Winter Solstice Cheese Board (Print Version)

A seasonal board offering savory dark and fresh bright flavors with cheese, fruit, nuts, and honey.

# What You Need:

→ Dark Side (Olives & Figs)

01 - 3.5 oz Kalamata olives, pitted
02 - 3.5 oz oil-cured black olives
03 - 4.2 oz dried mission figs, halved
04 - 2 tbsp fig jam
05 - 1.4 oz dark chocolate, broken into pieces
06 - 2.1 oz roasted almonds
07 - 1 sprig fresh rosemary (for garnish)

→ Light Side (Brie & Pears)

08 - 7 oz ripe Brie cheese, wheel or wedge
09 - 2 ripe pears, thinly sliced
10 - 2 tbsp honeycomb or honey
11 - 1.4 oz toasted walnuts
12 - 2.1 oz seedless green grapes
13 - 1 small bunch fresh thyme (for garnish)

→ Accompaniments

14 - 1 small baguette, sliced
15 - 3.5 oz assorted crackers

# How To Make:

01 - Use a sprig of rosemary or a row of crackers to mark the board exactly in half.
02 - Place the olives, dried figs, fig jam, dark chocolate pieces, and roasted almonds on one half. Garnish with rosemary.
03 - Place the Brie, pear slices, honeycomb or honey, toasted walnuts, and green grapes on the opposite half. Garnish with thyme.
04 - Arrange baguette slices and crackers along the center line or on separate plates for easy access.
05 - Present immediately at room temperature for optimal enjoyment.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It's a no-cook appetizer that looks like you spent hours planning it when you really just spent fifteen minutes arranging beautiful things.
  • The contrast between dark, umami-rich flavors and bright, sweet, fresh ones means everyone finds something they actually want to eat.
  • It invites people to graze and linger instead of rushing through a meal, which is the whole point of winter gatherings.
02 -
  • Slice your pears at the very last minute—literally as people are sitting down—because they brown fast and that ruins the whole bright-side aesthetic you've worked for.
  • Room temperature is non-negotiable; cold Brie is dense and bitter, and it won't spread or taste like anything worth eating.
  • The board should feel abundant but not suffocating; give ingredients room to breathe so each element stays distinct instead of becoming a blur of stuff.
03 -
  • Buy your Brie a day or two ahead and leave it on the counter for a few hours before serving so it reaches that perfect soft-but-not-collapsing state.
  • If you're making this ahead, slice your baguette and keep the crackers separate; add the pears right before people sit down and drizzle honey fresh so it's still wet and catches the light.
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