This month’s Southern Living magazine sports several easy “recipes” for wreath-shaped appetizers that got me in the mood to revisit this simple but attractive finger food for a holiday buffet. The wreath approach is simple because it’s not really cooking, it’s mostly just quick assembly of delicious ingredients, artfully arranged to make a statement.
Here’s the first one from Southern Living, a Stuffed Pepper Wreath.
This looks beautiful and festive, doesn’t it?
And then last week, I saw this Salami and Crescent Roll wreath in a blog called Deep Fried Diamonds.
The Grill-Meister was very interested and made it while I was traveling last week for his Tuesday night card-playing group. It was a hit!
Another blog called TUTORING YOU has a version of a charcuterie skewers wreath. I like the way the author describes his Christmas Charcuterie Board: “This is less a recipe and more of a basic how-to. Gather all of your favorite antipasto foods, skewer them on large toothpicks then arrange into a wreath shape.”
My own foray into a wreath-shaped appetizer was prompted back in 2016 by this post in the blog called Home is Where the Boat Is.
Here’s my version, a very simple one with dill Havarti, kalamata olives, cherry or Peppadew peppers and salami, plus the gorgeous green rosemary.
I have a big rosemary plant, so it’s easy to justify using so much it. The assembly is described in the post below.
The Southern Living December 2022 issue also had ideas for other wreath-shaped party appetizer ideas:
- Green apple slices and arugula wrapped in proscuitto
- Skewers similar to the charcuterie recipe above
- Crostini: baguette slices topped with Boursin and a garnish of red and green peppers (oh, the variations I can think of for that! stay tuned..,)
You can arrange almost any appetizer in a circle to make it wreath-like and Christmasy – or you can go for a Christmas tree shape. One of the benefits of having an herb base like rosemary is that the platter still looks like a wreath even when the yummy nibbles have been consumed.
Here’s a new one I’ve just found, in early December, 2024. How lovely is that spinach and puff pastry appetizer? It’s from the Cup of Joe blog, written by a former Bon Appetit staffer. Here’s her post: A Stunning Holiday Appetizer. It has wonderful commentary along with the recipe and detailed how-to instructions.
Do you have a favorite wreath-shaped or other Christmas-shaped appetizer?
© 2022 and 2024, Glover Gardens
Such an elegant touch for a holiday party. My daughter-in-law is exceptionally creative and she does fancy appetizers for our family and a lavish cheese board.
A creative daughter-in-law is a great thing to have! I am blessed with the same. She’s an amazing baker and her moniker here is The Girl Who is Always Hungry (she chose the name). Happy holidays to you and your family!