How To Build A Holiday Cheese And Charcuterie Board

One of my favourite appetizers to serve at Christmas or any holiday party is a cheese and charcuterie board. I love hosting parties and getting to create a masterpiece with food for my friends and family brings me so much joy.

Whenever I create a cheese board, I tend to add a little Italian flare to it. (In case you didn’t know my background is Italian – surprise!) Traditionally, Italians like to serve an antipasto in a meal, which, similar to a charcuterie board, is a starter that is filled with deli meats, fresh mozzarella, and different fruits and veggies. Naturally, when I create a charcuterie board my Italian roots kick in and I create a beautiful spread that has some antipasto elements. And honestly friends it is the best way to create a cheese and charcuterie board.

If you want to try something different this holiday season and kick up your holiday parties’ menu, follow my steps below and create your own perfect holiday charcuterie board that will lift everyone’s holiday spirit no matter if they were naughty or nice.

Six Steps To Building The Perfect Cheese and Charcuterie Board

Step 1: Choose your board

The first step to creating your perfect holiday cheese and charcuterie board is to find a board that you want to build your masterpiece on. For the charcuterie board that I create in the photos, I used a simple wooden cutting board. Any wooden board will work great- you really just need to make sure that it will fit all the food that you are planning to spread out on it. You could also use a stone board/plate or a unique serving dish.

Step 2: Add the Cheese

Whenever I create a cheese and charcuterie board, I always start by placing the cheese on the board. For a great holiday spread, it is important to have a variety of cheese. It is great to have at least one soft cheese, one hard cheese, one firm cheese, and one fresh cheese. For this cheese and charcuterie board, I have a delicious double creamed brie, smoked gouda, medium cheddar, fresh bocconcini, and a cranberry goat’s cheese. (The cranberry goat cheese is a great option for the holidays, as it is sort of red.)

If you are having a hard time choosing what type of cheese to add to your cheese board, don’t stress. Just listen to your heart and don’t over think it. Start by using the five cheeses that I use here, and the next time you create a cheese board you can try adding different cheeses.

Once you have your cheese, start placing them on the board. Think of the cheeses as the main attractions of your board. Space them out so each cheese has space around it and none of the cheeses are touching. Something to consider when you are placing your cheese is how are you and your guests going to access the cheese aka do you need to cut the cheese? (haha)

So for this board, I had to cut the brie, cheddar and bocconcini, so it is easier for guests to grab and eat. The smoked gouda and goats cheese I left whole because I have a proper cheese knife set and it is easy for guests to use the knives and slice a piece for themself.

Step 3: Add the meat

After you placed your cheese, it is time to add the meat. As I mentioned above, I like to create my cheese and charcuterie boards with a classic Italian antipasto flare, so I usually pick Italian deli meats for my boards. On this board, I have prosciutto, genoa salami and coppa di parma (capicollo). You can pick any cured or smoked meats that you like.

When it comes to presentation, I suggest rolling long meats so that they don’t take up to much and they are easy to grab. Once you have all your meats rolled, place them on your board in between the cheese. Just like when you placed the cheese, you want to spread the meats out on the board and don’t have too many rolls in one section.

Step 4: Add the crackers and bread

The next step is to add some crackers and/or bread to your holiday cheese and charcuterie board. I like to have at least one littler coloured grain item and one dark colour because it makes a nice contrast. You can cut a baguette, grab some mini ciabatta buns, or pick a tasty cracker. When placing the grain items on the cheese board make sure to space them out and have them closer to the edges of the board so they are easier for people to grab.

In my photo, I picked some delicious cranberry and fennel crackers and I lightly toasted some mini ciabatta buns and drizzled some olive oil and balsamic vinegar on them.

Step 5: Add the fruit, veggies and nuts

The next thing that you want to add to your cheese and charcuterie board is the fruit, veggies and nuts. When placing these items you really want to make sure that you are filling in the spaces between the cheeses, meats and grains. Spread the items out and make sure there are no spaces left on the board.

You can basically add any fruit, veggie and nut that you wish. Fruits that work well: berries, apples, pears, melon, grapes, pomegranate, apricots and dried fruits. Veggies that work well: tomatoes, olives, peppers, sundried tomatoes, artichoke, asparagus, zucchini, carrots etc. For this board I added, strawberries, apples, cantaloupe, grapes, peppers, olives, sundried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, and because this is for Christmas, chestnuts.

Step 6: Add garnish, jelly and utensils

The last step before you can start eating your beautiful holiday cheese board is to add the garnish, jelly and utensils. A nice garnish is always classic for a holiday appetizer. For this board, I add some basil leaves to spread, which helps create a perfect green and red Christmas vibe, and pairs nicely with the food I selected. I also added a bowl of jelly on the side, that is great to add on top of a cracker, meat and cheese combo. You can add either a sweet or savoury jelly. For this board, I added a raspberry jelly, but I also could’ve added a red pepper jelly, apricot jelly, fig jelly, garlic and onion jelly etc. Lastly, I added some cheese knives so that guests can cut and spread the cheese easily.

How beautiful is this holiday cheese and charcuterie board?! If you want to create the perfect appetizer for your holiday parties and get-togethers, follow my six easy steps above and create your masterpiece. Let me know what cheeses, meats, veggies, fruits and nuts you add to your board in the comments! Want more holiday inspiration, click here to read my other holiday blog posts.

Wishing you all the success with your charcuterie boards, and I hope you have a merry holiday season,