People love cheese! From the cheesy “mozzarella pull” when grabbin' a slice of pizza to a tangy crumble of blue over a salad, everyone loves it! We adore it in our mac-and-cheese, melted in enchiladas, topping our burgers, and nibbled after dinner with a glass of port … and of course in appetizers.
Gooey, soft stuffed brie is always a party pleaser and I’ve whipped up an easy recipe with commonly stocked pantry items. My recipe for Baked Brie with Cherries & Nuts is quick, easy and d’lish! A small wheel of brie is split and then stuffed with a mixture of apricot jam and chopped maraschino cherries; it’s crusted with sliced almonds and then baked till soft. Serve it with crostini, slices of baguette, or crackers!
Now on to the perennial party favorite, the cheese platter … but don’t limit yourself to cubes and frill picks … please! There are a lot of fun, beautiful and creative ways to do a cheese platter.
When serving cheese at home, use a wood or marble board and serve three to five cheeses. I recommend serving a soft, creamy cheese like brie or a triple cream such as Delice de Bourgogne (Costco often has this in their cheese case and it is a great price there!); a sharp-flavored cheese such as an aged Gouda; a firm cheese such as a Spanish Manchego; and then of course you need at least one stronger cheese—like a nice stinky blue!
If you live in an area with a great farmers market or markets that sell regional cheeses, buy local! Artisanal, or handcrafted, cheeses typically have much more individual character than commercially produced cheeses.
Remember to bring your cheese to room temperature for about an hour or so before serving. This will release its full taste and aroma and let you experience the cheese at its best texture. Some cheeses ooze as they get warm, so it's best to place them, unwrapped, directly on the serving board or platter then loosely cover the entire dish.
Serve the cheese in whole natural pieces and cut the pieces in half. Most guests are timid about going for the first slice and “ruining” the perfect rind, so be a good host and start the cheese for them.
What about cheese accompaniments? There are a ton of great cheese sidekicks these days. On my cheese platters, I love to lay out Marcona Spanish almonds or candied nuts, dried fruits such apricots, wedges of cut pears or apples, or halved figs. Sexy local honeycomb is also amazing—it is one of Lori’s personal cheese-accompaniment faves! I personally am a big fan of fruit pastes and chutneys, too.
And don’t forget the garnish. See what’s in your yard or herb pot. If the leaves are still on your fruit trees, those make lovely garnishes as do fresh grape leaves and sprigs of thyme, rosemary and/or sage.
Be sure to offer crackers and breads. There are a lot of great choices now in that area, too. I love Spanish fig bread, sliced thin; cracked pieces of rustic flat breads; and crackers, crostini and unique crackers. Any well-stocked gourmet grocer will have plenty of options.
You never know who’ll pop by, and so it’s always good to have some great cheese, accompaniments and crackers in the pantry so you’ll always be ready to entertain!
© 2009 by Kathy Casey Food Studios®