It’s the holiday season! To celebrate the most wonderful time of the year, I’ve been obsessed with all the winter ingredients and products that pop up at all the grocery stores. With so many fresh ingredients now in season, I knew there was one thing I had to do before spring sneaks up on me: make a holiday charcuterie board. After doing some research and taking a trip to Trader Joe’s, I created the perfect charcuterie using December’s unique ingredients. Instead of relying on their limited-edition processed snacks, I focused on making the board authentic with real ingredients like fruit and nuts. I’m pretty proud of how pretty (and delicious) the final result was, so read on to learn how you can recreate this festive winter charcuterie board yourself.
Cheese: Traditional French Brie, Cranberry Chevre Goat Cheese, & Dutch Gouda Cheese
The nucleus of the charcuterie is of course the cheese, so I chose three standout options at TJ’s to create the base of my board. Brie is always a non-negotiable for me when creating cheeseboards because the creaminess pairs best with any fresh or dried fruit. Their cranberry goat cheese caught my eye as something seasonal to try, and as we know, cranberry is a staple in almost every holiday product. Finally, I opted for gouda to offer a tangy and nutty option that adds flavor diversity. Overall, there’s something for everyone’s cheese preference on the board!
Nuts: Candied Pecans & Rosemary Marcona Almonds
While Trader Joe’s candied pecans are available year round, they definitely were a must and meet all my criteria for a winter nut on this board. Their sweet and savory combination adds so much flavor to the mix-ins section. Marcona almonds also came up in my research on winter flavors, so when I saw a rosemary version, it was a no-brainer to include them. These pocket fillers may seem like small additions to the board, but they actually make a bigger impact than you’d think. Including nuts like these both was a must for me.
Fruit: Sweetened Dried Cranberries, Organic Turkish Dried Figs, & Pomegranate Seeds
I’ve always been a fan of charcuterie boards with a variety of fruit, and through my research, fig, pomegranate, and cranberry kept appearing as standout seasonal produce. They not only add bright color and sweetness to the board, but they also offer plenty of opportunities for fun pairings and trial-and-error with cheese and cracker combinations. I don’t often work with such uniquely flavored fruits, so it was exciting to incorporate them into my usual charcuterie faves.
Meats: Sliced Proschuitto & Uncured Salami di Parma
You can’t go wrong with the cured meats at Trader Joe’s, and I wanted to keep this section simple among all the seasonal standouts on my board. Prosciutto is a perfect charcuterie meat, especially when you learn how to make it look pretty. I love folding the slices of both Proschuitto and salami into little roses, which is a trick I learned from a charcuterie-making class in Charlottesville. The saltiness of the meat paired with the sweetness of dried fruit makes this board almost irresistible!
Crunch: Fig & Olive Crisps & Classic Original Water Crackers
Finally, we need crunch, aka crackers that act as the vessels for all the other delicious ingredients. I wanted to include one unique option and one classic, so I went with fig olive and plain water crackers. I had used the pumpkin cranberry ones on my fall board, so I was thrilled to find a wintery option at Trader Joe’s using figs. The combo of the crisps makes a lovely savory-sweet contrast, while the water crackers are the classic base that never disappoints. Together, both crackers balance out all the textures found on this board and bring everything together in this most beautiful way.