Start by prepping your cheeses, fruits, and vegetables. Slice your Gouda about 1/4” thick, and using a cookie cutter, cut a cute Christmas tree out of the center of one slice.
Add a little dollop of strawberry jam to the cheese wheel and place the slice back on top. It adds a little sweetness and holiday flair!
For the cheddar, slice it into long right triangles to give it a sharp, decorative look. You can also cut zigzag patterns into the mini cucumbers with a paring knife to make them look like little Christmas trees.
Create your salami. To make the beautiful salami roses, grab a shot glass. Fold each slice of salami over the rim, overlapping them halfway.
Once you’ve added 8-10 salami slices, flip it over and gently remove the shot glass. Voilà! You’ve got a pretty salami rose.
Now the fun part—assembling the board! Begin by placing your cheeses on the board first. Arrange them as the anchors to your layout. Don’t worry too much about getting it perfect, just have fun with it!
Next, place your crackers, toasted almonds, and olives around the cheese. These will fill in some of the space and add texture to the board.
Time to bring in some color! Arrange the prosciutto, spicy salami nuggets, and your gorgeous salami roses around the board, making sure to mix up the colors. You want it to look festive and full of variety.
Now for the strawberries, raspberries, and cucumbers. Fill in the gaps between the other elements, ensuring that the meats don’t touch each other (or the same types of food) to keep everything visually appealing.
Finally, it’s all about the little details! Scatter fresh cranberries across the board, tuck in some rosemary sprigs for a Christmas tree-like effect, and add a few dollops of strawberry jam to pair with the cheeses. The Christmas-themed wooden skewers are the perfect finishing touch for that extra holiday sparkle.