These strawberry mice are made with chocolate chips, Wilton Candy Eyes and stems from Maraschino cherries.
With a little imagination and patience, these strawberries are the perfect addition for our Ratatouille inspired cheese platter.
I don't know about you, but I love to make cheese and charcuterie boards. I first fell in love with making cheese platters back when I was the Pastry Chef at Google.
To me, there is nothing more impressive than a piled high charcuterie board filled with delicious cheeses, nuts, meats and dried fruit. And of course, we can't forget the strawberry mice. After all, they are the stars of this adorable cheese platter.
List of Ingredients
- Fresh strawberries (washed and hulled)
- Maraschino cherries (stems removed and cherries reserved inside jars)
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips (two per strawberry and more for melting for noses)
- Wilton candy eyeballs
French Cheese Selection
Since we are making a Ratatouille inspired cheese platter, I think it would be great to incorporate some French cheese's. Here are just a few of my favorites, but feel free to use cheese's that you love most.
- Brie: Soft cow's-milk cheese named after Brie, the French region it originated from. It is rich and buttery and has a creamy, runny texture.
- Comté: Made from unpasteurized cow's milk. This is a hard cheese and has a smokey, nutty and salty flavor.
- Roquefort: Sheep's milk cheese from Southern France. One of the best blue cheeses. Tangy, crumby and pungent in flavor.
- Port Salut: Semi-soft pasteurized cow's milk cheese with a creamy and rich texture. Mild and has a savory and sweet flavor.
How To Add Texture and Color
- Crackers and Bread: I like add a variety of crackers and breads to my cheese boards. These are such important elements to any board so that guests can incorporate different flavors and textures with their cheeses. I usually use 2-3 different types of variety.
- Fresh fruit: I personally like to use fruits that are in season as well as ones that are readily available all year round. I almost always have some type of grape, combined with strawberries or other berries in season.
- Dried fruits: I try and incorporate dried fruits in all my boards because I love them so much. Not only are they delicious, but they are the perfect fillers. Some of my favorites are dried apricots, apple rings, cranberries, cherries or figs.
- Nuts: Sprinkle on some roasted or candied nuts. It adds the perfect amount of crunch.
- Spreads/Jams: Honeycomb, jams, and marmalades are all great choices.
Strawberry Mice & Ratatouille Cheese Platter
- Prep Time: 15
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 strawberries 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Description
These strawberry mice are not only adorable but the perfect addition to our Ratatouille inspired cheese platter.
Ingredients
- 8 fresh strawberries, washed and hulled
- 8 Maraschino cherries, stems only
- 16 Semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus ¼ cup for melting
- 16 Wilton candy eyeballs, small
Instructions
- Wash and remove stems and leaves from strawberries.
- With a sharp knife, create slits on each side of the strawberry.
- Insert two chocolate chips. Press firmly so they stay put.
- Add remaining chocolate chips to a bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Stir. Reheat in 30 second intervals until chocolate is completely melted.
- Place melted chocolate inside sandwich size Ziploc bag. Snip one end and pipe small dots for their noses at the pointed end of the strawberries.
- Secure candy eyeballs with melted chocolate.
- Insert Maraschino cherries at the top/flat end of strawberries.
Keywords: strawberry mice, strawberries
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