Charcuterie Chalet (Savory Gingerbread House)
Shake up tradition this holiday season with this Charcuterie Chalet, A.K.A. Savory Gingerbread House. Get creative with things like cheese, crackers, pretzels, herbs and veggies!
If you’ve followed this blog for any length of time, you know that I’m not much of a baker or a dessert maker.
Every once in awhile, I’ll get inspired and bust out an apple rose tart or some cute little cupcakes, but the ratio of savory recipes to sweet recipes on this blog is probably about 10 to 1.
Savory food is my thing, whether I’m developing new recipes, or ordering food at a restaurant. Offer me a cheese course instead of dessert, and I am here. for. it. Heck, give me a breakfast charcuterie board or a Halloween themed charcuterie board!
So, it should come as no surprise that I created this Charcuterie Chalet (think gingerbread house, but with CHEESE instead of frosting, and CHEESE CRISPS instead of cookies).
If you’re also on #TeamSavory, try making a savory gingerbread house of your own this holiday season. Just like with charcuterie cups ideas, there’s no right or wrong way to construct one – let your imagination run wild!
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To make a Charcuterie Chalet A.K.A. Savory Gingerbread House, you will need:
- Shredded fontina cheese
- Crispbread crackers
- Cheese crisps
- Square pretzels
- Pretzel dipping sticks
- Wasabi peas
- Pomegranate arils
- Pepperoni
- String cheese
- Prosciutto
- Fresh herbs, like rosemary and thyme (use any extra rosemary to make grapefruit and vodka or cranberry rosemary cocktails)
- Mushroom caps
- Black olives
- Carrots
- Whipped cream cheese
- Shredded Parmesan cheese
- Pine nuts
- Brussels sprouts
How I built this Savory Gingerbread House A.K.A. Charcuterie Chalet:
I built my Charcuterie Chalet out of crispbread crackers, and used a layer of cheese crisps as the roof “shingles.”
Herbs and green veggies like brussels sprouts work great to form wreaths, bushes and plants to “landscape” the house. Every home needs a little curb appeal, right?
Pretzels are helpful for things like windows and doors, and yes, that IS a piece of prosciutto-wrapped cheese as a chimney.
The literal glue holding this savory gingerbread house together? Melted cheese, of course. I used melted fontina cheese to build this house.
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Charcuterie Chalet (Savory Gingerbread House)
Ingredients
- Shredded fontina cheese
- Crispbread crackers
- Cheese crisps
- Square pretzels
- Pretzel dipping sticks
- Wasabi peas
- Pomegranate arils
- Pepperoni
- String cheese
- Prosciutto
- Fresh herbs like rosemary and/or thyme
- Mushroom caps
- Black olives
- Carrots
- Whipped cream cheese
- Shredded Parmesan cheese
- Pine nuts
- Brussels sprouts
Instructions
- Working with a small amount of fontina cheese at a time, place cheese in microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high 20 to 25 seconds to melt. The melted cheese will be the "glue" for the charcuterie chalet.
- Use crispbread crackers and melted cheese to build house.
- Use melted cheese to glue cheese crisps to roof as shingles.
- Glue square pretzels to house to make windows, and pretzel dipping sticks to form a door.
- Use wasabi peas and pomegranate arils to decorate roofline.
- Use pepperoni and cheese crisp to make decoration for front of house.
- Use string cheese wrapped in prosciutto to make chimney.
- Use herbs to make a wreath for the front door. Use herbs and mushroom caps to make planters for the front yard.
- Use black olives, carrots and cream cheese to form a penguin.
- Use cream cheese to decorate top of house with snow.
- Use shredded Parmesan cheese for more snow on top of house and in yard.
- Use pine nuts to create a walkway.
- Use brussels sprouts as bushes.
Notes
- This is how I made my house, but use your imagination to create our own masterpiece!
Thanks for your response Lori! Well, I have to say your charcuterie chalet is the cutest one I’ve seen, and I’m determined to someday find a way to construct savory houses that can last just as long as gingerbread houses.
How long do you think you could leave this out without it going bad? I’d imagine if you refrigerated it, then all the biscuits would get soggy.
Hi Mark – Yeah, sadly, these can only stay out for a few hours after assembly. You could certainly refrigerate it, but you’re right about the crackers getting soggy. I can’t figure out much of a solution for this fun recipe.
Such an awesome & creative recipe for a ginger bread house a great conversational piece for the holiday season ????????
Thank you, Joan!
This is just too cute. Can’t wait to make it. And, I would so much rather eat this than gingerbread! Thank you for the great idea. Hope I can find Cello Wisps here!
Thanks so much for stopping by, Patty!
This is so adorable, and so creative! Pinning and sharing on facebook today!
Thanks so much Sue, I appreciate it!