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Make your holiday charcuterie board the talk of the family with my guide on How to Make Salami Roses! These easy, edible decorations look stunning on a cheese plate, and they're fun and quick to make – perfect for involving the kids in party preparations!
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Salami Rose
Every year, I love treating my loved ones to holiday charcuterie, packed with all our favorite meats, cheeses, crackers, and dips. Every time, I get to watch my family members eagerly devour it, leaving not a single crumb by the end of the night.
My pride and joy? The gasps of awe upon seeing how beautiful a charcuterie board can be! Laid out with domino-style rows of cheese slices, berries, herbs, and gorgeous salami roses, it's almost enough to give my family pause. Almost. They always wind up digging in seconds later!
In my opinion, it's all about the meat flowers. They're so beautiful, they could grace a wedding platter, but they're surprisingly fun and easy to create! With my simple guide for how to make salami roses, you can even get the kids involved; it's that easy.
All you need is a wine glass and salami (or even pepperoni)!
Salami Flower Ingredients
- Thin sliced salami (I prefer Italian dry salami)
- Wine glass
You can make pepperoni flowers too! If the pepperoni slices are large, follow the same instructions. If small, scroll down to see how to make pepperoni flowers.
How to Make a Salami Rose
- Place a wine glass in front of you. Take slices of salami individually and begin folding them over the glass rim, covering about halfway or less of the salami slice.
- Continue layering each piece of salami, overlapping them at the halfway point. Make sure to hold them down tightly so they hug the rim! This will take 10-12 slices.
- Once layered until fully covering the mouth of the glass, flip the glass upside-down. Slowly turn it to carefully remove the salami rose.
Pepperoni Roses
- Following the Salami instructions, layer the pepperoni around the rim of the glass.
- Once the flower is fully formed, take a paper towel or a sheet of plastic wrap and press it over top. Fold down the sides, then use a rubber band to hold it tight to the glass.
- Place the glass in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. When chilled, remove and take off the rubber band and paper towel, then flip the glass and carefully remove the rose.
Expert Tips
- Don't limit yourself to just one or two kinds of meat! Any type of cured meat, sliced into thin rounds, is a great choice. You can even make them with turkey, ham, or roast beef using a circle cookie cutter to slice the meat into thin round slices.
- You can make smaller, more compact flowers using smaller glasses or a champagne flute and miniature salami slices.
- If the salami slices are relatively thick, allow them to sit out until they reach room temperature. This makes shaping them easier.
- I recommend using pre-sliced salami as it can be difficult (and time consuming!) to slice salami thin enough off the log.
Adjusting the Size of the Rose
To make a variety of sizes of salami rose, you can use all sorts of different kind of glass. Just make sure that they have round, thin rims- otherwise, the size of the glass is up to you. I use a shot glass or champagne flute for smaller roses, while larger roses can be made with a larger glass like a wide-rimmed wine glass.
How to Make a Salami Bouquet
- Assemble several salami roses, as directed above.
- Take each salami rose and pierce through the center with a bamboo skewer, pushing the rose to the very top.
- Pierce several leaves of herbs such as basil or mint underneath to create leaves for the flowers.
- Follow up with cubes of cheese, grapes, and more herbs.
- Complete the bouquet with any accompaniments, such as cheese shapes, pretzel sticks, and sprigs of rosemary!
How to Make a Salami Rose FAQ
A meat rose is a flower-like arrangement of slices of preserved meat such as salami or pepperoni. The slices are layered up until they take the shape of rose petals, making a perfect edible decoration for charcuterie boards or gift packages!
Salami pairs beautifully with almost all flavors that could be set out on a platter. I recommend pairing it with creamy cheeses to cut the salt, such as brie, cheddar, and gouda, as well as savory sauces like mustard and a side of nuts and crunchy, mild crackers. Adding a fruit spread or fresh berries will perfectly cap off the platter!
What to Serve with Salami Roses
Now that you've got beautiful salami roses, what else should go on the board? Luckily, with charcuterie, the sky's the limit! Pile it up with a big variety for the best possible cheese board experience. Remember, it's essentially an adult snack board, so add anything you'd love to snack on!
- Thin-sliced cheese wedges (Avoid cheese cubes. Thinner slices means more surface area, and thus more flavor!)
- Rolls of other preserved meats
- Fruit spreads in small ramekins
- Mustard pots
- Honey or honeycomb
- Dried apricots
- Fresh berries and sliced fresh fruit
- Fresh herbs, especially basil and mint leaves (These also make great decorations around the flowers!)
- A slice or a small round of brie, accompanied by a serving knife
- A range of crackers (I recommend a water cracker, a savory flavored cracker, and a sweet cracker such as Almondinas)
- ...And of course, a bottle of the perfect wine or stout!
What Cheese to Serve with Salami Roses
There are so many great cheeses to add to your charcuterie board! There's no one right selection, but here's a great place to start to get some ideas. This list gives a well-rounded selection with a little something for everyone. Remember, when buying cheese, quality makes a massive difference.
- Cheddar (white, sharp) - Adds crunch and sharpness. The more aged, the sharper and crunchier.
- Gouda (smoked or plain) - Adds creaminess. Smoked is very strong, while plain is mild and milky!
- Brie - Offers a creamy, spreadable texture. It can vary from funky to clean and buttery.
- Goat cheese (soft) - Comes in logs with coatings or as rolls with a rind. You can choose sweet or savory options!
- Manchego (3-12 month) - Sheep cheese that adds a unique nuttiness. Younger Manchego is soft and mild, while 12 month is hard and nutty.
- Flavored cheese - Have fun with adding a cheese with herbs or spices! Havarti is always a great choice for this.
- Blue cheese (spreadable or in chunks) - Serve alongside honey!
Holiday Party Recipes
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How to Make Salami Roses
Ingredients
- 12 slices Salami - or Pepperoni
Instructions
Salami Roses
- Set a wine glass in front of you. Taking slices of salami individually, start folding them over the rim of the glass, about halfway or less through the salami.12 slices Salami
- Continue layering slices, overlapping them at the halfway point. Make sure to hold them down tightly so they hug the rim! This will take 10-12 slices.
- Once layered until fully covering the mouth of the glass, flip the glass upside-down. Slowly turn it to carefully remove the salami rose.
Pepperoni Roses
- Following the Salami instructions, layer the pepperoni around the rim of the glass.
- Once the flower is fully formed, take a paper towel and press it over top. Fold down the sides, then use a rubber band to hold it tight to the glass.
- Place the glass in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. When chilled, remove and take off the rubber band and paper towel, then flip the glass and carefully remove the rose.
Notes
- Don't feel limited to only one or two kinds of meat! Any cured meat cut into rounds will work great.
- Make a beautiful meat bouquet by piercing the center of each flower with a skewer, then bundling them up with herbs, pretzel sticks, cheese shapes on skewers, and skewered berries!
- You can make smaller, more compact flowers using smaller glasses and miniature salami slices.
- If the salami is fairly thickly sliced, let it sit out until it comes to room temperature. This will make it easier to fold into shape.
- I recommend using pre-sliced salami as it can be difficult (and time consuming!) to slice salami thin enough off the log.
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