Need festive food for a gathering or upcoming party? Ready to try something new? Well you came to the right spot! Today I am joining a talented group of bloggers in a holiday appetizer roundup. Everyone is sharing something they love for this time of year. I am sharing my simple way to make pretty cheese board.
I find these boards are so popular that you can rely on them to fill most of your appetizer requirements for a gathering. It’s even better if you have a nice board to display it on.
I recently purchased this one from Crate & Barrel above, but I have my eye on these darling ones from Serena & Lily.. I like the leather straps to tote them and the whale spreaders!
I also like this one from Pottery Barn…
Having a good platter is half the battle.
Cheese boards are fun because you can make them seasonal. There is an easy equation to keep it simple- three cheeses, three fruits, and three kinds of crackers. I arrange those in a free-form fashion and fill in with whatever other nuts or salty treats I have on hand. Another touch that will make your cheese board popular is breaking up one or two dark chocolate bars and adding them in by the fruit. I copied this from an appetizer board at a tennis lunch and it’s been a hit every time I since.
The board on top photo was from my Blogger’s Lunch I hosted and it was in fall, so I used apples, pears, persimmons, walnuts and figs. I try and add three cheeses- one soft like a brie, a gouda or a manchego which are firmer, and a goat cheese which I like to drizzle honey and sprinkle almonds or pecans on. Mini apples are in the store now and look cute as a garnish on a fall board if you find them.
In summer I choose things like berries, peaches and apricots, the same cheeses and a little edible flower or two. Sprigs of fresh mint can look and smell pretty with the berries and the same cheeses and crackers.
In winter I like a pomegranate split on the board and the seeds sprinkled on top of a drizzle of honey on the goat cheese. Fruit is harder to come by so dried figs – the Turkish kind, can look pretty sliced in half, and of course citrus should be on a winter board. Clementines are very cute cut in little wedges or peeled and broken up next to dark chocolate. Candied nuts are a holiday touch you can add on a December board.
My go-to crackers are the unbeatable Rainforest Crisps, Trader Joes Pita Crackers, and any long Italian cracker. I also like to add Mary’s Classic Crackers as they are gluten free.
My formula is pretty simple and if you do these frequently it is easy to stock the basics in the pantry and pull one together on the fly. I worry often about them being neat, but sometimes just mounding them up and letting it all organically kind of fall together can look just as pretty, so don’t overthink it and have fun!
Now for more good ideas please stop by lovely partners in this and see what they have in store for you for holiday appetizers….
This is a link to each person’s blog and after their Instagrams so you can follow them there as well..
Melaine My Sweet Savannah @mysweetsavannah
Sheri Sheri Silver @sherisilver
StefanieBeautiful Living with Stefanie Wall @beautiful_living_wtih_stefanie
Mary Ann Classic Casual Home @classiccasualhome
Cindy Rough Luxe Lifestyle @cindyhattersley
Annie Most Lovely Things @most_lovely_things
I would love for you to share below in comments if you have a favorite appetizer for holiday get-togethers.
Cheers!
Kim
