This Christmas tree charcuterie board is special for Christmas, and quite popular at gatherings. Use kale, herbs, or greens to suggest a tree, then decorate your “tree” to your heart’s content. Use what you have, because it’s all in the arrangement. Use different greens, or different cold cuts, walnuts instead of pecans, add some veggies, or not—you decide. Get creative and have fun!
1/2 bunch curly-leaf kale
1 slice Cheddar cheese
1/2 pound sliced deli roast turkey
1/2 pound sliced deli ham
1/2 pound sliced Colby-Jack cheese
1/2 pound sliced pepper Jack cheese
16 dried apricot halves, or more as needed
16 pecan halves, or more as needed
5 snack-sized, wax-wrapped cheese, such as Babybel® Original snack flavored cheese
4 to 6 prosciutto-wrapped mozzarella cheese sticks
2 cups square seeded crackers, or crackers of choice
1 cup sweet gherkins (optional)
Using kitchen shears or a sharp knife, cut each kale leaf along the center vein, creating two “branches”.
On a 24x12-inch cutting board or platter, arrange greens in a tree shape, making the “tree” wider in each row. Leave a small open space between each row of “branches”.
Cut the Cheddar slice into a star shape, and place it at the top of the tree. Cut the trimmings into ornament shapes and reserve.
Cut turkey slices, ham slices, and remaining cheese slices into 2-inch squares. Beginning with the bottom row, fan turkey pieces across the “tree”, allowing some of the greenery to show. Repeat with a row of ham pieces, then a row of each type of cheese, and end with another row of ham. The number of rows will be determined by the size and shape of your platter.
Add the dried apricots in a curved line across the “tree”, to represent a garland. Add the pecan halves in a curved line across the “tree” to represent a second garland.
Decorate the tree with the wax-wrapped snack cheese “ornaments”, and the reserved Cheddar cuts.
Form the trunk of the tree with prosciutto-wrapped cheese snacks.
Add seeded crackers at the base of the “tree” to represent presents. Serve with additional crackers and baby gherkins.
