Ever since I was a little girl, we’ve always had a tradition in our family around Christmas: to eat a ridiculous amount of appetizers and hors d’oeuvres on Christmas Eve.
We would first go to church and then come home and feast on all the bite-sized food you could think of. From meatballs, to cheese balls and crackers to mini quiches and ‘pigs in a blanket’, we would eat it all!
It was always such a special evening, as we excitedly would wait for Christmas morning, by gathering around the table, with delicious food and spend quality time together as a family.
And while this tradition is something that we still continue to do year after year, my husband and I have started to try and reinvent this smorgasbord of food with something a bit more modern.
You’ve probably guessed it, I’m talking about changing out the classics with a charcuterie board! This is truly one of our favourite things to eat, especially with family and friends.
A traditional charcuterie board is a mix of all kinds of cured meats, with various cheeses and dips mixed in. We also like to add in some jellies to compliment the cheeses, olives and a variety of nuts. We will sometimes serve this as an appetizer at parties or sometimes as the entire meal.
So to reinvent this classic Christmas Eve feast, we decided to use some of our favourite new items from the PC Insiders Collection. And to put another twist, on our holiday tradition twist, we decided to skip the traditional cured meats and instead try a few of PC’s new ready-to-eat seafood items to create a ‘seacuterie’ spread!
For the meats, here’s what we used: PC Tuna Tataki and PC Salmon Tataki. Both of these packages come sliced and ready to eat with a delicious soy ginger dipping sauce. So incredibly fresh tasting and delicious!
For the cheeses, I was excited to try two new items from the Insider Collection: PC La Belle Riviere Washed Rind Soft Surface Ripened Cheese along with PC Cendres Des Anges Triple Cream Brie Cheese with Ash. OH MY GOODNESS! If you are a cheese enthusiast, you MUST try these two! My five and six year old kids even loved them! Eaten alone or topped with your favourite jelly, these cheeses are a serious game changer for your holiday tradition twist!
Some new items to enhance the PC Insiders Collection this year are the PC Olive Oil and Rosemary Focaccia Crackers. I love the fusion between the typical focaccia bread and a cracker with these. They are such a great addition to the charcuterie platter.
I firmly believe that when doing a twist on a classic, there has to be food that the whole family can eat. While my kids did try the seafood and actually enjoyed them, I wanted to be safe and make sure there were a few items that they would love. So when I found the PC Maple and Bacon Popcorn, along with the PC World of Flavours Turkey Stuffing Flavour Rippled Potato Chips, I knew they would love them. And I was right…they devoured them! These are definitely a new staple in our home, regardless of the occasion!
You see, in the end, traditions are important. It is something that is of sentimental value that you can pass down to your children who will eventually pass it down to their children and so on. But as the years go on, it’s also important to recognize the changes in our world, more specifically, to our foods, and figure out a way to incorporate those changes while still honouring those traditions.
And I think that this twist on our traditional Christmas Eve spread does just that!
So whatever your holiday food tradition is, consider adding in a new item to put a twist on the classic. I’m sure your friends and family will love it!
Love & Blessings,
Note: This post was sponsored but as always, the thoughts, opinions and recommendations are 100% my own!
