Holiday Charcuterie Board

Welcome to Day Five of the Holiday Recipe Blog Hop, hosted by Carol at Blue Sky Kitchen! 

My "recipe" today is one that will make your life easier during the busy holiday season. No cooking involved, and all of the ingredients can be kept on hand in your fridge and pantry! 

 

 

A Charcuterie Board is a great crowd pleaser any time of year, but I can't think of a better time than the holidays, when we are all so rushed and our to-do lists are so long! With just a few ingredients found at almost every grocery store, you can have a last-minute quick meal put together in no time, or create a beautiful dish for a holiday party. This is also a great way to use the meats and cheeses that come in those wonderful holiday food gift baskets.

 

This recipe is about as simple as they come! Here are the four main ingredient staples that make up a classic Charcuterie Board:

*Meats -- A varied selection of meats is the foundation for this platter. Be as fancy (or not) as you please! If prosciutto isn't your thing, go with a nice quality sliced deli ham. Regular grocery store pepperoni makes a good replacement for pricey smoked salame. Today I am using Uncured Black Forest Ham, Tomato Basil Chicken Sausage and Truffle Mousse Paté.

*Cheeses -- Mix up a few types of cheeses - a mild cheese like creamy brie, Havarti with some herb-y dill, and a rich, strong cheese such as bleu or aged sharp cheddar.

*Extras -- Olives, nuts, pickles, mustard, jam, veggies.

*Bread and crackers -- Simple crackers and a french loaf or baguette are great choices.

Honestly, this doesn't have to be served on a board; a marble cheese plate  or even just a serving platter will do! I'm actually just using my everyday cutting board here. 

Let's build our Charcuterie Board together -

Place meats and cheeses around the board or tray. It's perfectly acceptable to lay a sheet of wax or parchment paper first, if you like.

 

Add your extras directly onto the tray, or in ramekins or other small dishes.

 

Now some veggies and nuts --

 

If you like, add garnishes -- herbs, edible flowers, and fruit. 

 

That's it! Bring out some pretty napkins and a nice bottle of wine, and enjoy a relaxing meal while you mix and match flavors to your heart's content.

 

By the way, I picked up all but a couple of the ingredients for this Charcuterie Board at Aldi, for less than $20 (the paté is from Trader Joe's). And see that jam in the center?! It's made with BACON. Salty, slightly sweet, and a little spicy (I added a dash of cayenne). This will certainly be on regular rotation! The recipe is here, it has a secret ingredient that you would never guess!

 

 

Need a special (but simple!) appetizer?! My Sundried Tomato Cheese Roll is a deli lane dish that can be made in no time!

Here is another great sundried tomato appetizer for you tomato/pesto lovers.

This great holiday breakfast casserole is a perennial favorite for the young and the younger ;)

An easy and festive holiday treat to give as gifts is here.

 

*Once again, here's the lineup for the Holiday Recipe Blog Hop! Enjoy!! 

Monday

Bluesky Kitchen  Belle Bleu Interiors  White Spray Paint  Southern DayDreams

Tuesday 

Ash Tree Cottage The Painted Apron  My Midlife Kitchen Starfish Cottage

Wednesday

Ramblings of a Southern Girl At Home With Jemma  My Thrift Store Addiction  Let's Add Sprinkles

Thursday

Jenn's Farm Table Botanic Bleu  Celebrate and Decorate

Friday

Kitty's Kozy Kitchen  Intentionally Eat  The Dedicated House  Opulent Cottage

 

I'm joining:

Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home

Your Inspired Design at BlueSky Kitchen

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Foodie Friday at Rattlebridge Farm

Share It One More Time at The Everyday Home

Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life

The Scoop at StoneGable

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

 

Comments

[Laura Ingalls Gunn]

Absolutely beautiful!

[Kitty]

I'm loving your easy, stress free way of dining, out on the patio, Andrea! We all need to make our lives a little easier during the busy holidays. I have an Aldi near me, and a TJ's not too far away, and I'll be looking for foodie items to build my own charcuterie board. Your garnishes make your board a work of art. Thanks for the inspiration!

[Carol_lander]

Andrea, your charcuterie board is lovely. Great directions on how to assemble it. I like to make one on nights when I don't have time to cook and just nibble our way through dinner. Thanks for being a part of the Holiday Recipe Blog Hop.

[Southern DayDreams]

Hi Andrea, This is such a great idea and your charcuterie board looks so delicious. Your info and directions are excellent. I love to do this on evenings I am too busy to cook and we all just graze on the platter of goodness. Thanks for sharing this idea. Enjoy the last day of our recipe hop. Happy Thanksgiving soon.

[Jenna]

This is such a perfect thing to serve no matter what the occasion Andrea, and your presentation is holiday beautiful! Any guest would feel welcomed with this a part of the gathering!

[Shannon@Belle Bleu Interiors]

Andrea, your charcuterie board looks beautiful. What a perfect thing to serve! Thanks so much for sharing, and I hope that you have a wonderful weekend!!!

[Jennifer Irizarry]

How pretty!!!! This week has been so inspiring for our Thanksgiving dinner next week. Thank you for sharing this with awesome instructions. Happy Holidays!

[Ricki Jill Treleaven]

I am going to *so* copy this and link back to you. For the past several weeks, Trip and I have had a cheese board for dinner. We've loved it! I can't wait to show him your post. It's fantastic! You know how to set-up a cheese tray well, My Friend!

xo,
RJ

[Laura]

You have inspired me Andrea!
I am going to make this😊

[Stacey Keeling]

I have a girlfriend who often fixes trays like this. We eat ourselves silly! The combination of these things is just so good!

Way to go girl.

[Rhonda]

Great idea for most any gathering! And you made such a beautiful display, too! :) ~Rhonda

[Kathryn Griffin]

Andrea, this looks amazing! It really is quite perfect for gatherings. My family would be all over it! Thanks for sharing. Happy Fall. Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse

[Botanic Bleu]

Andrea,
This is a great idea, especially when you have overnight guests for several days. Fix up this board for lunch... easy.

Judith

[Shimla]

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