3 Festive Charcuterie Boards That Make A Complete Holiday Meal
Out of all of the days in December, it seems like Christmas Eve is the busiest in my family. While most families are settling in for a long winter’s nap, our house is a revolving door of family members coming and going from work, last minute shopping, and holiday gatherings and parties. Nothing brings people together around the holidays like food, but it’s hard to plan a holiday meal, let alone feed the family, when everyone is on completely different schedules.
When I married into the Palmisano family, I realized that my mother-in-law came up with a brilliant solution to this annual challenge: charcuterie boards! Having a bountiful spread of food on the kitchen table throughout Christmas Eve was a festive, tasty, and easy way to feed the entire family. Every year, family members stop by in-between work shifts and shopping trips, and, for a few fleeting moments, we share a few quick bites of savory meats, luscious cheeses, sweet jams, savory spreads, and hearty breads and crackers before they’re off again, and onto the next holiday event.
Since my first Christmas with the Palmisano’s I’ve been obsessed with the idea of charcuterie boards not just as an appetizer, but charcuterie boards as a full meal. But getting all of the ingredients together to create a robust board can get a little expensive, and it’s very easy to go OVERBOARD (pun intended).
That’s why ALDI is my go-to grocery store when it comes to building charcuterie boards. Their excellent prices help me save on all of my holiday favorites, plus there’s always something new and exciting to try. I am so thrilled to partner with ALDI this holiday season to create these three unique charcuterie boards and develop a few new holiday recipes! With tips and tricks from the first ever ALDI Charcuterie Board of Directors, I was able to make some of the most beautiful boards overflowing with flavorful meats, cheeses, crackers, spreads and other accompaniments, all while saving money. From the baked brie appetizer through the savory charcuterie-wreath and fondue to the dessert board with a trio of dips, your holiday guests will love grazing on these boards. Their stomachs and your wallet will be full!
#AD — This post is sponsored by ALDI
Appetizer: Baking Brie Cheese
I love the gooey warmth of baked brie. It’s so easy to spread across a cracker or a piece of baguette, plus, brie’s mild flavor pairs beautifully with a variety of fruits and nuts as well as both savory and sweet jams. So to kick off this holiday charcuterie meal I built a board centered around ALDI Emporium Selection Baking Brie Cheese with Pecan Nuts & Honey.
Baked brie makes the perfect centerpiece for an appetizer board. Circled around the brie are light bites that are flavorful and will whet your guests’ appetites without filling them up before the main course and dessert. Sliced red and green apples, grapes on the stem, assorted nuts, artisan crisps and some fig spread taste amazing together, and their pops of color create a beautiful presentation. Plus the way the brie oozes out of the ramekin is oh so photogenic!
Recommended for this Board:
Specially Selected Cranberry & Sea Salt Artisan Crisp
Wine Pairings and Tasting Notes:
Moscato - To bring out the fruit forward flavors of this board, I recommend Belletti Moscato D'Asti, available at ALDI for under $10. Its citrusy notes balance the sweetness of the honey, while its subtle floral taste enhances the creaminess and nuanced flavors of the brie.
Mulled Red Wine - Mulled wine is a traditional drink served at holiday markets in Germany as well as other parts of Europe. I was thrilled to get a bottle of ALDI Christkindl Gluhwein, which was actually the first mulled wine I ever bought when I lived in Germany. I loved its spiced aroma and citrusy notes so much that, when I moved back to America, I actually stashed a couple of bottles in my suitcase to share with friends and family! I am so excited ALDI also offers Christkindl Gluhwein here in the United States (and for under $10). The robust mulled red wine brings bold flavors in every bite. Served warm, the wine is a cozy accompaniment to the melted brie.
Main Course: Charcuterie-Wreath with Fondue
In the popular holiday song we “deck the halls with boughs of holly,” but what about decking the dinner table with festive dishes? I wanted to create a main course that was part of the festive decorations, so I built a charcuterie-wreath, a charcuterie board encircled by garland, silk poinsettias, pine cones and string lights. Using more savory flavors, I created a meat and cheese wreath incorporating bold cheeses like ALDI Emporium Selection Truffle Cheddar, a variety of cured meats, pickles, and crackers.
The charcuterie-wreath is a presentation playground. This board allowed me to experiment with different ways to slice and lay out the cheeses, and it was my chance to show off my deli rose making skills (pro tip: fold the slices of meat over the lip of a wine glass to create a stunning rose. For smaller roses, you can use a shot glass).
All of these delicious bites go perfectly together, but to make the meal even more exciting (and cheesy), I served this charcuterie-wreath alongside ALDI Emporium Selection Fondue. This was the easiest fondue I’ve ever whipped up. Imported from Switzerland, the kit came complete with the traditional trio of fondue cheeses — Gruyère, Emmentaler, and Raclette — already blended together. All I had to do was put the cheese into a fondue pot, heat it up and serve! To give the fondue a traditional Swiss flare, I added a half cup of Sunshine Bay Sauvignon Blanc to the fondue cheese mixture.
The fondue pairs splendidly with many of the meats, crackers, and pickles in the charcuterie-wreath, but to give more grazing options, I served the fondue alongside cherry tomatoes, olives, breadsticks, and savory chutneys and spreads. It was an absolute FEAST!
Recommended for this Board:
Wine Pairing and Tasting Notes:
Sauvignon Blanc - After traveling to New Zealand I developed a taste for their wines. So I couldn’t pass up on ALDI Sunshine Bay Sauvignon Blanc for under $10. The dry white wine’s minerality balances the smokiness of the cured meats, while its crisp acidity enhances the flavors of the cheese, making it a perfect addition to the Emporium Selection Fondue.
Dessert: Sweet Grazing Board with a Trio of Dips
You can’t have a holiday dinner without a festive dessert! For my last charcuterie board, I created a dessert grazing board accompanied by a trio of sweet dips — a salted caramel dip, a spiced chocolate dip, and my personal favorite, a whipped eggnog mascarpone dip.
You can mix and match different flavors and textures with this board. Try a Specially Selected Milk Chocolate Coated Butter Cookie with a dollop of whipped eggnog mascarpone dip, or a blackberry with a bit of salted caramel dip. Or go for a classic strawberry dipped in the spiced chocolate dip. There are so many different flavor combinations to try!
For the Salted Caramel Dip
Ingredients:
Pinch of flaky Stonemill Sea Salt to taste and to garnish
Directions:
In a saucepan, melt sugar over medium heat while constantly stirring with a whisk. The sugar may clump together a little bit but eventually it will darken and become smooth as it melts (which takes about 10 minutes). Be careful not to burn the sugar!
When sugar has completely melted, add butter and whisk.
When butter is completely mixed into the caramel, slowly whisk in heavy whipping cream. The caramel will bubble a little bit as you add the heavy whipping cream, so be careful. After heavy whipping cream has been thoroughly mixed into the caramel, add salt to taste.
Transfer to a dish or jar. It will be a little runny at first, but if you refrigerate for a little bit before serving it will thicken up into a creamy dip. When ready to serve, if it’s thicker than you like, microwave for 10 seconds at a time until you’ve reached your desired consistency. Top with a small pinch of flaky sea salt as a garnish.
For the Spiced Chocolate Dip
Ingredients:
2/3 cup of melted Baker’s Corner Chocolate Almond Bark
1/2 teaspoon Simply Nature Organic Ground Cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon Simply Nature Organic Ground Cayenne Pepper
1/4 teaspoon Stonemill Pure Vanilla Extract
Directions:
Using the double boiling technique, melt the Baker’s Corner Chocolate Almond Bark.
When chocolate is melted, stir in cinnamon, cayenne pepper and vanilla extract until thoroughly mixed.
Transfer to a dish and serve!
For the Whipped Eggnog Mascarpone Dip
Ingredients:
1/4 cup Baker’s Corner Powdered Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Stonemill Pure Vanilla Extract
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon Simply Nature Organic Ground Cinnamon
Directions:
Add heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, ground nutmeg and cinnamon to a large mixing bowl. Whisk ingredients together until you get small peaks.
Slowly add softened mascarpone and eggnog to the mixture and continue to whisk ingredients together until whipped cream is thick.
Transfer to a dish. Top with a little dusting of cinnamon as a garnish and serve! The chocolate will harden over time, so when it does, just microwave for 10 seconds at a time, stirring in between, until you’ve reached the desired consistency.
Recommended for this Board:
Southern Grove Dried Mediterranean Apricots or other dried fruit
Specially Selected Milk Chocolate (and Dark Chocolate) Coated Butter Cookies
Wine Pairing and Tasting Notes:
ALDI Petit Peppermint Bark Wine Specialty is a delightful and festive dessert wine. Its creamy texture sweetens every bite of this dessert grazing board and its white chocolate and peppermint finish enhances the aromatic spices in both the spiced chocolate and the whipped eggnog mascarpone dips.
#AD — This post is sponsored by ALDI