How To Make A Charming Charcuterie Bouquet With Salami Roses

Roll up your sleeves and get ready to craft the ultimate party piece with our guide for how to make a charcuterie bouquet. Perfect for Valentine’s Day or just because, this guide has all the tips to help you craft a centerpiece that’s sure to get all the likes, loves, and “how’d you do that?” at your next shindig.

A Charcuterie Board with a Twist

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, today we are sharing a fun charcuterie board recipe with a twist. We are preparing and arranging it into a festive bouquet-shaped presentation known as a ‘charcuterie bouquet’ or ‘charcuterie flower bouquet’.

And don’t worry, we’ve got a thorough step-by-step guide with images and videos to break it down and show you exactly how to make your own impressive charcuterie board bouquet creation at home.

Looking for more in-depth info on how to create the ultimate charcuterie board? Check out our guides to the best meats for charcuterie boards, best charcuterie cheeses, best crackers for a charcuterie board, the best jams and spreads for your charcuterie board, and the best pickles to pair with charcuterie.

For more themed charcuterie board ideas, be sure to check out our easy breezy summer charcuterie board, our cozy fall charcuterie board, and our quick and easy seafood charcuterie board.

What is a Charcuterie Bouquet?

A charcuterie bouquet is your go-to charcuterie board but with a super fun twist. Its all about thinly sliced meats and cheeses, artfully rolled into adorable little “flowers” and arranged to mimic the beauty of a floral bouquet.

It’s a feast for the eyes and the palate, blending the rustic charm of traditional charcuterie with an elegant, whimsical presentation. Perfect for when you want to impress at your next hangout – a little artsy, totally tasty, and definitely a conversation starter!

Ingredients

Recommended Equipment

• A large bowl – I used a large mixing bowl (2.5 quarts / 10 inch diameter)
• A small bowl – A shallower bowl will work best and it needs to fit into the larger bowl. I used a shallow pasta bowl (22 ounce / 7.7 inches in diameter)
• Parchment paper or tissue paper
• A champagne glass or similar-sized small glass – the size of your glass’s diameter will determine how large your charcuterie roses are. A regular drinking glass or wine glass will likely be too big.
• Toothpicks

Make Ahead Prep (with Images and Video)

In this section we are going to cover all the steps for styling your ingredients so they are all prepped and ready to go when you are ready to assemble your bouquet.

This is a great make ahead option and I actually prefer it because it gives the styled ingredients some time to chill in the refrigerator which helps them keep their shape better.

And its also a good tip to keep in mind while prepping the meat roses in particular. You want to make sure your salami and pepperoni are well chilled before you begin because as they start to warm up at room temperature they will soften, making it harder for them to set and hold the rose shapes after molding.

Make The Pepperoni and Salami “Roses”

This method will work for most any thin sliced salami or pepperoni. For this recipe I used Dietz & Watson’s Italian Trio which comes with salami, pepperoni, and provolone cheese all in on pack. The meats are sliced thin and are about 3.5 inches in diameter.

1. Prepare the Glass: Using a small glass (I prefer the size of a champagne glass) as your mold, lay a slice of salami over the rim of the glass, half in and half out.
2. Arrange the Slices: Continue by adding additional slices of salami over the rim of the glass, half in and half out, slightly overlapping each piece to create a continuous circle.
3. Create the Rose: Once the glass rim is covered, gently press down on the salami inside the glass to secure the slices in place and help to set the shape. For me, it ends up being about 8 slices of meat for each rose.
4. Final Touches: Then carefully invert the glass onto your serving platter (or countertop). Lift the glass off slowly, allowing the salami to fan out into a rose shape. Adjust the petals as needed to enhance the rose appearance before adding it to your charcuterie display.

Make the Cheese and Turkey “Roses”

This method will work for both the sliced Provolone cheese and the deli-sliced smoked turkey.

1. Layer and Cut: Arrange four slices of provolone cheese (or deli-sliced turkey) so they slightly overlap each other in a row. Then, cut this layered row in half down the middle to create two separate sections.
2. Roll the Cheese: Take one of the halved sections and carefully roll it up, keeping all the slices together as you go. The overlapping edges will start to resemble petals.
3. Secure with Toothpick: Insert a toothpick through the middle of the rolled cheese to keep the ends and layers in place, ensuring your rose holds its shape.
4. Arrange on the Board: Place your provolone rose on your charcuterie board. Repeat the process with the rest of the cheese slices and then do the same for the smoked turkey.

Assemble the Mozzarella Toothpicks

1. Place each mozzarella pearl onto the head of a toothpick.

Prepare the Strawberry “Hearts”

1. Slice the green top off of the strawberry.
2. Place the strawberry cut side down and slice it in half vertically.
3. Using a small paring knife, cut out small triangle-shaped pieces from the top of each strawberry half to create the strawberry “heart”.
4. Repeat steps 1 through 3 for each strawberry.

Make Ahead Prep (Video)

How to Assemble a Charcuterie Bouquet (with Images)

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