This Flag Charcuterie Board is built on a 12″ x 18″ wooden tray, with horizontal red and white stripes of cherries, white cheddar, raspberries, club crackers, folded salami, Monterey Jack, and strawberries, anchored by a field of blueberries and blackberries studded with mozzarella stars in the top left corner. It’s a striking, fully edible centerpiece for a 4th of July cookout or Memorial Day gathering.
Working from the bottom up in horizontal stripes — alternating red and white ingredients at roughly 1½ to 2 inches per stripe — gives you the clean lined structure of the flag itself, while the blueberry and blackberry field in the top left corner stands in for the canton. The mozzarella stars are cut with a mini star cookie cutter and spaced evenly across the berries.
How to Make the Flag Charcuterie Board
Flag Charcuterie Board
Equipment
- 12 x 18" wooden tray
- Mini star cookie cutter
- Sharp knife
- Cutting board
Ingredients
Blue "Stars" Section
- ½ cup blueberries
- ½ cup blackberries
- Mozzarella cheese slices, cut into stars with a mini cookie cutter
Red Stripes
- Cherries, pitted
- Raspberries
- Strawberries, halved
- Folded salami
White Stripes
- White cheddar cheese slices, cut into 1½" squares
- Monterey Jack cheese, cubed
- Club crackers
Instructions
- Before you begin, visualize the layout — the top left third of the tray will hold the blue field, and the rest of the tray will alternate red and white horizontal stripes from bottom to top.
- Starting at the bottom of the tray, build the lower stripes: a row of pitted cherries, followed by a row of white cheddar slices, then a row of raspberries, then a row of club crackers. Keep each stripe to roughly 1½ to 2 inches, depending on the size of the ingredient.
- Continue building stripes above these, working up the right two-thirds of the tray and leaving the top left third open for the blue field: a row of folded salami, then a row of Monterey Jack cubes, then a row of halved strawberries.
- Fill the reserved top left section of the tray with a mix of blueberries and blackberries, packing them in tightly enough to fully cover the base of the tray.
- Using the mini star cookie cutter, cut star shapes from mozzarella slices. Space the mozzarella stars evenly across the blueberry and blackberry field to mimic the stars on the flag.
- Serve immediately.
Tips and Tricks
- Keep each stripe a consistent height — 1½ to 2 inches works well across most ingredients.
- Work in straight lines across the tray rather than building outward from the center. A ruler or the edge of a cutting board held against the tray can help you keep each stripe even as you go.
- Can this board be made ahead? This board is best built the same day you plan to serve it. The fruit will start to look tired and the cut cheese will dry out at the edges if assembled too far in advance — plan to build it within an hour or two of serving.
- Cut all your cheese into squares and stars before you start building. Having everything pre-cut and ready means you can move through the stripes quickly while the board still looks its freshest.
- A wooden tray with a slight lip works best for this board — it keeps the loose berries and fruit contained within the flag shape rather than rolling toward the edges.
This board takes a little more time than a casual charcuterie spread, but the payoff is worth it. Build it the morning of your gathering and it’s ready to anchor the rest of your 4th of July spread.
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