For a family Christmas potluck, I put my name down for an antipasto wreath. I’ve never made one before, but I’ve seen them on Pinterest, and I always wanted to try it. I’ve created numerous charcuterie boards for family parties, but this time I wanted to try something new! Something that would wow the family, and at the same time wow their taste buds!
It turned out AMAZING and everyone really enjoyed it! I left the party with complements and an empty platter! Mission accomplished!
Although I created a wreath, I didn’t think it looked overly Christmasy….so I think it could be used for various events besides Christmas. Something like this could be served at a New Year’s Eve party, a graduation party, a bridal/baby shower, work function, etc.
Below are the steps I took in creating this beautiful masterpiece:
*First: I looked at several pins on Pinterest for inspiration. I recommend doing the same. If you do not have a Pinterest account, then Google images should yield the same results. Just look for an antipasto or charcuterie wreath.
*Second: Based on all the images I saw on Pinterest/Google images, I came up with a shopping list! I needed a round platter, large toothpicks and the antipasto ingredients.
To assist you in making the wreath photographed above, below is the shopping list I used:
- Aged Goat Milk Gouda Style Cheese (Landana) -7 oz *for the center*
- Smoked Gouda (Grapevine Trading Company) – 4 oz *for the center*
- Vintage Cheddar (Grapevine Trading company) – 2.5 oz *for the center*
- Stilton (Murray’s) – 0.32 lb *for the center*
- Fresh Mozzarella Pearls 2 1/2 g – (BelGioioso) – 8 oz
- Snack’mms Kosher Dill Pickles (Vlasic) – 16 fl oz
- Artichoke Hearts in Brine – (Kroger Brand) – 14 oz
- Golden Greek Peperoncini – (Mezzetta) – 16 fl oz
- Spanish Manzanila Olives – (Mezzetta) -16 fl oz
- Roasted Red Peppers (Mt. Olive) – 12 fl oz
- Large Pitted Black Olives (Early California) – 6 oz
- Cherry Tomatoes – 10 oz
- Hard Salami – (Boar’s Head) – 4 oz
- Prosciutto – (Boar’s Head) – 3 oz
- Pepperoni, Cracker Cut – (Private Selection) – 12 oz
- Off the Bone Deli Ham (Hormel) – 0.40 lb
- Fresh Rosemary, 4 containers – 0.5 oz each
- Six-inch bamboo Skewers – Amazon – https://amzn.to/3xs2GA1
- 18-inch round platter
*Third: Once you have all your supplies and ingredients, it is time to assemble! Please note: The aged goat’s milk, gouda, vintage cheddar cheese and stilton are for the center of the wreath. This is because they crumble when placed on the skewer. I learned this the hard way…. oops! This how they ended up in the center! ha ha. If you want more cheeses on the skewers, ensure they are firm/hard, something that will not break when pierced with the skewer.
Assemble the antipasto supplies as you see fit by putting them on the skewer, you are the designer here! I did not assemble mine in a uniformed fashion, all my skewers were different antipasto combinations. I went a little wild with it! I have some vegetarians in the family, so I ensured some of them were meat free. Have fun with it and create all different combinations.
As I completed each skewer, I placed it on the platter to form a circular wreath pattern, leaving the center open. Once my platter was full and I could not fit another skewer, I filled the center with the aged cheeses set aside (Goat’s milk, gouda, vintage cheddar and Stilton). See below:
Fourth: Add you garnish! I used fresh rosemary sprigs to fill in gaps around the skewers, to make it look like a wreath. I worked to fill in the gaps and spaces to make things look full and festive. For the middle, I trimmed some of the rosemary and placed it around a cherry tomato, to create something decorative. You are the artist here! Go where your mind takes you! Have fun with it!
Fifth: Admire your work! Take pictures before your family and friends start snacking!
Enjoy!
Notes:
- My assembly time was one hour.
- The wreath I made yielded 30 skewers.
- I did not use all the supplies listed above; I had some items left over. If you make more than 30 skewers with the supply list, that is definitely achievable. I believe 10 to 15 more could be made with this shopping list.
- The artichokes were a little large, so I cut them up into smaller pieces, same with the red peppers.
- I folded the ham, salami and prosciutto to place on the skewer.
- Pepperonis could be stacked because they are smaller.
- Be sure to pierce through the center of the mozzarella pearls. I found the pearls could break easily if not pierced directly in the center. They still worked, but I think next time I’d buy larger pearls.
