One of the most delicious flavor combinations is chevre (soft goat cheese) with hot pepper jelly. You can purchase the jelly in either red or green, so there are several possibilities when you need a quick appetizer. The following Chevre Christmas Tree with Hot Pepper Jelly takes about 10 minutes to shape, and can be done several days ahead and refrigerated. Just before serving, you can spread the jelly over and decorate with a yellow pepper star (or star fruit or anything yellow that can be cut into a star) and scatter a few cranberries over to represent ornaments. Although crackers are delicious spread with the mixture, small crusty baguette slices are even better. It all depends, of course, how much time there is before the guests arrive.

Another time, shape the cheese into a candy cane, and fill the stripes with red hot pepper jelly. If you are having only a few guests, you’ll need only one 10 ounce package of cheese rather than the two that are needed to make a tree. Either way, this will prove to be a popular appetizer for any holiday party or to take as a pot luck dish.

24 Servings

2 10 oz. packages goat cheese, preferably chevre

1 cup green hot pepper jelly
Yellow bell pepper, cut into a small star for garnish
Cranberries, for garnish

Baguette slices, or crackers

1. Place the rolls of cheese side-by-side on a serving platter.
2. Using a piece of plastic wrap, press the rolls together and shape them into a large tree. At this point, you can cover tightly and refrigerate until just before serving.
3. To serve, place a yellow star cut from a yellow pepper, or star fruit, or anything yellow, and cover with the green hot pepper jelly.
4. Scatter a few cranberries over the surface.
5. Serve with crusty baguette slices or crackers.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 149 Calories from Fat 76
Percent Total Calories From:
Fat 51% Protein 20% Carb. 29%

Nutrient Amount per Serving
Total Fat 8 g
Saturated Fat 6 g
Cholesterol 25 mg
Sodium 91 mg
Total Carbohydrate 11 g
Dietary Fiber 0 g
Sugars 0 g
Protein 7 g

Vitamin A 6% Vitamin C 11% Calcium 0% Iron 4%