How To Use Cheese In Appetizers This Holiday Season

Cheese is a delicious addition to almost any meal, no matter the time of day or the time of the year. That means that when it comes to holiday dishes, cheese can play a central role, whether you are talking about the main dish or the appetizers. Here are just some delicious ways to use cheese in your holiday appetizers.

Classic Cheese Tray

Perhaps the easiest way to use cheese in appetizers during the holiday season is to create a classic cheese tray. Try to select three or four cheeses with a variety of textures, flavors, and sharpness. Remember to include crackers, chips, or something similar to eat with the cheese and add some fruit and/or nuts for additional flavor combinations.

Almond Crusted Brie

If you want to actually make something for the appetizer instead of simply making a festive cheese tray, try almond crusted brie. It may sound intimidating, but is actually fairly simple. Preheat your oven while completely covering a Brie cheese round with puff pastry. Brush on some egg, sprinkle on some almonds, and bake your Brie. At the end, drizzle on some pureed raspberries and serve your appetizer.

Cheese Balls

A simple option for a handheld cheese appetizer is a cheese ball. Mix together your favorite cheeses (such as cream cheese, feta, and shredded sharp Cheddar) with some Worcestershire sauce and onion using a mixer. Once this is fluffy, let it sit in the fridge for eight hours before shaping it into a ball and rolling in some parsley. Serve it with crackers like you would a standard piece of cheese.

Cheese Dips

Those looking for a simple way to ensure cheese is the focal point of the appetizer without involving too many other ingredients can try to make a cheese dip. You can either get creative or find a recipe you enjoy. To keep it simple, simply melt three or four of your favorite cheeses together (try cream cheese, sour cream, and shredded semi-soft cheeses such as Havarti or Gouda) plus some seasoning. Or to let your creativity shine and truly impress your guests, mix some blue cheese with caramelized apples, pecans, and other ingredients for flavoring. Another delicious choice is to make a nutty cheese spread incorporating fruit chutney on top.

Cheese Bread

A final option is to make some cheese bread as an appetizer. To make this appetizer even easier so you can focus on creating the main dishes, buy some biscuit making mix and throw in butter, milk, egg, minced onion, chopped parsley, and the secret ingredient: shredded Cheddar cheese, as sharp as you want.