This post is created in partnership with Dare Crackers. Thanks for supporting the brands that keep the Flourishing Foodie delicious, and as always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Creating a cheese board for a holiday party has got to be one of the most sure-fire ways to impress your guests. It is an opportunity to let your creativity shine. I’ve never met a cheese board that I didn’t like. When I’m at a party and the host puts together an impressive cheese board, I know it’s going to be a good party, and I will leave feeling happy and full!

There are so many different ways in which you can put together a cheese board. There are so many different flavors and themes to choose from. Today I am going to focus on teaching you how to put together a holiday cheese board, with ingredients that are perfect for this time of year.

Whenever I think about the holidays, I am drawn to foods with rich and intense flavors: fatty foods, comfort food, red wine, casseroles, and stews. The same goes for the holiday cheese board. I like lots of rich and creamy cheeses, dark chocolates, dried fruit, olives, nuts, and let’s not forget the crackers. A cheese board wouldn’t be a cheese board without the crackers.

Ever since I can remember, my mother has always been making her cheese boards with Breton Original crackers and Cabaret crackers. I grew up eating Breton crackers, and still, to this day, they are my favorite crackers. So naturally, when I am putting together my cheese board, I always reach for Breton crackers. I love them because they are nutritious and they taste great. Breton crackers are made with no artificial colors or flavors. They are a privately-owned, family business, a brand that I can trust and their crackers are made in Spartanburg, SC.

DETAILS

• Before you prepare your cheese board, you will need something to display all of your beautiful ingredients on. Some suggestions are a cutting board, fancy platter, plate, pizza paddle, or regular brown paper will do the trick. Here is a link to the one I used.

• When creating a holiday cheese board, I like to stick to dried fruit and nuts. Fresh fruit tends to oxidize and turn brown too quickly. A cheese board is meant to be a collection of specialty foods that sits on the counter or table over a few hours. Fresh fruit does not hold up that well, except for grapes. They are perfect for a holiday cheese board.

• When choosing the cheeses, stick to the rich and creamy cheeses: sharp cheddar, gouda, camembert, brie, and blue cheese.

• Adding nuts to a cheese board adds depth and texture. Stick to holiday-themed nuts - walnuts, pecans, or almonds.

• Chocolate adds a delicate balance to all of the savory flavors. I like to add dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or chocolate covered nuts. You really can’t go wrong. Just make sure that you are adding some artisanal specialty chocolate. You want something unique and beautifully flavored.

• When choosing olives, I like to purchase them from an olive bar. That way, you can get different varieties.

• When choosing crackers, I think that Breton crackers are the perfect entertaining cracker. They are light and crisp, but sturdy enough to hold cheese, pickles, and spreads. They also don’t overpower the flavors of the delicious toppings on the board. My favorites are the Breton Original, Breton Multigrain, Cabaret, and the Grainsfirst.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup of olives

• 1 cup of walnuts

• 1/2 cup of dried cherries

• 1/4 cup of sour cherry preserve

• 1 cup of chocolate covered almonds

• 2 cups of grapes

• 4 oz of gouda

• 5 oz of sharp cheddar

• 8 oz of Cotswold creamy Double Gloucester laced with onion and chives

• 4 oz of Wensleydale cheese with cranberries

• 3 oz of gouda

• a variety of Breton Original, Breton Multigrain, Cabaret, and the Grainsfirst crackers which can be purchased at your local Safeway or Albertsons, or online at Amazon.

• rosemary sprigs for garnish