NEW Year, the time we are just pulling out of the food comas of Christmas and the thought of another big cooking marathon isn’t filling us with quite the same enthusiasm.
For me, this is where food platters come in.
These are wonderful inventions and I love the fact your imagination is the only limit in what you can create. They used to once be simply a fruit and cheese platter, but the sophistication of the 21st Century food platter now includes savoury items such as sticky chicken nibbles, mini sliders, stuff ed mini bell peppers through to dukkahs and fragrant oils, dips, chips, crackers and breads.
And because it is the season of fresh fruit and berries, you can create a really healthy and filling meal that everyone in the whanau can enjoy without feeling too guilty about it.
Being creative about how you put these together is the fun part. These days you can buy the big flat wicker or rattan bread baskets, or as I love to use, the long, heavy handled oiled breadboards designed just for this. Good pottery platters are just as good for small groups too.
I also use small bowls to hold things which are high in fluids (such as stuff ed mini bell peppers) or which need them in order not to dry out.
They also can hold a grouping of nuts or berries well. Those same nuts and berries can be artistically scattered around all of your other other ingredients too – and don’t forget to garnish with mint, parsley or any other herb you have to hand.
This is a good starter recipe 200gms Danish salami 200gms pepperoni 200gms finely sliced champagne ham, cut into manageable pieces 100gms sliced smoked salmon, also cut into small pieces Pottle of mussels 1 round each of camembert brie cheeses 2 or 3 other small cheeses to taste Grapes, green and black Strawberries hulled and halved Blueberries Raspberries Sliced tomatoes Sliced Lebanese or telegraph cucumber Selection of nuts such as macademia, peanuts, halved walnuts etc Crackers (I used the Cheeseboard box which has several for this) Whatever dips you like Method Give some thought into how you arrange all of this, making it look pretty as you go. Put a small jar of toothpicks for those who prefer to use those. I’ll also cut up some Philadelphia cheese into squares, drizzle with sweet chili sauce, and some tarragon and pop in a bowl.
Have a fabulous New Year!
