A Holiday Cheese Board + Artichoke Tapenade

We love to entertain, especially around the holidays. With the help of Castello Cheeses, we created a festive cheese board that will be a hit at any holiday gathering. I started by using a variety of cheeses, cutting them into different shapes and sizes. I think that a cheese board should offer three things: texture, color, and a variety of flavors. This board surely has all three. I began by cutting Castello Havarti into matchstick shapes and coating them with a mixture of chopped rosemary and cracked black pepper. A Caraway Seed Havarti accented the board with its textural appearance and pop of flavor. I would never make a cheese board without a wedge of fresh Castello Blue; this is by far my favorite.Jackie is a true cheese lover. She would eat any cheese imaginable, and just plain cheese and crackers would be enough for her.  However, a truly good cheese board includes a variety of flavor and texture, embracing the flavors of the season. On this board, we included bacon jam, a hard grain mustard, a truffle flavored honey, some plump olives, and a homemade artichoke tapenade (see recipe below).The right crackers are an essential accompaniment to the board, and thanks to Lesley Stowe, we had a ton of great options. We chose Raincoast Crisps and Veggie Flatbreads, and added some crunchy almonds and pistachios. I also wrapped some freshly sliced prosciutto around Italian breadsticks. A few great bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon from Folie à Deux sets off the flavors perfectly.To tie it all together, we selected some fall dried berries and fresh pine from the neighborhood florist (just make sure to use some that has not been treated with pesticides). We believe that anyone can make a great looking holiday cheese board; it just takes a little creativity and some good quality ingredients. From our family at Superman Cooks, we wish you a festive and happy holiday!

Need more cheese board ideas? Check out Holiday Champagne Brunch! 

This post is sponsored by our friends at Castello Cheese. All opinions are our own.

Artichoke Tapenade

Print Recipe

A holiday cheese board is an essential part of any festive gathering. Here's a how to make the best cheese board & impress your guests, featuring this delectable Artichoke Tapenade.

• Total Time: 10 mins
• Yield: 1 Cup 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 14 ounce can of artichoke hearts, (drained)
• ¼ tsp of garlic (chopped)
• 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon green olives, chopped finely
• 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese (grated)
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped red pepper
• salt
• pepper

Instructions

1. Rough chop artichokes and place in mixing bowl.
2. Add remaining ingredients and mix together and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 2 days.
3. Serve with fresh crackers or on your next cheese board.

• Author: Superman Cooks
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: n/a
• Category: appetizer
• Cuisine: Italian