dessert chocolate + cheese board

 

growing up my parents took us to quite a few fancy restaurants in niagara-on-the-lake & fine dining restaurants on cruise ships. they wanted us to be part of every celebration & every milestone they reached. whenever we went to these types of restaurants & it was time for the dessert menu to be served, it always had a local cheese board dish on it. i never understood how cheese was considered a dessert?! it was probably because my knowledge of cheese didn't stretch past the basic marble cheddar & kraft singles i was used to eating... two cheeses i wouldn't dare to eat now. as i got older, it all began to make sense. pairing creamy style cheeses with fruits, nuts, jam & of course chocolate was the best way to end a perfect meal.

today i am teaming up with my friends at ghirardelli to present to you the ultimate dessert cheese board to serve at any party! be it awards, game day, or a casual gathering with friends, everyone is sure to find something they love on this board! now the star of this platter doesn't necessarily have to be the cheese, it can be all the fun chocolate you pair with it too! because you can't have dessert without a little chocolate i paired the cheese board with ghirardelli's snack line of chocolate covered treats! they make for the best finger foods as you saw in my previous salted cashew trail mix recipe (which you can find here). this board contains chocolate covered sea salt cashews, sea salt almonds, blueberries, and toasted coconut.. it has every flavour you can dream of.

ingredients

  • 1 4.8 oz package of ghirardelli milk chocolate sea salt cashew
  • 1 4.8 oz package of ghirardelli milk chocolate sea salt almond
  • 1 4.8 oz package of ghirardelli dark chocolate blueberry
  • 1 4.8 oz package of ghirardelli milk chocolate toasted coconut
  • 1 wheel extra creamy brie
  • 1/4 wheel extra creamy danish blue cheese
  • 1 orange, thinly sliced
  • 1 pomegranate, seeded
  • 1 cup fresh blueberries
  • 1 pear, thinly sliced
  • 1 baguette, thinly sliced & toasted

directions

  • on a large wood serving board place the brie & blue cheese.
  • arrange all other ingredients around it starting with the fruit, chocolate & baguette slices.

bold & blue cheeseboard ft. castello giveaway

 

happy december!!! i cannot believe how fast this year has flown by, but 2016 has turned out to be quite the year. christmas will be here in the blink of an eye & i still haven't finished my decorating or christmas shopping. almost done though, almost. we put a freshly cut tree up this weekend & decorated it with all these woodsy creatures. i think christmas shopping has been the most time consuming part this year. i seem to find nothing i want when i shop for myself & everything i want when i should be shopping for others. anyone else have that problem?! the one of a kind show i went to in toronto had the most beautiful things though a little over budget;)

as christmas rapidly approaches us, i promised you one more cheeseboard with the help of my friends at Castello®. a bold & blue cheeseboard with italian meats. now this is the cheeseboard my family puts together at every single gathering. since both my mom & dad are italian, we can't go anywhere without including prosciutto, capicola & salami. oh & those olives, i can't forget about the olives. these meats pair perfectly with strong cheeses, roasted or pickled veggies & some crackers or fresh italian bread. it is pretty much a deconstructed italian sandwich on a big beautiful platter. the three Castello® cheeses i used are the traditional danish blue (i always include a type of blue cheese on my cheeseboards, be it sweet or savoury), aged havarti (currently available at sobeys) & tickler extra mature cheddar. the cheddar and aged havarti can be found in the deli section of your grocery store & you can ask for a piece to be the exact size you want. tickler extra mature cheddar has a sweet + tangy flavour & has been aged for up to18 months. this wonderful variety of cheeses and meats is a savoury centrepiece for any holiday gathering.

p.s. in case you missed last months cheeseboard feature, i made a sweet & simple board that featured creamy Castello® cheeses, candied nuts & fresh + dried fruits. you can check it out here!

p.p.s i am giving away $25 of CASTELLO® CHEESE & this gorgeous raw edge wooden cheeseboard (!!!!) so you can make your own this holiday season. to enter just leave a comment below of what your favourite holiday cheese is. winner will be picked next week!

ingredients

directions

  • place the blue cheese, aged havarti & tickler extra mature cheddar on desired serving board.
  • line with prosciutto, spicy capicola & salami. decorate with olives, red peppers, grapes & herbs.
  • serve with crackers & sliced bread.

note: i usually put the different olives & red peppers in little pinch bowls & refill if necessary.

this post was created in partnership with Castello cheese! thank you for supporting the brands that keep me doing what i love. don't forget to enter the giveaway below for a chance to win $25 of Castello cheese & the featured raw edge wood board to create your own cheeseboard:) xo

sweet + simple cheeseboard ft. castello

 

do you want to know what my favourite part of the many holiday gatherings are (hint: it isn't the desserts).. the cheeseboards!!!! oh how much i LOVE the cheeseboards. i could literally eat it as the main course & call it a day. my family being the italians we are is all about putting several different cheesy appetizer platters together over the christmas season. i think my sister wins when it comes to who eats the most cheese off the platters.. if she could put the whole brick of cheese on her plate she most definitely would. anyways, i am so excited to be teaming up with Castello this season to share two of my own cheeseboard pairings with you! one sweet & one savoury. this is my sweet & simple cheeseboard. it is made with mild, softer Castello cheeses & paired with different fruits + nuts.

the first thing i decide on when putting together the platter is the assortment of cheese i will include of course! for this board i went with Castello's brie cheese & Castello's extra creamy danish blue. brie is a softer mild white cheese. i don't think i have ever met a single person who doesn't love brie cheese, so this is always a must. brie pairs well with honey, jam, grapes & dried apricots. i provided a variety of toppings for the cheeseboard so my guests can explore different flavour combinations & textures. the extra creamy danish blue is a milder blue cheese that contains extra fresh cream. this richer (but milder) blue cheese is an ideal accompaniment for the fruits + nuts. i also included almonds & candied walnuts that i make myself, they make the best snack and compliment this cheeseboard perfectly!

i hope you enjoy my sweet & simple cheeseboard! below is the ingredient list for this board, including the recipe for my candied walnuts. check back in a few weeks when i share my savoury bold & blue cheeseboard platter, you won't want to miss it!

ingredients

for the cheeseboard

for the candied nuts

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 1 pinch of cinnamon
  • 1 cup whole walnuts or whole pecans (or a mix of both)

directions

for the cheeseboard

  • place the brie & blue cheese onto desired cheeseboard. arranged all other ingredients around it & garnish with fresh sage if desired.

for the candied nuts

  • preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • in a sauce pan over medium-low heat add sugar, honey, water, salt & cinnamon. bring to a boil & cook for a couple minutes to ensure the sugar has dissolved.
  • remove from heat & stir in walnuts & pecans. transfer nuts to a lined cookie sheet & bake for 10-15 minutes, tossing in between.
  • remove from heat & let cool to room temperature. store left over in a sealed jar.

this post was created in partnership with Castello cheese! thank you for supporting the brands that keep me doing what i love. xo