Cheesy Christmas Trees ‘grow’ sweet or savory
What’s better than a Christmas cheese ball? Christmas cheese trees.
My friend Pat Calhoun turned me on to these cheesy little trees. Her process is fairly simple: Unwrap a Laughing Cow cheese wedge and press a mixture of chopped pistachios and dried cranberries into the surface, then insert a pretzel stick.
I couldn’t help but tinker with the process a little. To help the fruit-and-nut mixture adhere to the cheese, I decided to try brushing the cheese with a thin layer of honey first. And for those who can’t eat nuts or find pistachios too expensive, chopped green onions, chives or fresh herbs such as parsley are tasty alternatives. If dried cranberries and honey skew too sweet, swap the cranberries for pomegranate arils or diced red bell pepper — roasted or fresh. You could even mix all the greens together — parsley, green onion and pistachios for a flavor-packed coating. I played around with different combinations; pistachio, parsley and pomegranate was my favorite, while my husband really liked the green onion and bell pepper.
Inserting the pretzel trunk is the trickiest part. I had a couple of trees break apart when I inserted the pretzel. To salvage them I rolled them into balls and served them alongside the trees.
Arrange the “trees” on a platter with crackers, sliced fruit, charcuterie or any other appetizers you like and serve.
The following measurements are approximations. You’ll definitely have some honey mixture left over. Whether to coat both sides of the cheese is up to you. I found coating both sides to be a bit cumbersome and messy and opted to stick with just the fronts.
Cheesy Christmas Trees
8 to 16 wedges Laughing Cow cheese, unwrapped
1 tablespoon honey, thinned with a teaspoon or so warm water
4 tablespoons chopped pistachios OR finely chopped green onion tops OR finely chopped fresh green herbs OR a combination
2 to 3 tablespoons finely chopped dried cranberries OR pomegranate arils OR diced red bell pepper or pimento OR a combination
4 to 8 pretzel sticks, broken in half
Working with one wedge of cheese at at time, lightly brush the surface with thinned honey. Sprinkle on some greenery and then dot, pressing lightly with desired red. Gently insert a pretzel stick into the wide end of the wedge for the trunk. Arrange on platter. Repeat with remaining wedges. If the “tree” breaks when you insert the stick, just roll it into a ball and coat with more nuts, herbs and fruit and serve as a mini cheese ball.
Makes 8 to 16 trees.