Diamond Inlay Elegant Appetizer (Printable)

Creamy cheese ring with a luxurious caviar or tapenade center, ideal for elegant entertaining.

# What You Need:

→ Cream Cheese Layer

01 - 7 oz cream cheese, softened
02 - 1 tablespoon sour cream
03 - 1 teaspoon lemon juice
04 - Pinch of salt

→ Center Diamond

05 - 1.5 oz black caviar (luxury option)
06 - 1.5 oz black olive tapenade (vegetarian option)

→ Garnish & Serving

07 - 1 tablespoon finely chopped chives or dill
08 - Crackers, blinis, or toasted baguette slices

# How-To Steps:

01 - Blend cream cheese, sour cream, lemon juice, and salt in a bowl until smooth and fluffy.
02 - Place an 3-inch diameter ring mold or cookie cutter on the serving platter.
03 - Using a spoon or piping bag, pipe a thick, even ring of the cream cheese mixture along the inside edge of the mold, leaving the center empty.
04 - Carefully spoon the chosen black caviar or olive tapenade into the center and smooth to form a diamond shape.
05 - Gently lift and remove the ring mold to display the clean cream cheese ring with center filling.
06 - Sprinkle with chopped chives or dill for color and serve immediately with crackers, blinis, or toasted baguette slices.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • Looks like you spent hours on it, takes about 15 minutes from start to table.
  • Works with caviar when you're feeling extravagant or tapenade when you want elegance on a budget.
  • No cooking required, which means you can actually enjoy your guests instead of being stuck in the kitchen.
02 -
  • If your cream cheese isn't soft enough, everything becomes a struggle; take the five extra minutes and let it sit on the counter.
  • That ring mold is your best friend—I once tried freehand and ended up with what looked like an accidental paint spill instead of a diamond.
  • If you're using real caviar, assemble this just before serving or the delicate eggs start to weep into the cream cheese.
03 -
  • Keep everything—the platter, the cream cheese, even the caviar if you're using it—as cold as possible; warmth is the enemy of pristine presentation here.
  • Pipe the cream cheese ring instead of spooning it if you want edges sharp enough to impress an architect.
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