Charcuterie Wreath

Christmas season is upon us! With family gatherings and holiday parties still on the horizon, I figure it’s time to what will probably be the last of my new recipes for holiday appetizers for this season:

Behold: My Chacuterwreath!

Epic charcuterie boards have been one of the biggest food trends in holiday party foods for a few years now.

These can range anywhere from traditional charcuterie boards with a seasonal twist, to trends that take it to the next level, like the charcuterie chalet, or - one of my favourites - my Charcuterie Tree. (Charcutertree?)

This festive charcuterie board arranges tasty antipasto appetizer skewers in the shape of a wreath. The addition of fresh herbs makes for a lush, inviting presentation.

A pretty assortment of snacks is always going to be a huge hit at any holiday party, and this delicious appetizer actually does double duty, as a centerpiece idea!

As a bonus, this Christmas charcuterie board is a festive appetizer that can suit a number of dietary restrictions.

The meats and cheeses are a fun way to stick to a low carb or keto diet, and - if you make sure to use gluten free items exclusively - it’ll accommodate your friends and family members who have to avoid gluten.

It can be sad to see all the trays of nibbles that are off limits, so having a gorgeous charcuterie wreath board can be a glowing beacon of hope, LOL!

Anyway, all around, I am a huge fan of including a Christmas board of safe meats, vegetables, and cheeses of all kinds.

It’s the perfect addition to any holiday table!

Ingredients

As an easy appetizer, you’ll need some fairly simple ingredients, all of which can be found at almost any grocery store.

This type of appetizer is SO customizable, consider this more of a list of options, rather than an ingredient list that needs to be followed to the letter.

When making your own charcuterie wreath, feel free to use more of the ingredients you love, skip the ingredients you’re not as into - it’s all good!

Savory Meats

I like to use 3-4 different meats, in a variety of colours, textures, and cuts. It’s a great way to add visual interest to your charcuterie wreath.

In general, my favorite meats to use for this are:

Genoa Salami
Ham
Mortadella
Pepperoni sticks

If you’re a fan of meat roses, buy some extra salami to use - you can always garnish the finished wreath with a couple of salami roses!

A Variety of Cheeses

I like to use bocconcini- or mini bocconcini (little fresh mozzarella balls), as well as one or two semi hard or hard cheeses.

Provolone and mozzarella are good choices - Hard enough to cut into cubes, soft enough that they won’t shatter when speared with a skewer.

That said, cheddar, pepper jack, and gouda also work. Whatever you’d sliceable cheese you’d serve on a cheese board could potentially work on this.

Just, you know... maybe skip the Brie. Sounds messy!

Vegetables and Olives

I use a few different kinds of olives and canned / jarred vegetables to round out my antipasti skewers.

Generally speaking, I’ll use both Jumbo Green Olives (with pimento - built in Christmas colors!) and Pitted Black Olives.

Sometimes I’ll use kalamata olives, but I definitely prefer the black olives for this.

To bring some more reds to my holiday wreath charcuterie board, I use both Roasted Red Peppers from a jar, and fresh grape tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes).

Finally, I use both Whole Canned Mushrooms and Quartered Artichoke Hearts, which I marinate in a simple balsamic vinegar mixture:

Marinade Ingredients

I marinate the mushrooms and artichoke hearts in a mixture of:

Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Fresh Garlic Cloves
Dried Basil
Dried Oregano
Salt and pepper.

You can also add the mini mozzarella balls to the marinade, if you like!

Fresh Herbs

While many people use rosemary sprigs to evoke the thought of pine branches, I prefer using herbs that match up with the other ingredients better.

Because I do these up as antipasti wreaths, that means using fresh basil or flat leaf parsley.

Pro tip: I prefer the flavour and aroma of fresh basil leaves, but the Italian parsley is easier to work with, filling in the spaces. IMHO, parsley makes for the prettiest antipasto wreath.

Basil leaves can be huge and kind of unwieldy, overwhelming the rest of the charcuterie spread.

Equipment / Supplies

There are a few things you’ll need to make your festive Christmas wreath charcuterie board:

Skewers

You can use whatever skewers you like - longer skewers will require more ingredients than shorter skewers.

This is both to fill each skewer, and because longer skewers mean need MORE skewers, as the charcuterie board wreath will have a larger diameter.

As pictured, I used 6" Bamboo Cocktail Picks, as I love the look of them, and the size was perfect.

Large toothpicks are another option!

Large Platter

You’ll want a large board or serving plate of some kind, to build your edible wreaths on.

Using a wood board is pretty classic, I went with a glass cake plate, as it was the right size for my needs.

In general, I recommend using a plate that’s about 2.5 - 3x the diameter of your picks.

So, if you’re using a 6" pick, aim for a plate that’s 15-18" in diameter.

Little Bowls, Etc

Depending on how you want to serve your charcuterie wreath - and what you’ll be serving with it - I recommend having small bowls on hand, as well as some small plates.

The bowls are good for any sauces or loose, accessory type foods in - pretzel sticks, pomegranate seeds, green grapes, mustard, small crackers, etc.

Little plates are nice for people to set their food on, obviously!

How to Make a Charcuterie Wreath

The full recipe follows in the recipe card at the end of this post, here is the pictorial walk through:

Marinated Vegetables:

In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, basil, and oregano. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Drain mushrooms and artichoke hearts. Add mushrooms and artichoke hearts to the bowl of marinade, toss to coat.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap, chill for several hours or overnight.

Ingredient Preparation:

Fold salami slices in quarters. Cut the ham and mortadella slices in half, fold and/or roll into bite sized parcels.

Slice pepperoni sticks into 1" pieces.

More Gluten-Free Holiday Recipes!

Looking for something festive - for the whole family? Here are some great options!

Charcuterie Tree
Cranberry Chicken
Cranberry Jello Salad
Gluten-Free Candy Cane Cookies
Gluten Free Fruitcake
Gluten-Free Fruitcake Cookies
Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookies
Gluten Free Maple Pumpkin Pie
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Mini Doughnuts
Gluten Free Paska [Easter Bread]
Gluten-Free Sauerkraut Buns [Pyrizhky]
Gluten Free Stuffing Recipe
Keto Candy Cane Cookies
Pumpkin Cheese Ball - Classier Version
Pumpkin Cheese Ball - Trashier Version
Roasted Carrots & Parsnips
Sweet Potato Souffle

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