Winter Solstice Cheese Board (Printable Version)

Seasonal board with savory olives, figs, Brie, pears, nuts, and honey for a perfect contrast.

# What You'll Need:

→ Dark Side

01 - 3.5 oz Kalamata olives, pitted
02 - 3.5 oz oil-cured black olives
03 - 4.2 oz dried mission figs, halved
04 - 2 tbsp fig jam
05 - 1.4 oz dark chocolate, broken into pieces
06 - 2.1 oz roasted almonds
07 - 1 sprig fresh rosemary (for garnish)

→ Light Side

08 - 7 oz ripe Brie cheese, whole or wedge
09 - 2 ripe pears, thinly sliced
10 - 2 tbsp honeycomb or honey
11 - 1.4 oz toasted walnuts
12 - 2.1 oz seedless green grapes
13 - 1 small bunch fresh thyme (for garnish)

→ Accompaniments

14 - 1 small baguette, sliced
15 - 3.5 oz assorted crackers

# Directions:

01 - Use a line of rosemary sprigs or a row of crackers to separate the serving board exactly in half.
02 - Place olives, dried figs, fig jam, dark chocolate pieces, and roasted almonds on one half. Garnish with fresh rosemary.
03 - Place Brie cheese, sliced pears, honeycomb or honey, toasted walnuts, and green grapes on the opposite half. Garnish with fresh thyme.
04 - Place sliced baguette and assorted crackers along the center or on separate serving plates.
05 - Present at room temperature and enjoy without delay.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • It requires zero cooking, zero stress, just beautiful arrangement and fifteen minutes of your time.
  • The contrast between dark and light creates drama on the table that makes people feel you've put real thought into the moment.
  • Every element was chosen to pair naturally—those salty olives sing next to sweet figs, the Brie melts perfectly against crisp pear.
02 -
  • Slice your pears at the last possible moment before serving—even five minutes in, they'll begin to brown, and it disrupts the clean light-side aesthetic.
  • Leave space between elements instead of cramming everything in; negative space is what makes this look intentional instead of scattered.
03 -
  • Arrange the dark and light sides separately in your mind first—this helps you avoid visual muddle and ensures each side has its own coherence before you put them together.
  • The most underrated part is making sure you have good knives: a small paring knife for pears, a cheese knife for the Brie, and nothing ruins a board faster than ragged cuts.
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