cranberries
- 1 cup green olives
- 1 cup black olives
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup pickles or cornichons
- 2–3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2–3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 star-shaped cookie cutter
Instructions
- Preparation: Secure a spacious wooden board or platter, ensuring a clean, food-safe surface for your festive charcuterie tree design.
- Foundation Construction: Establish a sturdy base using breadsticks or crackers to create a robust tree trunk structure, laying the groundwork for horizontal ingredient placement.
- Layered Composition: Arrange ingredients strategically, alternating salami, cheese cubes, and fruits in progressively narrowing horizontal rows that mimic a tree’s triangular silhouette.
- Herbal Accenting: Weave rosemary sprigs between ingredient layers to evoke pine branch textures and introduce a fragrant, visual dimension to the display.
- Ornamental Embellishment: Decoratively scatter olives, pomegranate seeds, and cranberries across the board, mimicking traditional tree ornaments and adding vibrant color contrast.
- Crowning Element: Position a star-shaped cheese or bread cutout at the pinnacle, symbolizing the tree’s elegant summit and completing the festive visual narrative.
- Finishing Touches: Sprinkle toasted nuts and complementary herbs around the board’s perimeter, and place a matching dipping sauce nearby to enhance the interactive grazing experience.
Notes
- Select Sturdy Base: Choose a large wooden board or platter that can support multiple ingredient layers without wobbling or compromising structural integrity.
- Protect Surface: Use parchment paper if the board isn’t food-safe, preventing potential contamination and ensuring a clean presentation.
- Balance Weight Distribution: Stack heavier proteins and dense ingredients at the base, gradually transitioning to lighter elements like soft cheeses and fruits toward the top to maintain tree-like stability.
- Create Visual Depth: Alternate ingredient colors and textures strategically to mimic pine branch variations, enhancing the board’s realistic Christmas tree appearance.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Appetizer, Snacks
- Method: None
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 11
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 800 mg
- Fat: 30 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 20 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg