C is for Cheese Plate

My favorite appetizer to serve for dinner guests is a cheese plate because it's quick and versatile.  People love it because they can mix and match different crackers, spreads, fruits, nuts, or other nibbles to find tasty combinations that are worth talking about.  A cheese plate can also be packed up into different glass dishes and carried along to a vineyard for a delicious snack that won't break the bank.  It can be a romantic treat if you do it right!
 

I can usually throw together an impressive-looking cheese plate in less than 10 minutes without turning on the oven or making much of a mess, so it's a go-to appetizer if your dinner course requires a lot of attention.  You can serve it in the kitchen while guests linger around and fix drinks or you can take it to the living room and people will naturally flock around it (and then you can have the kitchen to yourself for final touches on the main meal!).  

There are no hard and fast cheese plate rules, but there are a few guidelines for making a well-rounded platter than any guest will enjoy.  To be cheese-plate-ready, you need to keep a few things on hand in your pantry or fridge.  Plan to set out about three cheeses, one spread, three types of crackers or bread, one dried fruit, one fresh fruit, and a protein like nuts or a sliced meat.  This setup will give your guests lots of choices for pairing flavors and textures.  If you store a few spreads, nuts, crackers, and dried fruits in your pantry, you're more than halfway to a great appetizer.  
    

A little asiago goes a long way, so cut it into small pieces in advance

Great cheese plates have at least three varieties of cheese.  I like to include at least one hard cheese and one spreadable or crumbly cheese so that there are different textures on the platter to play with.  I aim to use different colors of cheese, so that there aren't three yellow hunks on the plate; it's more exciting to see a combination of white, orange, and maybe even green (like an herbed cheese).  I like to buy a unique variety like champagne cheddar or XXX sharp cheddar instead of just going for ordinary cheddar.  Folks like "regular" cheese on their sandwich, but not on a cheese plate.  Slice some of the cheeses in advance or put the proper tools with the tray and just cut a few pieces to serve as an example.  Try to use the tip of a knife to crumble hard cheeses like asiago into bite-sized pieces and put them in a small dish.  Consider labeling your cheeses with tags or a chalk sign.  Peter and I use a slate cheese board that we can scribble the names on.      

Dill havarti, sliced into triangles, looks very appealing

Choose a spread to feature, such as a local jam, preserves, honey, pesto, apple or pumpkin butter, pepper jelly, or maybe a roasted garlic and onion spread.  It's usually best to serve this from a small dish with a pretty spreader, but if it's a unique topping, you might want to serve it from the jar so that people will know what to expect.        

As far as crackers and breads go, don't overwhelm your guests with choices.  Just stack up and spread out a few of two or three different kinds.  Pick different shapes and textures to make it interesting.  I like to put crunchy breadsticks in a cup and spread a ring of multi-grain crackers around that.  You can also slice a small baguette and fan it out on the tray.  

Fruit and cheese go so well together, it'd be wrong to not include it on your cheese plate.  Apple is perfect every time, but I also enjoy serving slices or pear, cantaloupe, grapes, cherry tomatoes, or berries.  I like to set out at least one dried fruit like apricots, dates, figs, golden raisins, or cranberries.  While it's not a fruit, sliced cucumbers are also great on a cheese plate because people tend to use them in lieu of crackers.  I love seeing people get creative and "repurpose" food!  

Try arranging apple slices into a starburst

Dried dates

As a last option, you might want to add a protein like sliced summer sausage, pepperoni, salami, or prosciutto.  If you don't have a meat like this to serve, consider putting out a small bowl of nuts like pecans, pistachios, cashews, or even candied nuts or a spicy nut blend.  

Pepperoni or summer sausage pairs well with cheese and crackers

A cheese platter isn't hard to put together, and I like to think of it as an edible piece of art.  Peter and I sometimes make a cheese plate as our dinner and share a bottle of nice wine while we nibble away.  If you think a little outside of the box and you aren't afraid to try new combinations, you'll never get tired of this classic appetizer!               

Edible art!