A Beautiful and Easy Last Minute Hor D'oeuvre for your Holiday Party

With Christmas being just days away, it seems everyone is scrambling to check off the final things on the (seemingly endless) to-do list, and wrapping up the last minute details. It can be a little overwhelming, espeically if you're hosting.

We have found that hors d'oeuvres can either be something you LOVE to plan and have been planning since last year, or it's something you've dreaded and have waited until the last minute to figure out. We're here for those of you who have yet to make it to the grocery store and need a simple and quick, yet elegant appetizer idea. One that will both be beautiful and appetizing, while also intriguing to your guests. And of course, delicious!

When we plan our appetizers and hors d'oeuvres, we really like to pay attention to the quality of what we're offering. You can still indulge during the holidays and enjoy the food you're eating, while also being somewhat mindful of where the food is sourced and what kind of ingredients it consists of!

We want to share with you our favorite quick and easy solution for your last minute trip to the grocery store before all of your guests arrive- A Charcuterie Board!

The 3,3,3,3 Method

A charcuterie board should consist of four main things; meats, cheeses, starches and accoutraments. Accoutraments is just a fancy word for additional items that add flavor, texture and fun to the board. Examples of this would be things like jams, nuts, fruits, and veggies. We like to plan by the 3,3,3,3 method. Which is just simply having three different meats, three cheeses, three starches and three accoutraments (at least) on the board so there is a nice variety. So let's get into it.

The Main Event

The items that you should pay the most attention to quality wise are the meats and cheeses, as they can bring the biggest bang when it comes to flavor. They're all fairly versitile for mixing and matching with the accoutraments.

Meat: Focus on meats like sausages, prosciutto, genoa salami, or smoked salmon. Your local deli or butcher shop should have great options here! You want to avoid meats that

have nitrates in them, are overly salted or have been cured. It's actually quite simple to find

uncured meats like this! Also, look for wild caught and grass-fed/finished options. Make sure you get some mallable or "soft" meat and some sturdy for different textures and flavors.

Cheese: Rule of thumb for cheese on a board like this is to have one hard cheese, one soft (spreadable) cheese, and one middle of the road. You also want to focus on having a little sweet and a little savory. So for example, an aged cheddar, a young gouda or cranberry stilton and a brie (warmed up with honey is *chef's kiss*!). You want to avoid cheese that can be considered "stinky" or overwhelming when it comes to scent and taste. You want to avoid buying cheese that has a LONG ingredient list, is not organic, or has anything like a caking agent in it. Your local deli may have some great options here too.

And that's it for the main event! So now let's move on to the starches.

The Starches

Starches can mean things like breads, crackers and pretzels. It's entirely up to you and your preferences, however, when choosing these you want to pay attention to the meat and cheese you have already chosen and what would pair best. We love to have something like a french baguette cut into slices, water crackers and dipping breadsticks! Water crackers are nice because they're almost flavorless. This helps to enhance the flavors of the meat, cheese and accoutroments rather than take away from them. However if you're looking for more flavor, we suggest looking for a sourdough cracker flavored with herbs like rosemary. Pay attention to the ingredient list and make sure you're buying organic and non-gmo as often as possible!

The Accoutroments

Here's the fun part! There are ENDLESS things you can add to a charcuterie board to give it a little pizazz, a lot more flavor and the texture you want. Here are some of our favorites:

Nuts: We like to use cashews, almonds, pistachios, and walnuts. You can also add things like chocolate covered or candied nuts to add a touch of sweet!

Fruits: Since it's the holiday season, we recommend pomegranate seeds, grapes, orange

slices, berries, figs and dried fruits, organic of course.

Veggies: Focus on things like pickles (sweet and dill), olives (stuffed is a great idea!), pickled

asparagus or carrots and peppers.

Preserves: Blackberry, raspberry, blueberry...you really can't go wrong with anything flavor!

Try it warmed up! So delicious on top of a spreadable warm cheese.

Condiments: You can also add things like a honey drizzle, or a flavored mustard (we love cherry!) or anything of the like!

Something Sweet: We like to make sure to add something sweet. As we mentioned above

it can be something like candied pecans or chocolate covered peanuts. Or you could add

small pieces of dark chocolate or candy canes to add to the holiday spirit!

Make It Beautiful

Now to make it beautiful. We've all seen those beautifully done charcuterie boards on Pinterest. This doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful. To start, pick out a board you love or lay down some brown charcuterie paper on your table. Next, start placing your items and have fun with it! Charcuterie truly is an art, but it doesn't have to be for your holiday party, and you can't do it wrong! As long as you spread out the meat, cheese, starches and accoutroments so that like isn't right next to like, it will be perfect! We recommend adding some finishing touches like sprigs of rosemary, cranberries, or maybe even a few pinecones! This will help to bring in some holiday spirit. And wah-lah! There you have it. An easy yet elegant hor d'oeuvre that everyone will love!

In Closing,

The holidays can feel overwhelming, but food doesn't have to be! And remember, your health and wellbeing matters whether it's a Tuesday or Christmas Day. We hope you found this helpful and that you have a beautiful time with your families and friends this week. We will see you back here after the Holiday! Merry Christmas to you and yours.