The Crimson Tide Appetizer

# What you need:

→ Red Ingredients

01 - 4.23 oz cured chorizo sausage, thinly sliced

02 - 3.53 oz fresh cherries, pitted and halved

03 - 1 large roasted red bell pepper, thinly sliced

04 - 1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped (optional, for garnish)

→ Crackers

05 - 32 plain white crackers (e.g., water crackers, rice crackers)

→ Dressing

06 - 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

07 - 1 tsp balsamic glaze

08 - Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

# How to make it:

01 - Arrange the plain white crackers closely together on a large serving platter to form a base layer.

02 - Create an S-shaped curve over the crackers using overlapping slices of chorizo, roasted red pepper strips, and cherry halves, alternating to provide color and texture contrast.

03 - Lightly drizzle extra virgin olive oil and balsamic glaze over the arranged red ingredients.

04 - Sprinkle freshly ground black pepper evenly over the toppings.

05 - Optionally garnish with finely chopped fresh parsley and serve immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -

It looks impressive but comes together in under 25 minutes with zero cooking stress.
The salty chorizo and sweet cherries create a flavor combination that feels unexpected and genuinely delicious.
You can prep everything ahead and arrange it just before guests arrive, leaving you calm and present.

02 -

Slice the chorizo on a bias rather than straight across—it gives you those elegant angled pieces that lay better and look more intentional.
Cherry halves work better than whole cherries because they nestle into the S-curve without rolling away, and they give a cleaner presentation.

03 -