This post is sponsored by Galileo®, but all opinions and images are my own.
You know them, you love them – the charcuterie board craze has been going strong for a long time now, with no signs of stopping anytime soon. They’re SUCH a delicious, efficient, and attractive way to entertain, and they work for something as small as a party of two, all the way up to a party of however-large-you-need-them-to-be.
Because they are the absolutely best way to strip the fuss and frenzy out of our holiday occasions, charcuterie boards are worth our attention here, and I’m thrilled to share a little bit about how I like to approach them, come holiday season. Read on to catch all the details for how to make a holiday charcuterie board, or just jump ahead to the “recipe” itself. More of a method, really.
What exactly is a charcuterie board?
If you Google, “charcuterie,” the top definition is hilarious – it literally made me laugh out loud. It is as such:
Cold cooked meats collectively.
Funny, right? Anyway. If that doesn’t clear things up for you, then think of charcuterie as an array of cold or room-temperature meats (often cured) that are frequently supported by other items such as cheeses, fruits, and crackers/bread.
“Charcuterie,” is a French term that essentially refers to an entire branch of cooking and/or food preparation that is devoted to meat products. Think: bacon, sausage, terrines, ham, pates, confit. Translated literally, it means: the products that come from a pork butcher.
What is the best type of board to use for charcuterie?
I’m sure there are some very serious answers to this question, absolutely, as people get pretty serious about these sorts of things. But for my money, the best answer is as follows:
Whatever you want.
Truly. There is no real rule for this, and I think using whatever you’ve got available, whatever is big enough, or heck – whatever is clean – is the way to go. I have used everything from a fancy marble slab to an old, beat-to-death baking sheet when building my boards and it’s all good. The platter in today’s post is just a large melamine thing that I’ve had for ages.
Moral of the story? You can build your boards on whatever you like.
Tricks and Tips for Building a Killer Holiday Meat and Cheese Board
As such, I like to anchor all of my charcuterie boards with really delicious, high-quality meats that will steal the whole show. I was so excited to partner with Galileo® to create a truly stunning board that will not only make my holiday season easy and TOTALLY STRESS FREE, but it still manages to be super festive, delicious, and special-feeling all at the same time.
As this is a charcuterie board, I ordered Galileo® brand salame and pepperoni by shopping online at Publix (which I literally do 4 days a week). I started there, and then built my whole scene around those meats. Their salty, assertive flavors set the stage for everything else – the fruits, the nuts, the cheeses and crackers. It is all anchored by the meats, as those things are always the star of the whole board. So, it’s kind of important to pick a few meats that are really, really good.
What makes it a “holiday” board?
By simply considering the ingredients you select for your board with greater intention and attention, you can quickly elevate a standard-op meat and cheese board into something festive and very holiday-appropriate. Here’s how I transform my boards into show-stopping holiday spreads that are festive and fun, while still being SUPER SIMPLE to pull off (which is the whole point, really):
- Go for seasonal products. There are a handful of truly magical items that are available only during the late fall/early winter months (read: holiday season), and this makes them really special. I’m talking about the pomegranates, persimmons, blood oranges, chestnuts, Meyer lemons, stem-and-leaf mandarins, etc. These things are completely gorgeous to look at, too. So, there’s that. Most of the time, super seasonal products are too fussy for my taste. But it’s the holidays!! I say go for it – seek out the special things when you can. It elevates your occasions effortlessly.
- Think about color. I’d say this is sage advice (holiday food pun!) really any time you’re styling a big board. But when I’m creating one for a holiday gathering, I do tend to think about the color palette a little bit more. I reach for things that sport a deep, rich red (the pomegranate, cranberry, apples, etc.). The pepperoni and salame (or, salami) here also complements that as well. With the exception of pistachios, green food isn’t as prevalent on a meat and cheese board, so I will supplement with fresh herbs (pictured here: oregano) and even green glassware. I select mis-matched but fun dishware and odds and ends to help add sparkle and interest to my boards as well.
- Here, I’ve used some gold bowls from a favorite Charleston interior designer’s shop, some pretty glassware, and a bright and festive knife from Anthropologie. I tend to not like to get really matchy-matchy in my styling (ever) and instead, I embrace the beauty of “perfectly imperfect” situations. Organized chaos. Intentional asymmetry. Once you lean into these notions, not only will your tables be better for it, your occasions will be less fussy, less intimidating, and so much more fun to create. Which really is the whole point. Use what you’ve got! Make it work.
- More is more, during the holidays. Whereas I would typically create smaller, more toned-down boards for my gatherings, around the holidays I go allllll out y’all. I’ll use three meats instead of two, four cheeses instead of two. Lots of bready/crackery things, decorative elements, and a truly overstuffed and oversized appearance give that extra special vibe to a holiday board.
How I Build the Ultimate Holiday Charcuterie Board
- Start with the meats (the parts that tend to be the most popular). This is when I reach for the Galileo® Salame and Galileo® Pepperoni, and any other salty, fatty meats that would be amazing with creamy cheese and sweet fruits.
- Next, add in the cheeses. I like to use AT LEAST three totally different cheeses on my holiday boards, and you can choose whatever you like but just try to pick three that are unique from one another. A hard, salty cheese like pecorino, parmesan, or manchego is a must. Pictured here, though, I used parmesan crisps as something fun and different. You also want a creamy cheese, like brie. Classic cheddar cubes offer a visual break and nice texture difference and no board of mine would be complete without a funky, crumbly, in-your-face flavorful blue cheese.
- Get fruity! The best rule of thumb is to use a combo of both dried and fresh fruits and then a spreadable fruit as well. So, here I used fresh pomegranate (because it’s so stinking pretty), dried apricots and figs, and a pineapple spread (because pepperoni + pineapple = classic!). Sliced apples and pears, fresh mandarin segments, dried currants or cranberries, and persimmon slices would also be great.
- Nuts. I like a spicy nut + a sweet nut on my boards, so I’ll go for a praline pecan and then like a flavored almond. But cashews, marcona almonds, chestnuts, and hazelnuts would be great and would add that special “fancy” that I think is nice on a holiday board.
How to Style a Stunning Charcuterie Board
Firstly, don’t worry. Don’t stress. Take a sip of wine or something festive and just know that literally no one cares or is going to judge you based on your board styling prowess. Nope, that’s not even a thing, friend. The beauty of entertaining around a big, beautiful meat and cheese board (instead of a sit-down meal) is the fact that it’s just so casual no matter how you shake it. People will graze and tend to themselves. They will pick and choose the bites and bits that strike their fancy. They will eat standing at the counter. They will eat sitting on an ottoman while chattering politely with strangers about the best new bingeable series on Netflix. Anything goes!
But, If you would like a flexible, simple roadmap as to how to approach this (I get that, I want this), then here’s what I do:
Mix it up – don’t put all the meats in one quadrant, all of the cheeses in another, etc. Spread each member of the major groups out across the board/platter so it looks really full, and so the textures and colors jumble up in the most beautiful way.
Put some things in bowls, leave some others free and loose. This just adds visual interest and can also help to contain juicier elements (like olives! Jams! Wet nuts!).
Fill that board within an inch of its life. I mean, don’t go so far as to run the risk of things falling off (especially if you have to transport it), but a really full and overstuffed board just looks so inviting, you know? I just really go for it around the holidays, and encourage you to do the same.
Here are the items featured in this board (click here to shop items on Instacart!)
Galileo® Salame and Galileo® Pepperoni
Prosciutto
Pomegranates
Dried apricots + Dried Figs
Blue cheese wedge
Cubed sharp cheddar
Parmesan crisps
Brie
Salt and vinegar-flavored almonds
Mixed olives (some whole and briny, some buttery and sliced)
Pineapple preserves (seasoned with a little Tajin)
Honey, flavored with some of the pomegranate juice and seeds (great trick!)
Skinny breadsticks
Water crackers
Seedy, fruity crackers
