One of my absolute favorite appetizers is a cheese platter. In fact, I could just have it for my main course too! A few months ago I put this cheese platter together for a little spa night that I had with some friends. It was a hit, especially with me! With the help of the extremely knowledgeable people at the cheese section at Harmons (a local grocery by my house that has an impressive selection of artisan cheese), I was able to put together a platter with different textures and flavors. In my opinion, it's important to use cheeses that are aged, soft, firm, and blue. Not that it's important, but I think it's fun to use a variety of cheese from different locations. On this particular platter, I used a mix of national and international types.
What I used on my cheese platter::
*Raspberry Bellavitano from Wisconsin
*Zola Gouda from Holland
*Domaine De Vallage Triple Cream from France (this was insanely amazing)
*Cheddar Cabot Clothbound from Vermont
*Cambozola Black Label from Germany
Items that compliment the cheese platter::
*Creminelli Mocetta meat thinly sliced- I was skeptical to try, but so glad I did. AMAZING!
**Pepperlane Blackberry "buzz" Jalapeno Spread: I've tried a few different kinds of spreads, but I keep going back to this Blackberry Jalapeno spread... It is hands down my favorite!
*Marchini Almonds and/or cashews
*a variety of dried fruit, or fresh fruit
*Castelvetrano Olives- almost a must in my "cheese handbook!" I think I'm addicted to these.
*a variety of breads and/or crackers:: my personal favorite cracker is the La Panzanella Croccantini Rosemary, which I get at Costco, but I've seen in grocery stores. It's absolutely perfect with cheese!
It's funny how sometimes things can be intimidating, until you finally give it a try, and then it just becomes fun to experiment and learn. Since our little friend spa night, I've been trying to improve on my cheese knowledge and skills. So, throughout the holidays my husband and I have been trying different varieties of cheese, crackers, spreads, and meats.
I think he is now more addicted to cheese than I.
Other Cheese Platter Items:
* labels always make for a fun and informative addition. Where can you get some?
Well, just check out this fun cheese tasting kit that Modern Palm has. What I like about this kit is that it has the blank cards you can write on already for you to add to your display... it's supper easy. It also includes info flash cards that give you information on many different types of cheeses and locations so you can learn more about what types of cheese you'd like to use.
New Years Eve is the perfect time to enjoy a cheese platter...
or if you're like me, any night of the week works too!
If you've already experimented with a cheese platter, please leave comments and suggestions.
I'm always wanting and excited to hear good ideas and suggestions,
especially when it comes to cheese!
Cheers!
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