Paper Crane Cured Meats (Printable)

Delicately folded cured meats paired with triangular crackers create an elegant appetizer presentation.

# What you'll need:

→ Cured Meats

01 - 3.5 oz prosciutto, thinly sliced
02 - 3.5 oz smoked turkey breast, thinly sliced
03 - 2.8 oz bresaola or pastrami, thinly sliced

→ Crackers

04 - 16 triangular whole-grain crackers, approximately 2 inches per side
05 - 8 black sesame or poppy seed triangular crackers

→ Garnishes

06 - 1 small bunch chives
07 - 1 small carrot, peeled
08 - 2 tbsp cream cheese
09 - 1 tbsp black sesame seeds

# Method:

01 - Using a vegetable peeler, slice the carrot very thinly. Cut a few slices into narrow strips to form the crane’s beak and legs.
02 - On a large serving platter, fold prosciutto and turkey slices into crisp, origami-inspired triangles. Layer them to build a three-dimensional crane body.
03 - Fold bresaola or pastrami slices into triangles, arranging them fanned upward to imitate wings in mid-flight.
04 - Place triangular crackers beneath and beside the cured meats, aligning them with the body and wings to enhance the crane silhouette.
05 - Secure carrot strips as beak and legs onto the body using cream cheese. Use chives to add delicate tail feathers or wing accents.
06 - Sprinkle black sesame seeds where the eye would be and across wings for texture and visual interest.
07 - Serve immediately or loosely cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 1 hour before serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • You can assemble the entire thing in your kitchen without heat, stress, or fancy skills.
  • It looks like you spent hours on it, which means your guests will be genuinely impressed.
  • There's something satisfying about arranging food into actual shapes—it taps into the part of you that liked origami as a kid.
02 -
  • Don't overthink the folds; even asymmetrical meat arrangements look intentional once you step back and see the whole crane.
  • Cold meat is easier to work with than room-temperature meat, so chill your slices for 10 minutes before folding.
  • The cream cheese is delicate—a little goes a long way, and too much makes the beak slide off.
03 -
  • Buy your meats from a quality deli counter where they'll slice to order; the difference in workability and flavor is noticeable.
  • Chill everything—platter, meats, crackers—right before assembly; it keeps the folds crisp and the presentation sharp.
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