Charcuterwreath with Pâté Stuffed Peppers

Recipe and photos by Lily Morello

What is a charcuterwreath, you ask? In truth, charcuterwreath is just a silly portmanteau combining the words charcuterie and wreath. All you have to do is take everything you normally like putting on a holiday charcuterie board and arrange it into the shape of a wreath instead. It’s a fun and clever way to add a little more holiday cheer to your appetizer table.

Ingredients for the Pâté Stuffed Peppers:

(The following are suggested quantities for an 16-inch wreath)

• 15 pickled sweet piquanté peppers, drained
• 1 package (5 oz) Mousse de Foie de Canard au Porto
• 15 Marcona Almonds

Ingredients for the Charcuterwreath:

(The following are suggested quantities for an 16-inch wreath)

• 10 oz cheese, sliced (recommended to use at least 2 different varieties)
• 1 package Charcuterie Trio
• About 25 Cornichons
• 1/2–3/4 package Petits Toasts
• 1 blood orange, sliced into rounds
• 1 pomegranate, arils only
• Marcona almonds
• Rosemary, for garnish
• Sage, for garnish

Procedure:

Make the pâté stuffed peppers: Fill the hole of each pepper with some of the pâté; each one should hold about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon. Stick 1 marcona almond into each pepper.

Assemble the charcuterie board: Fold up the pepperoni and soppressata from the Charcuterie Trio into quarters. Tear the pieces of prosciutto into half or thirds lengthwise, and roll the strips into loose spirals. 

Place the stuffed peppers onto the serving board, divided into 3 or 4 clusters. Expand the clusters by adding some of the Petits Toasts, then most of the charcuterie. Continue expanding by adding the cheese, the cornichons, more Petits Toasts, and any remaining charcuterie. Fill in large gaps using the orange slices and fill in smaller gaps with pomegranate arils and marcona almonds.

As a finishing touch, insert rosemary and sage throughout to further give the appearance of a wreath.

Notes from the author:

If you are planning to make a charcuterie board as part of your holiday spread, then I present to you the following choice—would you rather make a regular ol’ charcuterie board or dazzle your guests with a charcuterWREATH?

I like to make charcuterie boards that are extra easy for guests to nibble from. For example, rather than adding big blocks of cheese that people slice themselves, having the cheese pre-cut means it’s easier for people to load up their plate and move on to mingling. With that in mind, I thought it would be fun to make some pâté stuffed peppers to include on my charcuterwreath board. This way, the pâté could be enjoyed without having to fiddle with spreading the pâté onto crackers while also juggling a plate and a drink. I used red sweet piquanté peppers as bite-sized vessels for the pâté; I think they look like bright red shiny Christmas ornaments and add a great thematic touch to the wreath. Each pepper is stuffed with a little bit of Three Little Pigs Mousse de Foie de Canard au Porto and a marcona almond. The mousse of duck and pork liver has a rich creamy flavor that I think gets balanced so nicely with the sweet and bright brined pepper flavor, and the marcona almond adds a fun surprise crunch inside. 

 

Ingredients for the Charcuterwreath and Pâté Stuffed Peppers:

There are no rules for what you can add to your charcuterwreath, but having a good mix of salty, briny, crunchy, cheesy, and sweet will ensure that the snacking experience is yummy and fun. Here’s what I included on mine:

• Sweet piquanté peppers: These bright red, round, pickled peppers can be found in jars in the pickle section of the grocery store, or as part of the olive bar. I used them as a vessel for the pâté.
• Pâté: I stuffed the red peppers with Three Little Pigs Mousse de Foie de Canard au Porto, a creamy duck liver mousse with pork and port wine. 
• Marcona almonds: These are Spanish blanched almonds known for being more tender and sweeter than other almond varieties. But if you can’t find these, you could substitute with regular blanched almonds.
• Charcuterie: You can’t have a charcuterwreath without charcuterie! I love that Three Little Pigs offers a Charcuterie Trio—a handy sampler of prosciutto, soppressata, and pepperoni. With this, I can get the variety I’m looking for with my charcuterwreath or charcuterie board without having to over-purchase individual packs of different cured meats. I thought the Charcuterie Trio was the perfect amount of charcuterie for my 16-inch wreath.
• Cheese: Having at least a couple different cheese offerings is also essential for a good charcuterwreath. I was able to find some really great options that fit well with the holiday theme—a sage derby with a green marbled look and a stilton with cranberries mixed into it. 
• Mini Toasts: I used Three Little Pigs Organic Whole Wheat Petits Toasts as the crunchy carbs for my wreath. I love their slightly-sweet wholesome wheat flavor which complements the charcuterie and cheese without being too overwhelming.
• Pickles: Something tart and briny is great for balancing out the cured charcuterie. I opted for Three Little Pigs Cornichons; their cute mini size is perfect for adding right onto the board.
• Fruit: To bring some sweetness and freshness to the spread, I used blood orange slices and pomegranates. I recommend separating out the arils beforehand to make them easier to grab and munch on (even though I did not do that for all the pomegranates in these photos); they will look like gleaming rubies on your board!
• Herbs: Using fresh green herbs to decorate the board will be what really sells the visual appearance of an edible Christmas wreath. I used rosemary (which I think resembles Christmasy fir quite well) and sage.

 

How to assemble a charcuterwreath:

I started out by doing all the prep work like making all my pâté stuffed peppers, and slicing up the cheese and fruit. This way, everything is ready to go and you can focus on arranging as its own fun step.

Start with the star ingredients of the board, like the stuffed peppers and the charcuterie. Make 3–4 clusters of these ingredients on the board. Continue growing these clusters with the next level of key ingredients, like the mini toasts, cheeses, and pickles.

Fill in the rest of the space with fruit and any small gaps with extra almonds and pomegranate arils. 

Tuck in rosemary sprigs and sage leaves around the board as a finishing touch to really make the arrangement look like a wreath.