Cheese And Bread Platter Recipes

CHEESE PLATTER

Steps:

• Go to the best cheese shop in town and ask the person at the counter which cheeses are ready to serve. Taste everything; they expect you to. We all know that the Brie may look terrific, but it can be underripe and tough or overripe and ammoniated. You want only the freshest cheeses that are perfectly ripened. Take them home, refrigerate them, and then bring them to room temperature a few hours before serving.
• Second, be sure to have a platter or wooden board that is flat and large enough to hold the cheeses without crowding them. Arrange the cheeses with the cut sides facing out, and with several small cheese knives, maybe one for each type of cheese.
• Third, to finish the platter, add sliced breads or crackers, and green leaves. I use either lemon or galax leaves, which you can get from your florist. If you have a garden, any large flat leaf like hydrangea looks beautiful, but be sure they aren't poisonous and are pesticide-free!
• Overall, the simpler the design, the better the platter looks. Group each kind of cheese together and add one large bunch of green or red grapes in the center to create a visual focal point. Fill in the spaces with lots of crackers or small slices of bread.

GRILLED EDIBLE CHEESEBOARD

Steps:

• Make five 2-inch-thick discs of aluminum foil by crumpling sheets of foil: Make one 2-inch-wide disc, two 3-inch-wide discs and two 5-inch-wide discs. Set aside.
• Spread 2 tablespoons olive oil on the bottom and sides of a sheet pan. Scatter the grapes, apricots, walnuts and rosemary in a single layer around the border of the sheet pan. Arrange the aluminum discs in the open space inside the grape border, making sure they don't touch.
• Stretch the pizza dough on a clean work surface so it is the same size as the sheet pan. Carefully lift it and lay it over the top of the foil discs, grapes and other ingredients. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until puffy, about 1 hour.
• Prepare a grill for medium heat. Remove the plastic wrap from the sheet pan and put the pan on the grill. Cover the grill with the lid and let cook until the dough is set around the edges and dry on top, about 10 minutes.
• Using protective gloves or towels, flip the sheet pan onto the grill so the foil, grapes and other ingredients are facing up; remove the sheet pan. Cover the grill and cook until the dough is lightly golden around the edges, about 5 minutes. Remove one of the 5-inch aluminum discs and insert the brie into the indented bread bowl where the disc was. Cover the grill and cook until the dough is completely cooked and golden all over and the cheese is hot through, about 10 minutes.
• Transfer the edible cheeseboard to a serving platter or cutting board using tongs and a heatproof spatula. Remove the remaining foil discs and drizzle the whole thing with olive oil, avoiding the brie. Put the honey in the smallest bread bowl and the olives and Parmesan in the medium bowls. Fold and tuck the cured meat into the remaining large bowl. Put a small spoon in the honey and a knife by the brie for serving. Serve the cheeseboard warm, encouraging people to tear off pieces of bread to layer with meat and cheese or drizzle with honey.

CHEESE AND BREAD PLATTER

Steps:

• Line a large round platter with fig leaves. Place the bunch of grapes in the center of the platter and arrange the wedges of Cheddar, Tremblay, and Danish Blue Cheese around the grapes. Pour the fig jam into a ramekin and add a small spoon for serving. Arrange the ramekin and crackers between two of the cheeses. Pile dried apricots together between two of the cheeses. Place the slices of Brown Bread between the remaining cheeses and fill in any gaps on the platter with additional apricots.

ELEGANT CHEESE AND FRUIT PLATTER

Steps:

• On large serving platter, arrange cheeses in center. Cover; let stand at room temperature about 30 minutes.
• Arrange fresh fruit in groups around cheeses. Sprinkle dried apricots and cherries over cheeses and fruit. Tuck rosemary sprigs among fruit.
• To serve, provide cheese planes for harder cheeses and cheese spreaders for soft cheeses. If desired, serve cheeses and fruit with crackers.