Looking for something different to do with your holiday cheese board? Why not infuse it with a bit of holiday spirit?
This adorable design which incorporates three Wisconsin cheeses along with seasonal accompaniments is easy to put together and is sure to make your holiday table merry and bright.
Cheese board: The tree
Prep time: 20 minutes
Servings: 6
Ingredients:
1 blood orange
1 pound asparagus
6 ounces Wisconsin gouda cheese, sliced into wedges
6 ounces Wisconsin blue cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup red grapes
1 long breadstick cracker
6 ounces Wisconsin white cheddar, cubed
4 ounces prosciutto
Directions: Slice blood orange into rounds and then into small wedges. Arrange a few at the bottom of your board to create the tree skirt.
Use asparagus spears to create the tree outline. Arrange a few slices of gouda inside the tree outline to create the first layer. Add crumbled blue cheese layer above gouda, filling in corners.
Place breadstick slightly above blue cheese layer and arrange single row of grapes below. (Leave a bit of stem on the grapes to make them look like ornaments hanging from the breadstick.)
Arrange two rows of cubed white cheddar above breadstick. Gently fold prosciutto into thin layer above cheddar. Fill in the top of your tree outline with more gouda slices. Use additional blood orange wedges to create a star at the top of your tree.
More recipes
Find more great recipes – including savory biscuit pinwheels that are perfect for breakfast on Christmas morning – in the 2016 holiday issue of Grate. Pair. Share., an online magazine dedicated to all things Wisconsin cheese.
As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
