Turn your cheese board into a Christmas tree – and other festive recipes

CHEESE BOARD CHRISTMAS TREE

By far my favorite part of planning a Christmas party is deciding what show-stopping fare to feed my guests.

When it comes to food, I think I’ve tried it all: from decadent butter boards to elaborate grazing tables and once, disastrously, a retro fondue station.

This year, however, the latest entertainment trend to be the hostess with the most women is an edible Christmas tree.

Foodies are now going out of their way to create a ‘tree’ on the table made entirely of party snacks – be it cheese, charcuterie or choux buns.

The ultimate festive showstopper, with baubles, tinsel and even a star you can eat. These perfect table decorations are easy to customize to suit your guests’ tastes and look as if they were made by a professional caterer.

Best of all, the guests serve themselves so you can mingle.

I decide to try a cheese tree. After all, a party isn’t a party without a cheese board.

Armed with the right tools, ingredients, and sleight of hand, you can put together this cheesy treat in about two hours, including chilling and chopping time. Serve with plenty of crackers and chutney for dipping – delicious!

INGREDIENTS

• 4 jars of cream cheese of 165 g
• 3 packs of Boursin soft cheese of 150 g
• 1 pack fresh chives, finely chopped

Handful each of:

• pomegranate seeds
• dried cranberries
• pine nuts
• remains of yellow and red peppers
• 1 teaspoon dried chili flakes (optional)
• A few sprigs of rosemary
• Small piece of cheddar

EQUIPMENT: Cling film, aluminum foil, star cookie cutter, metal straw, palette knife, cake stand/serving bowl

BUILDING THE BASE: Millie West, director of grazing table company Graze & Gorge, says the base can be made from a mixture of cream cheese and Boursin. “There are so many different flavors on the market, so you can make it your own,” she adds.

“I buy four containers of cream cheese and three packages of Boursin, beat them together in a bowl and put the mixture in the refrigerator for an hour to set.”

To create the cone-shaped ‘tree’ structure, Millie suggests placing a sheet of cling film on top of a sheet of aluminum foil (for extra strength), placing the cheese on top and then rolling it into a tree shape.

The rolling process is surprisingly stress-free and the cheese is smooth but not too runny. I use my palette knife to remove lumps and smooth out the base. But as soon as I take off the cling film to roll my cone in chives, it starts to fall apart. I put the whole thing back in the fridge: 2-3 hours would make it firmer.

EDIBLE DECORATIONS: Dried cranberries, pomegranate seeds, red and yellow peppers make great “trinkets.” I arrange pine nuts into rings to resemble tinsel.

To complement the chive ‘needles’, Holly Stacpoole, director of GrazeMe, a luxury grazing company, suggests inserting sprigs of rosemary into the base to give a 3D effect and add spice with chilli flakes.

To save time on chopping, I poke a metal straw into my peppers to create miniature “trinkets.” And for the star on top, I use a cookie cutter to make the perfect shape from a piece of cheddar.

THE BIG REVEAL: It’s packed with festive colors, with bright yellow and red accents. Despite the massive amounts of cheese in the base, I may still need a few to feed all my guests (one tree can feed about ten people).

But the taste, once I pile on a cracker full of cheesy goodness, is delicious. However, next time I would experiment with different flavors, such as garlic and herbs, truffle or chili cream cheese.

ANTIPASTI AND CHARCU TREE

Salami, chorizo ​​and ham are a must for festive meals and ideal for dairy-free guests who can’t enjoy the cheese. This creation is made from symmetrical rows of charcuterie and various antipasti on individual cocktail sticks.

I serve mine with slices of sourdough bread and bowls filled with festive pate.

Cocktail sticks are a must for this tree. It is built on a flat silver tray and you will need a polystyrene cone, which acts as a base. ‘You can get these from florists or garden centres,’ explains Holly (they’re also available on amazon.co.uk).

Millie says this tree can be made ahead of time and refrigerated for three hours. Allow about an hour to put it together.

“Remove from the refrigerator 20-30 minutes before serving so the ingredients come to room temperature, otherwise the flavors will mellow,” she adds.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 x 200g mixed charcuterie platters
• 2 chorizo ​​sausages of 225 g
• 1 pack of sausages of 350 g
• About 400 g sliced ​​cooked ham

Handful each of:

• Cherry tomatoes
• black olives
• green olives
• marinated artichokes
• Fresh herbs and dried cranberries for decoration
• Small piece of orange pepper

EQUIPMENT: polystyrene cone, aluminum foil, adhesive tape, 200 cocktail sticks, star cookie cutter, serving bowl

BUILDING THE BASE: Using a pre-made cone may seem like cheating, but nothing else can withstand the weight of all that meat – unless you want a leaning tower instead of a proud tree.

I cover mine tightly in aluminum foil to prevent it from coming into contact with the food and stick it to the base with double-sided tape.

EDIBLE DECORATIONS: I clear my local supermarket of ‘mixed salami platters’ and buy a few chorizo ​​sausages, frankfurters and chunks of cooked ham from the local butcher.

For antipasti I use cherry tomatoes, black and green olives and artichokes. “You want to ensure there is enough variety and color,” says Millie. ‘Light, buttery Nocellara olives are perfect, as are peppers, tomatoes, radishes and grapes.

‘Fresh herbs and cranberries – but not for eating – are great for filling in any voids and creating a more rustic look.’

After chopping everything into bite-sized chunks, I stick cocktail sticks in them and start assembling. ‘Work in tinsel-like lines, starting from the basics, one ingredient at a time,’ says Millie.

I fold the charcuterie into uniform triangles that fit neatly into the holes.

It’s time-consuming, finger-stinging work: by the end I have painful red welts from all those pointed cocktail sticks. For the top I cut a star from orange pepper.

THE BIG REVEAL: This is certainly an impressive tree; all those spiky cocktail sticks make it look pretty formidable!

The ‘lines’ could be neater, but the overall effect is attractive and there is plenty of food to go around.

FESTIVE FRUIT TREE

This tree is an iridescent cornucopia of fresh fruit and could be a guilt-free tree unless you have a sweet tooth like me and add pots of melted chocolate for dipping. Thanks to the cleverly hidden base, it is completely edible.

Provide cocktail sticks, as this is how the fruit is held, and several bamboo skewers for the base. A flat board – I used a festive red board – is essential to keep the structure sturdy, plus a sharp knife to chop the decorations and shape the base.

It’s fairly quick to put together (about 45 minutes, including chopping time) and to maintain freshness, prepare it just before your guests arrive.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 large orange
• 1 large carrot

About 200 g each, chopped, of:

• Apples
• Oranges
• Pears
• Kiwi
• Melon
• Watermelon

About 100 g each of:

• Grapes
• Blueberries
• Raspberries
• Strawberries

• A few sprigs of fresh mint
• Icing sugar (for decoration)

EQUIPMENT: Bamboo skewers, 200 cocktail sticks, sharp knife, sieve for icing sugar, flat plate/dish for serving

BUILDING THE BASE: I used a large orange with the bottom cut off as a base, and a carrot attached vertically to the top using bamboo skewers.

“Another basic option could be a pineapple cut into the cone shape,” says Holly Stacpoole.

EDIBLE DECORATIONS: Go for any fruit you like. I chopped apples, oranges, pears, kiwis, cantaloupe, and watermelon into bite-sized pieces and also added blueberries, grapes, and any other berries I could get my hands on.

‘Christmas fruits to include are oranges, whole cranberries and redcurrants,’ says Holly. I used sprigs of mint in the holes and I put watermelon cubes as a ‘gift’ under the tree and a star-shaped melon for the top.

This is constructed in the opposite way to the charcuterie tree: the cocktail sticks go into the base, instead of sticking out, leaving only the colorful fruit visible.

A final layer of icing sugar ‘snow’ camouflages any wobbly bits and makes it look wonderfully festive.

THE BIG REVEAL: There’s a real wow factor, but the lifespan is short: all that fruit only lasts a few hours outside the refrigerator, so your party guests have to get to work. Next time I would mix in sweet treats too – brownie pieces, marshmallow and cookies.