Boards with cheese, meat, fruit, veggies and crackers are my absolute favorite! So, I am thrilled that our friend Carolyn with The Cozy Food Feed is sharing instructions for a fun, festive and delicious board for the holiday season! I can’t wait to build this Christmas Tree Board for our family on Christmas Day!
INGREDIENTS:
– Fresh Rosemary
– Pomegranate Seeds
– Block of white cheddar cheese
– Prosciutto
– Raspberries
– Blackberries
– Salami
– Manchego Cheese
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Cut the cheddar into small cubes. The more even the pieces, the better.
2. For the base/ “trunk” of the tree, cut the Manchego into 1/2 inch thick slices. To do this, place the cheese on the cutting board with the rind facing you and cut long ways. Make sure the slices aren’t too thin and can stand up on their own. Push the cheese back together into its original form, and then “alternate” each piece to create a zipper effect (see photo). Set to the side.
3. Alternate thin layers into an upside down triangle: start with the rosemary, then the cubed cheddar.
4. For the third layer, place your prosciutto to match the angle of the upside down triangle of the first two layers, keeping it long, but wavy. This should take 2-4 pieces of prosciutto.
5. Use another layer of rosemary below the prosciutto.
6. For the berry layer, alternate blackberries and raspberries for the first row, and then just raspberries for the second.
7. Add another cheddar layer, followed by a rosemary layer.
8. Adorn the rosemary layers with pomegranates.
9. Using the manchego base that you created, place it as the “trunk” underneath the bottom rosemary layer, as shown vertically in the photo.
10. For the topper, you can use a cookie star, or you can create a salami rose like the one shown. To create a rose, use a small dip dish. Place 4-5 slices of salami in the dish, overlapping on one another with the “petals” overflowing from the top, which creates the outer part of the rose. Then, fold 4-7 pieces of salami in half. Place the first salami piece flat on the board, flat edge toward you (so it’s the shape of a rising sun). Put the second folded piece halfway across the first, and keep stacking them in that manner so that you have one long line. Then, tightly roll the salami line from left to right. After folding into a small roll, put it right into the center of the dish and arrange the petals to your liking.
Option: If you don’t have Manchego for the base, a grouping of vertical small pretzel sticks also makes a nice tree trunk!
Images from Tesora Photography