Holiday Cheese Board
Ingredients:
For the apricot cheddar cheese ball:
- 1 8 oz package cream cheese
- 2 green onions (sliced)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup apricot preserves
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar
To assemble the cheese board:
- Sliced fresh Fall fruits (I used persimmons, pomegranate, blood oranges, apples and pears)
- Mixed olives
- Cranberry sauce or other preserves (recipe for cranberry sauce here)
- Apple butter or other store bought spread (recipe for apple butter here)
- Crackers (pretzels, bread or anything to put cheese and spreads on)
- Assorted cheeses (I used the cheese ball above as well as some brie and sliced garlic cheese)
Instructions:
- For the apricot cheddar cheese ball:
- Combine the cream cheese, green onions, garlic powder, paprika and salt in a small bowl until smooth.
- Form into a ball (there's really no un-messy way to do this) and set on a plate or piece of wax paper.
- Spoon apricot preserves overtop of the cheese ball.
- Top with the shredded cheddar, pressing it into the ball on all sides. I topped the whole thing with a little piece of celery to make it look like a pumpkin.
- To assemble the cheese board:
- Put your spreads, olives, and anything else that needs a container into small bowls. I like to use an assortment of bowls that are not all the same size or shape.
- Start by arranging the largest items on your board or plate. This is usually the cheeses. I like to place them around the board so that they are separated and there won't be two large items right next to each other.
- Add in the bowls around the board.
- Place the sliced fruit and crackers so that they are in between the cheeses and bowls on your board or plate. Just keep going until the board is completely full.