A few years back I started dabbling in charcuterie board design & assembly. Although quite the novice, it had allowed a creative outlet for something me and my then fiance (it was the middle of Covid) loved to do before we made our meal. Fast forward, and it has become a holiday tradition to make some sort of festive appetizer. Some years are better than others....I think this year is my best one yet!
Let's talk supplies. I feel like the most difficult part of this DIY project is knowing how much cheese, meats and accessories to purchase. All of my meats and cheeses were bought at Aldi. If you haven't checked out their meat and cheese selection, you should! It is pretty extensive and very affordable. You will need:
1 styrofoam cone shape- I got mine at Hobby Lobby
1 bag of pre-cubed white cheddar cheese
1 bag of pre-cubed yellow cheddar cheese
1 champagne cheddar cheese block- this is key to making the star at the top of your tree
1 can of black olives
1 jar of pimento olives
1 container of cherry tomatoes
1 package of prosciutto
1 package of salami
1 package of pepperoni
1 box of toothpicks
2 boxes of crackers (any brand, type or style you like)
Now that you have all your supplies, it's time to assemble. I would suggest washing and placing all your supplies out first so that you can quickly assess the color combinations and move to the next row. I printed a star template from https://onelittleproject.com/star-template/ . Cut out the star shape you desire; but I would recommend looking at the size of your cheese block prior to cutting the star.
First thing's first; wrap your Styrofoam cone in saran wrap so your food doesn't touch the Styrofoam. When starting my charcuTREE, for Christmas Day dinner, I began with the white cheddar cheese cubes thinking they would help to draw a pretty straight line up the cone. You can, of course, start with anything you would like.
Once you have your first color layer attached, the other rows place quite nicely. I was mindful of the colors I had already placed on the tree versus those remaining meats, cheeses and olives on my table. Having all the charcuterie edibles laid out allows you to better visualize the next color contrasted edible.
Having filled out my charcuTREE, I laid the crackers around the base of the tree providing more of a color contrast.
The left over cheeses and olives were placed in bowls and on a cheese board for munching. Something I did learn from making this is no one wanted to 'ruin' the way the tree looks. Many of my guests were sometimes hesitant to take directly from the tree because it was 'just too pretty.'
All in all, this super festive cheese "plate" took me about 45 mins to assemble. It was a huge hit amongst my family! Cheers from my family's Christmas Day appetizer table to yours!
Cheers,
Alison