Festive food made easy – elevate your holiday charc boards

Your charcuterie board offerings will be just as delicious if you arrange them simply instead of artfully, but if you’re up for a challenge, the holidays are the perfect time to test your patience and hand-eye coordination. Whether it’s a family movie night or a cocktail party with a few dozen of your closest friends, an impressive display of cheeses, fruits, meats, and starches will have them gathering around the table to sample the selection — and savor your festive style.

A simple way to reflect the holiday theme is to create a charcuterie wreath. You can freestyle itby arranging the goodies directly onto your platter, but we find it easier to use skewers and some sprigs of rosemary, kale leaves, or whatever edible greenery your refrigerator yields. Cube and slice your cheeses first, then prepare the meats, slicing round cuts in the middle and folding or rolling them before threading onto the skewers (see photo). Deal in some colorful and flavorful surprises along the way: fresh or dried fruits, pickled artichoke hearts, cornichons, fresh vegetables, alternating the ingredients along each skewer’s length. As you create the circle, tuck in full-length fresh rosemary sprigs and other greenery to add to the wreath effect. You may want to create some extra skewers ahead of time to replenish!

Charc board choices

Offer a variety of meats, cheeses, and sweet/fruity or briney/savory items, whether you’re creating the skewered wreath or another charc configuration.