Here’s how to give your table real Christmas wow factor with a French cheese wreath…
French cheese wreath – fromage and flair
This is not a recipe as such, it is more of an assembly job, but it is fun, festive and a little frivolous. It’s easy to do and looks fabulous in the centre of a buffet table. All you need is a large platter, I used an antique cake platter. Grab a few fresh bay leaves, a baguette, some dried cranberries (called Craisins in the USA and Canada), a few freshly cracked walnuts and your favourite cheese. I used a round of Boursin cheese in the picure above.
Pop a nice little butter knife next to the cheese, so people can then help themselves to the cheese wreath. It’s simple, quick and fun, and the bay leaves impart a subtle taste to the baguette slices and also act as a room scenter. Genius!
Of course this idea will also work well with other cheeses. I recomment a mild cheese for a pre-dinner cheese platter. Leave the cheeses with attitude to be enjoyed with a glass of claret towards the end of the meal.
You can also use cheese spread, cheese cubes (made with hard cheese) and a whole young Camembert, though, not too aged and runny. Leave the oozy Camembert to have a bit of fun with the other big flavoured cheeses later.
This is guaranteed to make everyone be wowed by your artistry at the table!
Karen Booth-Burns is a freelance food and travel writer, recipe developer and food stylist with a passion for local, seasonal ingredients. She has an award winning blog and runs a seasonal cookery school in SW France. www.lavenderandlovage.com
