Did you know ‘Plattering’ has become a very popular hashtag, a gastronomic and visual food experience for your guests!
Exhale……. a few more few weeks of 2018 (possibly the quickest of any year hasn’t it flown by!) are you thinking of your end of year entertaining? Don’t fall in a collective heap just yet!
You can knock out a super duper cheese board that will have your guests thinking you are the new “Nigella”. On the plus side you don’t need to haul out the rusty old barbi or serve a suspiciously large ‘hormone infused’ turkey to get your guests mouths watering.
Grazing boards are sooo ‘hot right now’! … they offer two things we love abundance and selection. You can ‘pimp’ them out or scale them down - skinny them out or fatten them up!
No rules apply here other than your board shall (must!) look amazing and its truly easy to get creative …as the french say “ La Plateau à fromage” sounds so much better in a foreign language!
Start at the very beginning…
Cheese Platter Grocery list
3 - 4 good cheeses, a choice of camembert, blue cheese and a brie
Mozzarella for your tomato and basil skewers
Olives, I like to include green and kalamata olives
A selection of crackers - my all time favourite at the moment are “Olina’s raisin & pumpkin seed crackers - very addictive!
Cured meats, selection of salami,prosciuotto, bresaola & truffle salami
Fruits: coconut w/berries,dried peaches and dried apricots, nuts, kiwi, passion fruit, strawberries, grapes and figs
Bocconcini, tomato and basil skewers
Pretzels
Garnishes (fresh rosemary, thyme and basil)
Start by sorting out all your ingredients in groups so its easy to see what to place where!
Group your meats together and curl your prosciutto around your fingers to get a perfect swirl
Fill your “half coconut” with berries and fruit an inexpensive and fun way to ‘pimp’ up your platter
Building your board or platter: Steps
Start from the outside of your platter and work your way inwards
Place your larger items (grapes) to the one side, half coconut on the the other side
Place salami as a border around your chosen board
Position your cheese on the boards - equal distance apart they don’t have to be in line - use your cheese as benchmarks to build your other ingredients around them
Trail smaller ingredients to hug your cheeses things like olives, crackers or dried fruit/nuts are great fillers
Build up height with your skewers
Layer crackers in groups
Lastly use your fruit kiwi and passion fruits to add some theatre to your platter
Fill gaps with pretty flowers, cherries and fresh herbs
Kira Jade getting in on the platter action!
Make sure your platters are visually interesting as well as full of your favourite nibbles
Fancy Fruit Board: a recent Christmas inspired fruit board I created. Same rule of thumb work with your ‘bigger items’ on the end of your board and work your way inwards with smaller items
Prep work makes it easier to assemble all your ingredients - I like to get all my ingredients out the fridge and place everything on another board and in bowls to get ready to assemble.
I have been busy creating some really special custom grazing boards for clients so if you are time poor and too frazzled to attempt your own - get in touch and I will happily style and deliver one of these beauties directly to you! Bespoke boards made to order.
Get in touch with me!
hello@sydneyfoodstylist.com.au