Holidays Occasions Party Party Appetizer Winter Charcuterie Board 4.5 (2) 2 Reviews A cheeseboard is an ideal stationary hors d'oeuvre for holiday entertaining. Select a variety of cheeses, making sure to include an aged variety, a creamy cheese, a blue cheese and perhaps a smoked cheese. Round out the platter with cold cuts, bread, an abundance of seasonal fruits, dried fruit, crudités, nuts and olives. We even included some dark chocolate to cap it off! By Charlotte Autry Charlotte Autry Charlotte Autry is a food stylist, set designer and recipe developer with over 15 years of experience. Her recipes have been featured by publications including EatingWell, Cooking Light, MyRecipes and Diablo magazine. Charlotte has done styling and photography work for cookbooks including Victuals, Thoughtful Cooking and Shaq’s Family Style and for clients such as Le Creuset, Kikkoman, Tito’s Vodka, Whole Foods, Olive Garden, Burger King, Tim Hortons, Marriott and Coca-Cola. Charlotte and her husband, photographer Johnny Autry, work out of their production studio in Asheville. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Updated on January 25, 2025 Reviewed by Dietitian Christa Brown, M.S., RDN, LD Reviewed by Dietitian Christa Brown, M.S., RDN, LD Christa Brown is a registered dietitian and business owner with a practice focus on diabetes management and content development for brands and fitness influencers. She is a licensed dietitian with a Master of Science in Nutrition Education and a certification in gut health by the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Save Rate PRINT Share Close Prep Time: 30 mins Total Time: 30 mins Servings: 20 Yield: 20 servings Nutrition Profile: Soy-Free High-Fiber Egg-Free Jump to Nutrition Facts Jump to recipe Our Winter Charcuterie Board is a must-have for your cold-weather gatherings. This beautiful board gets its deep rich colors from antioxidant-filled fruit, like grapes, pomegranates, figs, apples, pears and dried fruit. Whole-grain crackers and bread provide fiber and are vehicles on which to spread creamy goat cheese or top with a hard or smoky cheese of your choice. The cheeses pair perfectly with an assortment of Italian meats, including capicola, prosciutto and bresaola. Add more nutrition and options with cut-up veggies, like bell peppers, carrots, sugar snap peas and sliced golden beets and fennel. Include honey on your board as an option to drizzle over the cheeses. Olives add a briny note, while dark chocolate and Marcona almonds are the perfect sweet touch every charcuterie board needs. Tips from the EatingWell Test Kitchen These are the key tips we learned while developing and testing this recipe in our Test Kitchen to make sure it works, tastes great and is good for you too! Use our photo of our Winter Charcuterie Board to help you design your board. See how we used various colors and textures to give it a natural wintry feel and enhance visual appeal.Setting out little plates and a good selection of tongs, picks, little forks and knives will be appreciated. Technically, everything on the board must be transferred via the guest over to their plate before it becomes finger food. To keep the board looking appetizing for longer, avoid using fruits that brown easily and cheeses with very strong odors.If you're serving a crowd and are unsure about any food allergies, it's best to avoid including potentially allergenic foods on the board, allowing all guests to enjoy it. Nutrition Notes The fruits and vegetables on this board add lots of antioxidants, fiber, vitamins and minerals. The various types of cheese bring protein and calcium, as well as probiotics—the beneficial gut bacteria necessary for good health. Including whole-grain crackers and bread provide complex carbohydrates and fiber, while heart-healthy dark chocolate adds antioxidants, as do the nuts. No board is complete without Italian cold cuts, which add protein to the board. While cold cuts might not be as healthy as plain meat, like beef and turkey, choosing reduced-sodium and no-added-nitrate/nitrite varieties is a better-for-you choice. Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients 4 ounces aged sheep's-milk cheese, such as manchego or pecorino 4 ounces smoked Cheddar or smoked Gouda cheese 4 ounces aged Cheddar or Gruyère cheese 2 ounces fresh goat cheese 2 ounces blue-veined cheese, such as Gorgonzola, Roquefort or Stilton 4 ounces thinly sliced Italian cold cuts, such as capicola, prosciutto or bresaola 1 small baguette, thinly sliced ½ pound fresh fruit, such as grapes, pomegranate, figs, pears and/or apples 1 cup raw vegetables, such as carrot sticks, thinly sliced golden beets, sliced fennel, sliced bell pepper, sugar snap peas, radishes and/or Belgian endive leaves 6 ounces dark chocolate, broken into pieces ½ cup dried fruit, such as apricots or figs ¼ cup almonds, preferably Marcona almonds ½ cup honey ¼ cup olives Directions Arrange 4 ounces sheep's milk cheese, 4 ounces Cheddar, 2 ounces goat cheese and 2 ounces blue-veined cheese on the board. Add 4 ounces Italian cold cuts and pinch the slices into ruffle shapes while arranging them on the board. Add baguette slices. Tuck 1/2 pound fresh fruit, 1 cup raw vegetables, 6 ounces chocolate, 1/2 cup dried fruit and 1/4 cup almonds into any openings. Place 1/2 cup honey and 1/4 cup olives in small bowls and nestle the bowls into any open spaces on the board. Don't forget to set out cheese knives, a honey dipper and a bowl for olive pits. Frequently Asked Questions Can I make the Winter Charcuterie Board ahead of time? Absolutely. You can prepare some items on the board up to 24 hours in advance. Be sure to leave all fruits, breads, crackers and nuts off the board until you are ready to serve. Wrap the board securely in plastic wrap. You might also consider wrapping the cheeses in beeswax. The goal is to keep moisture away from all the items on the board. How long can a charcuterie board be at room temperature? Set out the board and make a mental note of the time. You have approximately 2 hours before the items need to be returned to the refrigerator. If you live in a hot climate and the temperatures are hitting 90°F, you only have 1 hour. Store fruits, breads, crackers and nuts separately. Everything that needs refrigeration must be refrigerated. How can I keep a charcuterie board cold? You can place ice packs under the board or creatively hide small ice packs among the foods, covering them with leafy garnishes. If it's a wooden board, you need to encase the packs in something that will protect the wood from getting wet. Additionally, you can use specialized chilled serving platters. What main dishes go with a Winter Charcuterie Board? Serve this appetizer before enjoying seafood options such as our Sheet-Pan Salmon with Sweet Potatoes & Broccoli, Grilled Fish with Garlic Marinade or Herby Fish with Wilted Greens & Mushrooms. For a heartier option, pair it with a warm winter pasta dish, or try one of our favorite winter salads for something lighter. EatingWell.com, October 2018 Save Rate Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 248 Calories 12g Fat 28g Carbs 10g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 20 Serving Size about 1 ounce cheese & 1/4 ounce cold cuts, plus baguette, fruit, vegetables, chocolate, dried fruit, honey and olives Calories 248 % Daily Value * Total Carbohydrate 28g 10% Dietary Fiber 3g 10% Total Sugars 18g Added Sugars 11g 22% Protein 10g 19% Total Fat 12g 16% Saturated Fat 7g 33% Cholesterol 26mg 9% Vitamin A 1568IU 31% Vitamin C 1mg 1% Folate 6mcg 2% Sodium 374mg 16% Calcium 118mg 9% Iron 1mg 7% Magnesium 25mg 6% Potassium 218mg 5% Nutrition information is calculated by a registered dietitian using an ingredient database but should be considered an estimate. * Daily Values (DVs) are the recommended amounts of nutrients to consume each day. Percent Daily Value (%DV) found on nutrition labels tells you how much a serving of a particular food or recipe contributes to each of those total recommended amounts. Per the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the daily value is based on a standard 2,000 calorie diet. Depending on your calorie needs or if you have a health condition, you may need more or less of particular nutrients. (For example, it’s recommended that people following a heart-healthy diet eat less sodium on a daily basis compared to those following a standard diet.) (-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a special diet for medical reasons, be sure to consult with your primary care provider or a registered dietitian to better understand your personal nutrition needs. Additional reporting by Carrie Myers, M.S. Carrie Myers, M.S. Carrie Myers is a portfolio entrepreneur with more than 30 years of experience in the health and wellness space. As a writer and editor, Carrie has worked for both consumer and trade print and online publications. She's been quoted in several articles as a health and fitness expert. Carrie is also a certified life and wellness coach and exercise physiologist, and the founder of CarrieMichele Co., a lifestyle company that helps women create lives they love where they can be authentic. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines and Linda Frahm Linda Frahm Linda Frahm has been a copy editor and fact checker working with food and nutrition content for the past 30-plus years for consumer print and online publications. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines