Creating a snack for a family night in around the tree or an appealing appetizer for a family holiday event, charcuterie boards are an adaptable and elegant way to feed your festive bunch. For those looking to add holiday flair to this year’s cheeseboard, try your hand at these simple ways to bring Christmas cheer to charcuterie.
You can always accent the holidays by assembling a cheeseboard in the shape of a tree or wreath. However, while the art of designing cheeseboards is soothing for some, it is agonizing for others trying to imagine the form they are constructing. Another way to create a charcuterie masterpiece is through your food choices. You have your favorite pairings and some local inspiration for your board, so once you have your cheeses, jams, meats, and bread, pick out seasonal touches. A simple holiday addition to your charcuterie pairings is the addition of fruits like figs, cranberries, and pomegranates. These winter classics will bring a subtle touch of winter inspiration without the extra work of complicated tree assembly.
For the children, find your favorite Christmas cookie cutters for an easy holiday cheeseboard. Use the cookie cutters on cheese slices to create cheesy reindeer and Christmas trees. Serve with crackers and kid-friendly meats like sliced turkey or ham, as well as the season’s obligatory mug of hot chocolate to wash it all down. Stress how many hours it took you to individually slice and cut out the shape of each cheese figure. Whether their eyes roll or widen, you’ll have an entertaining crowd-pleaser for the younger guests.
If you make a mean cheeseball, serve a family favorite with holiday decorating. Instead of covering the outside in almonds or pecans, leave your cheeseball mostly bare, using nuts or diced veggies to give the cheeseball a button nose and two eyes made out of—er, raisins. That’s right, your cream cheese dream of an appetizer can look like a miniature snowman, possibly featuring a celery scarf or carrot arms. If you have multiple cheeseball recipes to serve, make them slightly different sizes to line up and give your snowman a body.
With these simple tricks to bringing a touch of Christmas to your family’s snacks, all that’s left for you to do is to hit “Play” on the holiday station and sit by the tree as you savor your festive charcuterie board.