With communal foods like tinned fish and butter boards taking off on TikTok, this season’s influx of “charcuterie chalet” videos makes a lot of sense. The festive meat and cheese-covered chalets are a savory take on gingerbread houses. And as the weather cools and Christmas nears, there’s been a charcuterie house resurgence on the short-form video platform.
“You build the structure with crackers, flatbreads, and spreadable cheese, then use delicious ingredients to decorate, like salami for shingles, pretzels for windows, a smoked swiss snowman, rosemary trees and foliage, trail mix cobblestones, and grated parmesan for snow,” a TikTokker explains in a recent video.
While some TikTokkers offer charcuterie chalet tutorials, others simply show off their meat and cheese creations, some of which are so advanced they have functioning chimneys.
@kroger Are charcuterie chalets the new gingerbread house? #kroger #charcuteriechalet #charcuterie #gingerbreadhouse #meatandcheese #holidayrecipes @brittneealexus ♬ original sound - Kroger
Retailer Kroger released their take on the festive meat mansion, sharing an easy recipe that shoppers can make with a few common ingredients (besides the gingerbread house).
The recipe starts with a pre-built gingerbread house, which the TikTokker then covers with whipped cream cheese. She continues by adding mini pepperoni shingles, snack sticks to outline the roof, and a variety of meats to decorate the outside of the house. After adding other accents — like a cheese door and pretzel windows — she tops it off with parmesan snow.
Because charcuterie chalets are covered in meat and cheese, they could cause foodborne illnesses if you're not careful. Meat and cheese shouldn't be left out at room temperature for more than two hours, according to Andy Hirneisen, a food safety educator. So if you do decide to deck the halls with a slice of prosciutto and a slab of brie, make sure to eat your charcuterie chalet sooner rather than later.
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