Dessert Cheeseboard + My New Favorite Jewels!
September 15, 2017 by Nicole Collins
Chocolate, cheese, and jewels...
These are a few of my favorite things!
A couple of weekends ago, I hosted a jewelry party. The company is called Chloe and Isabel, and the jewelry is absolutely fantastic. There are a ton of different styles and colors, the jewelry is well made with 100% replacement guarantee if anything happens to it, and the prices are great! Win, win, win all around.
I met my merchandiser, Emily, at a police fundraiser event last year; and her and I kept in touch ever since. It took us (well, me) forever to be able to coordinate a date to have the party, but it was totally worth the wait.
I had never hosted one of those direct sales home parties before, so I wasn't really sure what to expect. I had about 8 ladies total, and honestly, I was worried that the crowd was going to be too small.
But, it wasn't. It was SO MUCH FUN!
We had good friends and family. We had jewels. We had wine. And, we had a dessert cheeseboard. I'm pretty sure nothing in the world could've made it any better.
It's no secret that I'm a lover of a good cheeseboard. I mean, I've figured out how to turn a cheeseboard in to lunch!
I just love all of the possible combinations that you can get from a cheeseboard. Salty, sweet, tangy, chewy, crunchy, yummy...
I've been dreaming about this dessert cheeseboard for a LONG time. And, I knew my jewelry party was the perfect time to debut it.
I'm sure you're thinking that a dessert cheeseboard sounds a little strange. But trust me, cheese and chocolate might just be the new peanut butter and jelly.
This cheeseboard might seem like there's a lot going on in it, but every component plays a very specific role. I took a lot of time thinking about what chocolates, cheeses, fruits, and dippers would compliment each other the best.
So, here's how this cheeseboard comes together.
Let's start with the star! The element that takes this from appetizer to dessert...the chocolate. I made sure I covered all of the bases in chocolatetown. We've got milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, chili chocolate, and toffee chocolate. There's something for everyone in this chocolate selection!
Next, let's talk cheese. I picked cheeses that would compliment the sweet, bitter, or smokey notes in the different kinds of chocolates. The cheese adds an important textural component too, so I made sure to add soft and hard cheeses. So, we use brie, goat cheese, wine cheese, smoked gouda, and sharp cheddar.
These cheeses are all easy to find in your local grocery stores too. So, we can have an elegant selection without having to travel the world to find them!
Our next important element is the dippers. I wanted to stick with the sweet/savory theme, so I used some dessert dippers and some salty dippers that can be found in dessert settings. See, well thought out! So, our dippers include pound cake, graham crackers, mini croissants, and mini pretzels. Can I get a carb yeah?!?
The last thing to mention on our board is the accompaniments: the fruits and the sauces. We've got apples. We've got peaches. We've got strawberries. We've got honey. And, we've got caramel. These are the gems that tie this whole board together!
One thing that I challenged everyone at the jewelry party to do was to think outside of the box, be a little brave, and experiment with different combos. I also asked everyone to tell me their favorite concoctions.
And here are some of our favorite combos:
Dark Chili Chocolate + Brie + Pretzel
Smoked Gouda + Apple
Goat Cheese + Strawberry + Croissant
Dark Chocolate + Wine Cheese + Strawberry + Pretzel
Croissant + Smoked Gouda + Apple + Caramel
Pound Cake + Brie + Milk Chocolate Toffee
Graham Cracker + Goat Cheese + Milk Chocolate + Strawberry
Peach + Caramel
And, these are just a few of the amazing combinations that you could come up with!
As fun as it was gabbing with the girls, drinking wine, and trying on jewels; this Dessert Cheeseboard was like a fun party game. It was such a huge hit, and it was a great topic for conversation!
Just when you think this idea couldn't get any better, let me tell you that this board can feed a crowd too! By the time you break everything down into grab and go portions, you have a ton leftovers for refilling the board for your party guests! It's too easy!
Despite there being a lot of elements in this board, this is actually a reasonably priced project too. Since it feeds so many, you can feel good about spreading the costs. And, I was able to find every element (except the pound cake) at Aldi which already has some great quality stuff for some really great prices. If you have an Aldi near you, be sure to start your shopping there!
Ok, I've officially set you up for success for your next party! Get ready to impress your friends and family tenfold with little to no effort!
And, make sure you treat yourselves or your loved ones to some jewels while you're at it!
Enjoy, let's sparkle, and let's eat!
Dessert Cheeseboard
Serves: A crowd! Print
Ingredients:
Milk Chocolate, broken in to chunks
Dark Chocolate, broken in to chunks
Dark Chili Chocolate, broken in to chunks
Milk Toffee Chocolate, broken in to chunks
White Chocolate, broken in to chunks
Sharp White Cheddar, sliced
Brie
Goat Cheese
Smoked Gouda, sliced
Port Wine Cheese
Apples, sliced
Peaches, sliced
Strawberries, sliced
Mini Croissants, sliced in half
Graham Crackers
Pretzels
Pound Cake, (I use Sarah Lee) sliced ¼ inch thick and sliced in half
Honey
Caramel
Directions:
On a large serving board, arrange chocolates in different areas of the board (closest to the edges. Next arrange the cheeses, keeping Brie as the centerpiece. Next, arrange the fruits around the board. Last, arrange the dippers around the board. Finish with honey and caramel in separate dipping ramekins.
Recipe notes:
*Here are some favorite combos: Dark chili chocolate + Brie + Pretzel; Smoked Gouda + Apple; Goat Cheese + Strawberry + Croissant; Dark Chocolate + Wine Cheese + Strawberry + Pretzel; Croissant + Smoked Gouda + Apple + Caramel; Pound Cake + Brie + Milk Chocolate Toffee; Graham Cracker + Goat Cheese + Milk Chocolate + Strawberry; Peach + Caramel...there are so many combos. The possibilities are endless!
*This may seem like A LOT of components, but each plays an important role. I got everything but the pound cake at my local Aldi for a fantastic price. If you have one near you, check them out!
*I used 3 oz of each chocolate, 1 peach, 1 apple, a cup of strawberries, and handfuls of the dippers, and it served 8 people with plenty to spare. You can really feed a large crowd by buying just one pack of everything.
