Canada Day Charcuterie Board

July 1st is just around the corner, so - in the spirit of Canada Day - it’s probably time to finally share this epic charcuterie board.

You know. That I planned ahead, made, and photographed last fall - when I made one for each of the major holidays. Whoops!

There are all kinds of fun ways to make a sweet board that would be great for a Canada Day party - one trip to Bulk Barn and you’re basically set! - but I’m all about the savory boards.

I’m not saying you should ditch the hot dogs and burgers, but there’s something about a charcuterie board that makes special occasions feel a bit more special.

When it comes to this specific occasion, a themed charcuterie platter is a fun idea for a side table.

It’s a good excuse to showcase all of your favourite Canadian meats and cheeses, it’s fun to choose what you’ll put on it, and it’s just a tasty offering in general.

Another nice thing is that it’s versatile. I went a bit more elegant with this board - it’ll fit in at any Canada Day celebration, whether a casual backyard party, or more of a cocktail or dinner party situation.

Anyway, LOADS to talk about - so many possibilities! - so let’s get to it.

Oh, and Happy Canada Day!

Canadian Charcuturie Ingredients

Unlike the vast majority of my recipes, charcuterie boards don’t require a set list of ingredients.

Think more “choose your own adventure”, or “pick 3 from column A, and a few from column B”.

In this case, I tried to stick mostly to red and white foods, while ALSO using some iconic Canadian foods, and/or made in Canada items.

I love it when I theme can be multifaceted!

Anyway, here are the major categories you’ll want represented, and some ideas of the kinds of ingredients I’ll use from each, to fit in with the Canadian - and Canada Day - theme:

Meats

I went with a few great basics:

First, I made a couple salami roses, because I was on a bit of a meat rose kick at that time. See my post How to Make Salami Roses to learn how - it’s super easy!

Next up, I rolled up some deli sliced Montreal Smoked Meat, as it’s one of the quintessential Canadian meats, IMHO.

Finally, I sliced up some Peppercorn Dry Salami, from Great Canadian Meat Company.

LOVE their stuff - especially the venison sausage.

There are other options, of course.

Consider Back Bacon and/or Peameal Bacon, as other traditional Canadian meats.

I just wanted to keep things more RED, than pink - so I skipped them this time.

As far as red meats go, you can’t go wrong with Dark Salami, Summer Sausage, Pepperoni, and/or Pepperettes.

Cheeses

Generally speaking, you’ll want a variety of cheeses, with a variety of textures - both hard cheeses and soft cheeses represented on any cheese board.

You’ll also want a variety of flavours. I’ll generally try to avoid anything really polarizing, like blue cheeses or cheeses on the smellier end of things.

When it comes to this Canadian board though, my main goals were to keep them either white or red, and - ideally - Canadian in origin or theme.

Because I had so many red meats and produce items, I decided to stay away from red cheeses. In fairness, they tend to be more orange, anyway.

Obviously, I started with white cheese curds. Having full out poutine may be totally out of place on a charcuterie board, but curds are a fun reference.

We buy ours at Udder Way Artisan Cheese Co - hands down, the best cheese curds we’ve ever had, anywhere.

Then, I added a smoked Canadian cheddar for good measure. Love the stuff.

Finally, I went with a mini wheel of Canadian brie cheese, which I carved a maple leaf into.

Cutting a simple design into the rind of a brie wheel - then filling with a sauce - is a great way to develop your theme.

I traced the design out with a paring knife, carefully cut throught the rind, then used the tip of the knife to gently remove the excess rind.

Finally, I piped some Red Pepper Jelly in, right before serving.

Starches

When it came to crackers, I chose ones that were a bit lighter in colour (no rye crisps here!), and also had a Canadian connection.

So, I went with Vinta, first and foremost. It was my absolute favourite before moving to the states, and all but impossible to find when I lived there.

Stoned Wheat Thins were another hard-to-find favourite, as well as Bacon Dippers.

Other great options on the lighter end of the colour scale include Sociables, Rice Crackers, and Water Crackers.

Not super “Canadian”, but aesthetically pleasing for this board theme!

Produce

When it comes to produce, it’s really easy to find red food items - less so for white.

I didn’t want to get into having to treat apple or banana slices with lemon juice, so I chose to stick to red items. I figured it would be easy enough to balance them out with white in the cheeses and munchies.

Anyway, I used Raspberries, Strawberries, Red Grapes, and Grape Tomatoes.

Mini red peppers and Cherry tomatoes are other good options.

Sauces, Spreads, and Dips

In addition to the Red Pepper Jelly, I included little ramekins of mustard and maple syrup.

Did the maple syrup really go with anything on the board? No... but it felt like a cultural obligation, LOL!

In terms of mustard... not only is mustard pretty traditional with charcuterie boards, but it’s also a big thing in terms of Canadian food production.

Kozlik’s Canadian Mustard is my absolute favourite mustard - they have a TON of flavours that would accent any charcuterie spread well!

Munchies

Generally speaking, “munchies” are what I give to the accoutrements on a charcuterie board that are more snacky or accessory item in nature.

Think nuts, pumpkin seeds, pickles, etc.

In keeping with the very Canadian theme, I used Maple Candies, as well as some chocolate Loonies and Toonies (I got these at Bulk Barn).

I added in some Blanched Almonds and White Chocolate Pretzels, to help balance out all of the red produce and meats.

Finally, I used Maple Leaf Cookies. Not red and white, but obviously I had to use them, right?

You can also buy Gluten-Free Maple Cookies.

If you want to make your own Canada themed Cut Out Sugar Cookies, that’s an option as well - and hey, that way you could make them red!

If you are catering to dietary restrictions, you can also make Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies or Keto Sugar Cookies.

Either way, see my post on Sugar Cookie Decorating for tips on decorating them!

Finally - and I really don’t want to lean too heavily on desserts for a savoury board - consider some small-cut Nanaimo Bars or mini Maple Butter Tarts.

Garnish and “Other”

Usually I’ll use some fresh herbs as garnish on my charcuterie boards - Italian Parsley, Basil, Rosemary, etc. I like that pop of green along with the meats and cheeses.

When it comes to doing my Canadian boards, I skip it entirely. IF I do a garnish or decoration, it’s usually just Mini Canadian Flags (toothpicks).

The 3 3 3 3 Rule

In charcuterie design, there’s something called the 3333 rule.

This is a tradition that says you should have 3 different meats, 3 different cheeses, 3 different starches/crackers, and 3 different accompaniments (sauces, munchies), when designing a “proper” charcuterie board.

I’m all for general guidelines, but just that - general.

The idea is that you have some degree of balance on your board, rather than 2 meats, 14 cheeses, and 5 sauces.

So, I don’t really follow the rule to the letter, just to the spirit. If you want an extra cheese, or a couple extra accompaniments, go for it - just try to balance everything else, so your choices make sense.

Charcuterie Supplies

Aside from the actual ingredients you’ll be serving to your guests, there are a few other supplies you’ll want for your Canada Day board.

A Charcuterie Tray

Charcuterie Boards can be almost anything, as long as it’s food safe.

The size and shape you get are pretty wide open, and will depend on how many people you’re serving, the amount of space you have to serve it on, etc.

A Large Cutting Board will work for smaller displays, and most party supply and dollar stores have plastic platters that work really well for mid range charcuterie displays.

If you’re looking to do a LARGE display, you’re probably going to need to buy something specifically intended as a catering platter.

In terms of colour, I like using a very neutral coloured tray - usually this means a natural wood, or white tray.

Sure, using a red one could work for a Canada Day Board, but - IMHO - white will make the food look better. Maybe I’m boring, but 9 times out of 10, I’m serving my seasonal charcuterie boards on a plain white tray.

Dip Bowls, Ramekins

If you’re serving a dip of some kind, you’ll want some sort of Small Dip Bowl.

Be sure to size it on your tray before actually using it - you’d be surprised how much real estate some bowls can take up - I tend to skip actual dips, unless it really makes sense. (Like for my Game Day Charcuterie Board)

For smaller servings of spreads - mustard, jelly, etc - or to contain smaller items like nuts, I recommend using small ramekins. 2 oz Ceramic Ramekins work perfectly!

Serving Utensils

If you’re not slicing all of your cheese, it’s a good idea to have some appropriate Cheese Knives on hand.

Also, consider having some small spoons on hand for things like sauces and dip - Espresso Spoons are perfectly sized for this..

If you’re serving to a larger crowd - rather than, say, a small board for 2 - I recommend having several Cocktail Picks, Cocktail Tongs, or even Bamboo Cocktail Forks on hand.

This will hopefully keep fingers out of food that others will eventually be eating!

Cheese Markers are little signs you can stick in your cheeses, to let people know what they are.

I generally skip them, as a matter of aesthetics.

Finally, having small plates and napkins on hand is always a great idea!

More Charcuterie Boards!

Looking for more holiday charcuterie boards, and charcuterie ideas in general? I've got you covered!

Game Day Charcuterie Board
Valentine's Day Charcuterie Board
St Patrick's Day Charcuterie Board
Easter Charcuterie Board
Rainbow Charcuterie Board
Thanksgiving Charcuterie Board
Christmas Charcuterie Board
Charcuterie Wreath
Charcuterie Tree
Salami Roses
S'mores Board (Dessert Charcuterie)

How to Make a Canada Day Charcuterie Board

Much like with the ingredients, putting together a Canadian charcuterie board is more of a free form thing, rather than a set of directions that *has* to be followed, and done in the right order.

That said, here’s how I do it:

Place the Main Items

1. Figure out what your “solid” focal points are. This is generally things like sauce ramekins and dips, but could also be a cheese or meat - depending on the presentation.

If you are including a wheel of brie, log of goat cheese, some kind of cheese ball, or a pate / terrine of some kind, that would count.

Place those focal points on your charcuterie board, leaving space between. I like to keep colour and texture in mind when placing, not placing things that are too similar next to each other.

Note: If any of your focal points is a bowl of dip, place the bowl - add the dip later! I did not - except for adding the jelly to the cheese - just to give a better visualization for the blog photos.

2. Place your meats roughly where you’d like them to go. They don’t have to be “artfully” arranged at this point, but I do try to space them out, relative to each other.

Basically, spread them to occupy the general amount of space you think you’ll want them to take up in the end, but don’t worry about fussing with individual pieces / slices.

3. Place your cheeses roughly where you’d like them, spacing them out relative to each other. I’ll usually leave some space between each meat and cheese.

Fill in the Secondary Items

4. Arrange sections of your starches. I like to keep the types of crackers - and cookies, if using - separate from each other.

5. Fill in your sections of the more “snacky” produce, leaving more “garnish” produce for a later step, if applicable. In this example, I didn’t use any produce for garnish, so I laid out the strawberries, raspberries, red grapes, and grape tomatoes at this point.

6. Place sections of your “Munchies” items, filling in any larger empty spaces. (The Chocolate Loonies, the Chocolate Toonies, and the Maple Cookies)

Final Touches

7. If you haven’t arranged your meat slices and cheese slices the way you want to yet, do so now. I’ll usually use more meat / cheese / surrounding items to prop slices up, if needed.

8. Fill in any sparsely covered areas with more meat, cheese, produce, or munchies - whatever makes sense for that space on your specific board.

9. Place any of your more “garnish” produce, and any other items that may be acting as a pseudo-garnish or decoration. In this case, that would be the maple candies, and the Canadian Flag toothpicks.

10. Do any last minute fussing you may need to.

11. If you were holding off on adding dips to the bowls, do so just before serving. In this case, I spooned some red pepper jelly into a pastry bag, and piped it into the maple leaf cutout on the brie wheel.

12. If you’re adding any fresh herbs as garnish, place them now.

13. Serve and enjoy!

Tips for Charcuterie Success

Because of the different types of ingredients - and the various ways they need to be handled and stored - timing is important when it comes to serving a Canada Day Charcuterie plate.

Here are some things to keep in mind:

Food Safety

1. Make sure your charcuterie tray itself is food safe. Some platters are meant more for display, using woods or finishes that aren’t food safe.

That’s not to say you absolutely CAN’T use non-food safe boards for charcuterie - just be sure to line them with parchment paper. This will prevent the food from directly touching the surface.

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2. Observe good food handler hygiene: Wash your hands frequently and/or wear gloves while preparing your charcuterie board. Change gloves / wash hands after using the washroom, touching your face, touching your phone, etc.

Wash and dry all produce well, and work with clean equipment.

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3. The meats and cheeses should be served at room temperature, but they shouldn’t be KEPT at room temperature for more than 2 hours. The same goes for dips, condiments, and cut produce.

This is a total time - it includes the amount of time you’re preparing the foods and working on your plate.

That said, you’ll want to minimize the amount of time your meats and cheeses are out of the fridge.

I recommend preparing each meat or cheese separately, when possible: Take one from the fridge, slice it up, cover and return it to the fridge.

Keep everything chilled until you start assembling your board. Assemble it as close to serving time as possible.

If you expect to have board out for more than a few hours, make it smaller than needed, and keep rounds of refill items in baggies - in the fridge. Cycle food out as its time expires.

Food Quality

1. Always use the highest quality cheeses and meats you can get.

2. Be sure to check expiration dates on perishables like packaged cheeses and meats, and use them well before the expiry date. Cut wedges of cheese should be used within 2 weeks of purchase - generally speaking.

3. Check all fresh produce for blemishes, mold, etc before using. Use only ripe produce.

4. Don’t let cheeses be exposed to the air for too long before use - whether in the fridge or not. Wrap everything in plastic wrap or bag everything when not in use.

5. Keep all of the cheeses separate when stored. Ideally you’ll be serving cheeses in a variety of flavours - when stored together, those flavours can mingle. Not a great thing, in this case!

Presentation

1. Plan to assemble your charcuterie board as close to the time you’ll serve it, as possible. This will prevent the flavours from mingling, moisture from spreading, produce from bleeding, etc.

Aside from food safety issues mentioned above, it’ll also keep things the proper texture. If you make your board, wrap it, and chill it ... you’re going to end up with soggy crackers.

2. I like to leave the dips and sauces OUT of the bowls until the last minute. It’s really easy to accidentally get a hand in the dip, as you’re assembling your board. Get it all assembled - with empty bowls - THEN spoon the dips in.

3. If you’re traveling with your board, it’s best to travel with the ingredients prepared and bagged, but not assembled. Not only will the flavours and textures stay good, you don’t have to risk an assembled board getting jostled in transit.

4. Try to be inclusive, when you’re serving a crowd with mixed dietary needs. If you know that some people are gluten free, leave the crackers off the board altogether, and provide some gluten free cracker options on the side.

Minimize cross contamination wherever possible!

More Canadian Comfort Food!

Whether you’re a Canadian in the US or not, we could all use some comfort food these days. Here are some delicious recipes for Canadian Favourites!

Back Bacon / Canadian Bacon
Beep
Clodhoppers
Confetti Bars
Dill Pickle Cream Cheese Dip
Doughnut Holes - Timbits!
French Canadian Pea Soup
Homemade Deep N Delicious Cake
Homemade Wunderbars
How to Make Peameal Bacon and Back Bacon
Maple Butter Tarts
Montreal Bagels
Persians Recipe
Poutine, My Way!
Puffed Wheat Squares
Replica Swiss Chalet Sauce
Tiger Tail Ice Cream

Looking for even more Canadian recipes? Check out our full Canadian Recipes list!