Build a Beautiful Board for the Holidays with Blue Diamond Almonds

The holidays are quickly coming up and it’s easy to get carried away with a long list of to-dos. We know this year may look a little different than holiday seasons past, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take time to enjoy a delicious assortment of tasty treats with your loved ones. If you haven’t hopped on the charcuterie board craze just yet, So Yummy is about to show you what you’ve been missing.

The key to show-stopping charcuterie is assembling your board with high quality ingredients. That’s where Blue Diamond Almonds come in. We are addicted to crunching on the classic snack almonds. They are the perfect accompaniment to almost every type of cheese and they make an excellent addition to any board.

So Yummy partnered with Blue Diamond Almonds to bring you entirely new and unique types of charcuterie that are perfect to place out at any small holiday get together. The “Sweet and Salty Gift Box” is the perfect personalized mini board to gift your guests at your next socially distanced gathering. Even the kids can get in on the fun when it comes to assembling charcuterie. We guarantee they will love helping plate up their homemade ants on a log and digging in to their own customized charcuterie for kids!

The holidays are a time for togetherness, so why not bond over a board that is sure to satisfy everyone’s snack cravings.

Date-Night-In Board

Ingredients:

• 1 wheel brie cheese
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• Fresh fruit (we used kiwi, figs, berries, etc…)
• Spicy gouda
• Blue Diamond Almonds, Sriracha Flavor
• Blue Diamond Nut-Thins®, Cheddar
• Cherry tomatoes
• Apricot jam
• Cheddar
• Blue Diamond Nut-Thins®, Hint of Sea Salt
• Cured meats (we used salami and prosciutto)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. On a small sheet tray, place brie cheese with the top rind sliced off. Drizzle with honey and sugar, and bake for 15-20 minutes, until cheese has softened and sugars have caramelized. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.
2. As the brie cools, create fruit flowers. Take a kiwi, or fruit of your choosing, and slice zig zag cuts toward the center until you have circled the entire fruit. Separate two halves and place onto the board in an arrangement with other fruits of your liking.
3. Fill out the remaining spaces on the board with spicy gouda, Blue Diamond Almonds, Sriracha, Blue Diamond Nut-Thins, Cheddar, and an artful arrangement of remaining ingredients!

Sweet & Salty Snack Box

Ingredients: 

For Sweet & Salty Chocolates

• Dark chocolate
• Smokehouse® Blue Diamond Almonds
• Pomegranate seeds
• Dried fruit
• Pumpkin seeds
• Blue Diamond Almonds, Honey Roasted, chopped

For Sweet & Salty Snack Box

• 1 sweet & salty chocolate
• Pomegranate segment
• Blueberry goat cheese slices
• Assorted berries
• Blue Diamond Nut-Thins®, Hint of Sea Salt
• Dried orange, for garnish
• Thyme, for garnish

For Chocolate Dipped Clementines

• Clementine segments
• Dark chocolate
• Sea salt

Directions: 

1. To make the sweet & salty chocolates, melt dark chocolate until smooth and transfer to a ziplock bag. Cut tip, and pipe chocolate into a silicone ice cube tray mold.
2. Into the chocolate, drop a few Smokehouse® Blue Diamond Almonds and trap tray to submerge. Garnish tops of the chocolates with pomegranate seeds, dried fruit, pumpkin seeds, and chopped Blue Diamond Almonds, Honey Roasted. Place tray into the fridge for one hour, to allow chocolate to set.
3. While chocolate sets, separate a clementine into segments and dry with a paper towel if wet. Dip each segment into melted dark chocolate and set onto a parchment lined baking sheet to dry. Sprinkle with sea salt if desired and allow to set.
4. Place one sweet & salty chocolate and a few chocolate dipped clementines into a small, parchment lined to-go tray. Then, fill tray with remaining ingredients. Enjoy on the go, or make a few for a socially distant picnic with friends!

Kid-Friendly Charcuterie

Ingredients: 

For “Ants” On A Log

• Blue Diamond Almonds, Honey Roasted
• 1-2 tsp of coconut oil
• Golden raisins

For Caramel & Cheddar Snack Mix

• Caramel popcorn
• Blue Diamond Nut-Thins®, Cheddar

For Kid-Friendly Charcuterie

• Caramel & Cheddar Snack Mix
• Almond butter banana snacks
• Clementines
• Rainbow carrots
• Beet hummus
• Sugar snap peas
• Colby jack “flowers”
• Blue Diamond Nut-Thins®, Hint of Sea Salt

Directions:

1. Begin by making Honey Roasted Almond butter, if desired. Blend one can of Blue Diamond Honey Roasted Almonds with a teaspoon at a time of coconut oil, until smooth. Transfer to a small ziplock bag and pipe, or spread, onto sticks of celery. Top with golden raisins and whole Blue Diamond Honey Roasted Almonds.
2. Place “Ants” On A Log onto a tray with an assortment of other ingredients. For colby jack cheese, use a small flower-shaped cookie cutter to cut cheese into small, kid-friendly bites!
3. Finish board with a small bowl of caramel popcorn and Blue Diamond Nut-Thins® Cheddar crackers.

Charcuterie Cones

Ingredients: 

• Parchment paper
• Fresh rosemary sprig
• Olives
• Blue Diamond Almonds, wasabi & soy sauce
• Blue Diamond Nut-Thins, hint of sea salt
• Clementine segments
• Sharp cheddar
• Dried orange

Directions:

1. Start by creating a parchment paper cone. Take a square piece of parchment and fold in half to create a triangle shape. Rotate triangle so that the top tip points toward you. Then, take the far right tip, and fold inward until it meets with the top tip and creates a cone shape. Hold these tips together as you grab the far left tip with your other hand and tuck/wrap it underneath the cone. Tighten all of the tips until the three of them for a “M” shape — then fold the “M” inside of the cone, and press firmly to seal. Take your parchment cone and set into a small shot glass. 
2. Next, create your rosemary “snack sprigs.” With your hands, remove all but the top leaves of a fresh rosemary sprig. Then, skewer olives, or desired snack, onto the sprig and push them toward the top leaves. (If sprig is weak, use a small skewer to create holes in the olives before place them onto the rosemary.)
3. Fill your parchment cone to the top with Blue Diamond Wasabi & Soy Sauce Almonds. Insert your rosemary “snack sprig” into the almonds. Follow with a toothpick of clementine segments. 
4. Lastly, balance Blue Diamond Nut-Thins Hint of Sea Salt crackers, sharp cheddar, dried orange, and a few more wasabi & soy sauce almonds. 
5. Serve alongside other flavor options, if desired!