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Easy Christmas Eve Charcuterie Board: A Guest Favorite

Christmas Eve charcuterie board - featured image
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This Christmas Eve charcuterie board is a guest-favorite that comes together in 15 minutes with no cooking required. It features a perfect balance of savory, sweet, salty, and tangy flavors, making it an impressive and stress-free holiday appetizer.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 6–8 slices prosciutto
  • 4–6 ounces salami (mix of hard and genoa)
  • 3–4 ounces soppressata (optional, or substitute pepperoni)
  • 4–6 ounces aged gouda
  • 1 small wheel brie (double or triple cream)
  • 4 ounces sharp cheddar (white cheddar recommended)
  • 2–3 ounces blue cheese (optional, gorgonzola dolce recommended)
  • ½ cup fig jam
  • Honey for drizzling
  • ½ cup Castelvetrano olives (or Kalamata olives)
  • ½ cup cornichons
  • ½ cup dried apricots
  • ½ cup toasted almonds (Marcona almonds preferred)
  • 1 box crackers (mix of water crackers and rosemary or sea salt crackers)
  • 1 baguette (sliced and lightly toasted if desired)
  • ½ cup fresh figs or red grapes (optional)

Instructions

  1. Set out your cheeses 30 minutes before serving to bring them to room temperature.
  2. Choose your board or platter and place it on your counter or table.
  3. Place small bowls of fig jam, honey, olives, and cornichons evenly spaced on the board, with fig jam in the center.
  4. Add the cheeses: place the brie (whole wheel), gouda (cut into wedges), and cheddar (sliced into triangles) around the board. If using blue cheese, crumble it into a small pile.
  5. Arrange the meats: fold prosciutto into loose ribbons, fan out salami slices, and fold soppressata into quarters. Place them in piles around the board.
  6. Fill in empty spaces with dried apricots, almonds, and fresh figs or grapes, tucking them between cheeses and meats.
  7. Arrange crackers in small clusters and fan out baguette slices on the board.
  8. Drizzle honey over the brie and blue cheese. Garnish with fresh rosemary or thyme sprigs if desired.
  9. Step back and check for balance. Fill any empty spots with extra almonds or crackers.

Notes

For best flavor, bring cheese to room temperature before serving. The board can be assembled up to 2 hours in advance; cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Add crackers and bread just before serving to prevent sogginess. Leftover cheese should be wrapped in wax paper or parchment paper, not plastic wrap.

Nutrition

Keywords: Christmas Eve charcuterie board, holiday appetizer, easy charcuterie board, no-cook appetizer, guest favorite, prosciutto, brie, fig jam

Find it online: https://dinadishes.com/easy-christmas-eve-charcuterie-board-a-guest-favorite/