Food Network | Teri Lyn Fisher

Win Christmas Dinner With A Savory Charcuterie Chalet

No longer are gingerbread houses only made of gingerbread. The term "gingerbread house" is now merely an umbrella term for food items that come together to create a structure made to look like a house.

Gone are the simple days of gingerbread and icing. We're out here reinventing people's ideas of edible holiday houses.

From haunted Halloween chocolate cookie houses, to chocolate bar houses, and even Pop-Tarts houses, the limit of gingerbread houses does not exist.

Just when you thought you'd seen it all, in stomps charcuterie gingerbread houses.

Reddit | dkmackay

Or a "gingerbread chalet" as one Redditor calls it.

If you don't know what a charcuterie board is, you need to surround yourself with classier people.

Unsplash | Jessica Ruscello

Kidding. But also sort of not.

Charcuterie boards are elegant displays of fine cheeses and cured meats, usually paired with appropriate veggies, fruits, and sometimes even nuts to give your guests a beautiful selection of posh snacks to choose from.

It seems a little off-putting to see meats, cheeses, veggies, and nuts formed into a house.

Instagram | @syntaxchen

But once you let your eyeballs relax, it actually turns into a thing of beauty. People love admiring charcuterie boards, so who wouldn't enjoy an entire chalet of these delectable displays?

And if you think about it, you'll probably get more people eating this than a stale and mostly flavorless cookie from a gingerbread house kit.

I don't know about you, but I rarely eat the gingerbread once it's sat on my counter for three weeks, collecting dust and becoming a rock-hard example of once-edible architecture.

You can really make your charcuterie chateau however you please, with whatever foods you like best on a charcuterie board.

Geekologie

As Bon Appétit's Brad Leone says, "have some fun with it."

When it comes to these sweet, salty, and savory chalets, the sky is pretty much the limit.

Basically, pick whatever you think be aesthetically pleasing (and, you know, tasty), and then get to building.

If you want to win Christmas dinner's Appetizer Award, but don't know where to start, there are real life recipes to help you out.

Food Network | Teri Lyn Fisher

Check out this one from Food Network.

What do you think of these charcuterie chalets? Let us know!

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