Rock the holidays with our festive Imported Cheeseboard, created for us by Julie Hartigan of Cooking w/ Julie. Full of unique and delicious flavors and decked in seasonal colors, it looks impressive, yet takes only a few minutes to prepare. Try our suggestions and don’t be afraid to add favorites of your own. You can’t go wrong here, because everything is better with imported cheese.
♥ The Imported Cheeses:
- A statement ‘round’ that really gets noticed. We like imported Bucheron.
- A semi-hard sheep’s milk cheese. Try imported Manchego.
- A cow’s milk: imported Edam is always a crowd pleaser.
- An Imported Danish cheese. Because it’s all about the blue.
- A seasonal flair. For the holiday we suggest Wensleydale with Cranberries and an herbed French Brie.
- For something fun and unexpected: introduce your guests to imported St. Nectaire.
♥ The Accompaniments:
- Prosciutto or any thinly sliced ham. Cut into ribbons and placed to one side of the board.
- Aged sausage and salami for the charcuterie fans. Slice some and leave some whole for your guests to cut themselves.
♥ The Extras:
- Stone ground mustard for a zesty kick.
- Flavored honey for your guests to drizzle.
- Chutney or jam. Try something unexpected like lingonberry, peach or fig.
- Fresh and dried fruit for noshing. Dried apricots and cherries are sweet and tart and. Fresh figs add a bright flavor.
- Nuts for a salty crunch. Walnuts or cashews are our faves.
- Olives marinated in garlic and rosemary are wonderful all by themselves.
♥ The Bread:
- Flatbread is perfect with any cheese.
- Almond and nut crackers are unexpected. Grainy bread stands up to all the bold flavors.
♥ The Decoration:
Add festive décor to brighten things up.
- Rosemary and cranberry skewers are a nice surprise.
- Sprigs and leaves of fresh or dried herbs, like thyme or sage, add color and aroma.
- Pomegranate seeds for a pop of color.