Holiday Party Platter of Epic Proportions in 5 Easy Steps

Tackle the subtle art of making a gorgeous holiday party platter with caramelized fennel goat cheese dip , ginger spiced cashew dip , and all the trimmings.

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Friends! It snowed here in Grand Rapids, Michigan today! Which is making me super warm and nostalgic for the holidays. I am excited to share with you this gorgeous party platter and how you can make your very own for upcoming holiday shenanigans.

This party platter has a little something for everyone. It is 100% gluten and grain free and has a little something for every kind of eater from vegans to paleo folks to your average joe. The caramelized fennel goat cheese dip is one of my all time favorite recipes. And the sweet, ginger spiced cashew dip will leave you licking your bowl clean. Take a peak and let me know which step you want to focus most in the comments below.

5 Steps to Creating the Perfect Holiday Party Platter

Let’s face it! Party platters are the most neglected part of a holiday party. Both by the host and the guests. And I get it, a simple crudités or meat and cheese board, where you just kind of throw everything on (or buy it), is one less thing to worry about while party planning. But I am of the opinion that your holiday party platter can be your party’s greatest commodity, serving as both a gorgeous centerpiece and welcoming dish that everyone can eat. Here’s my 5 step “how-to” to make the party platter shine.

1. Play with Seasonal Ingredients

We are creatures of habit. And there’s no shame in that. We see a veggie or fruit tray with the usual suspects: raw veggies like broccoli, celery, radishes, and carrots with store bought dip or maybe some sliced up strawberries, pineapple, melon and grapes, and just recreate what we already know. But the real trick to an amazing holiday party platter is to stop and think, what ingredients are actually is season? Using produce that is in season will yield the best tasting, most uniquely beautiful, and budget friendly spread.

Also, speaking of budgets, I bought almost everything for this party platter, from pomegranates to smoked salmon, over at Aldi . Let me tell you, I saved a bundle! (In case the U.S. govt or IRS is wondering, this post was sponsored by no one. All brands are just stuff I like. But it could be. Hit me up Aldi!)

Fruit: Persimmon, pomegranate, apples, grapefruit, grapes, blood oranges, clementines, cranberries, asian pears, kiwi

Vegetables: Brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, sweet potato, fennel, cabbage, radicchio, parsnips, turnips, beets, celeriac, potatoes, squash, pumpkin

Other: Almonds, Chestnuts, Olives, dried fruits, Cured meats, smoked salmon, boiled eggs, aged cheese

2. Use Raw & Roasted Veggies

Guys, raw cauliflower tastes yummy. But roasted cauliflower is the best. Mix it up by roasting some of your veggies and leaving others raw. I roasted sweet potato fries, brussels sprouts, and cauliflower and then kept some crisp cucumber raw (obviously, ew!). The mix of textures and roasty flavors really adds a little something for the ultimate party platter.

3. Let Your Dips Shine (Literally)

The dips are the stars of the holiday party platter and make the whole thing a winner or a loser. I made this super creamy and easy caramelized fennel & goat cheese dip along with a ginger spiced cashew fruit dip from scratch. I then bought my favorite brand of hummus (which for me is Hope organic hummus ) and dressed it up to look pretty. The key to making your dips eye-poppingly enticing it to make them shine, literally, with a little olive oil drizzle and/or a pop of color.

For the cashew dip I added a pinch of pomegranate arils. To the fennel goat cheese dip a swirl of olive oil, some goat cheese crumbles and a sprig of fresh dill. To the hummus I added a za’atar spice blend (sumac, sesame seeds, thyme, oregano, paprika) with a swirl of olive oil. Taking a minute to dress up your dips will take them from boring brown globs to gorgeously inviting additions to your holiday party platter.

4. Arrangement is Everything

Get a little creative with how you lay out your holiday party platter. Spread your veggies all over your platter. Think of the space as a canvas that you paint with the color of your food. Do your best to group slices and lines of food in odd numbers. As you can see from my photo, I have a lot of groups of threes and fives. Science says humans like this odd number thing. I’m not sure why but you can’t argue with the science.

Also, consider texture. Do you have some things that are soft and things with some crunch? I love Siete foods grain free tortilla chips and added a handful here and there along with some sea salt almonds to add extra bite between layers of softness. Also because you need something to dip with, y’all!

Taking the extra 5-10 minutes to really consider your arrangement will yield a holiday party platter that no one can ignore. There will be no need for a centerpiece on your holiday table with this puppy laying around.

5. Have Something Substantial for Everyone

Do a little research about who’s coming to your party. Do you have people who are vegan, who try to eat low carb, who have a dairy intolerance or other food allergy? Accommodate your guests by going over and above. Make sure everyone can eat a variety of substantial things off your platter. That these things are something you want to eat too. If you cringe a little putting something out just because it’s vegan, don’t put it out! Chances are, they think it’s gross too.

The real key to serving everyone is by making sure you have as many whole, unprocessed foods as possible. This makes it much easier for people to pick and choose. And as a host, your priority is make sure everyone at your party is well served and loved. I guarantee they are going to want to come back again next year.

More Holiday Party Food

Looking for more ideas for your holiday party? Check some of these other POP KITCHEN recipes!

Coconut Sugar Cookies

Grain Free Chocolate Banana Bread

Mini Earl Grey Crepes with Lavender Ricotta

Rhubarb Tequila Negronis

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Mousse

Protein Power Chocolate Truffles

Vegan Beet Burger Sliders

Spicy Rose Gin Champagne Cocktails

HEALTHY HOLIDAYS AND ALWAYS

I recently asked you folks over on my Instagram account which you’d rather see over the holidays: healthy sweets or savory treats. Well it was an exact 50/50 split. So look forward to a lot of everything as we move toward the New Year.

This holiday party platter falls under both the savory treats and healthy sweets category and will be right at home next to your other fave holiday treats.

Happiest of Holidays to you from me, Stacy, here at POP KITCHEN!

When you make this holiday party platter, let me know! I absolutely love seeing your photos of POP KITCHEN recipes up on Instagram . Like POP KITCHEN on Facebook and follow along with all of my recipe inspiration on Pinterest ! Oh, and can you tell your friends about me? K, thanks, luh ew, bye!

Recipe

Holiday Party Platter of Epic Proportions in 5 Easy Steps

Ingredients

Sweet potatoes, cut into wedges
Cauliflower florets
Brussels sprouts, halved
Cucumber thinly sliced on a bias
Persimmons, thinly sliced
Apples, thinly sliced
Blackberries
Pomegranate
Caramelized fennel and goat cheese dip
Ginger spiced cashew fruit dip
Hummus
Grain free tortilla chips
Salted roasted almonds
Boiled eggs cut into quarters

Instructions

ROAST VEGGIES: To roast your veggies heat your oven to 400 F/200 C/6 gas. Toss your veg with a little oil and sea salt and roast 40 minutes, flipping over halfway.
BOILED EGGS: To make perfect boiled eggs that don’t fall apart when you peel them, follow these steps. First, add your eggs to a pan, fully submerge them in cold water, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare an ice and water bath in a large bowl with lots of ice to shock the eggs. Place the cooked eggs in the water bath and let sit 5 minutes. Peel immediately and store in an air tight container until ready to serve. Cut just before eating.