How to Put Together a Cheese and Meat Plate

Who has ever been able to resist the cheese platter at a party? I can’t. I sidle over to see what interesting things are on it, what cheeses I’ve never tasted, what little tidbits might entice me. I linger there. I walk away, but I always come back.

It’s such a fun idea that sometimes I’ll even make one for dinner. Each person can pick and choose, creating little bites that suit their craving, layering tiny slices of specialty cheese and meat onto crackers or small slices of bread, nibbling here and there.

Are you hungry yet?

Let’s toss together a cheese and meat platter that will be worthy of any occasion!

The folks at Kerrygold Cheese and Butter sent over a selection of their cheeses to start us off, and what a fine collection of special cheeses it is. Kerrygold is so well known for their cows roaming the Irish countryside munching natural grasses that they have their own hashtag — #KFgrassfed. If you search for that hashtag on social media, you’ll get lots of culinary ideas.

Take a look at what I had to choose from!

With that start, I opened the pantry and the refrigerator to see what else I could add to make the plate interesting. Here’s what I came up with.

And if you are serving cheese, you must have wine. I never know what people prefer, so it is great to have a variety on hand.

This selection from Wente Vineyards touches all the bases and should cover your needs. Although I generally prefer a crisp white wine with cheese, I can be persuaded to do a gutsy red, especially with cheese this flavorful. I’m easy that way. Or hey, there’s no rule that says you can’t serve beer!

And finally, hunt around your cabinets to see what fun little serving dishes you have on hand. These were hanging around amusing me (the glass pants had toothpicks in it; the cat on her back had sugar packets in it). Put them to good temporary use on your platter; no need to buy anything new.

Here’s what my finished platter looked like!

I ended up using:

Cheese

• Kerrygold Dubliner Cheese with Irish Stout (green wax exterior; my new favorite!)
• Kerrygold Aged Cheddar Cheese with Irish Whiskey (purple wax exterior)
• Kerrygold Aged Cheddar (rectangle cheese)

Meat and savory

• Salame
• Prosciutto
• Olives (these are organic Greek Kalamon Olives from Arianna Trading Company, water cured and without a trace of bitterness, a favorite of mine)

 Crunch

• Pretzels (for crunch! Or wrap some prosciutto around them)
• Raisin Rosemary Crisps (this is Trader Joe’s brand, but there are several different makers of these awesome crackers)
• Cranberry Clean Snax with Chia and Flaxseed (crunchy, just slightly sweet healthy bites)

Sweet

• Homemade apple butter (a sweet, spicy dab to put on a cracker with your cheese)
• Fuyu persimmon (my favorite seasonal fruit, sweet and crunchy like an apple)

You could include more things…

• smoked almonds
• another cheese and meat
• sliced baguette
• crispy Korean pear slices

…let your imagination roam. Or pare it down to fewer; your choice.

What do YOU put on YOUR party cheese platter?

Disclosure: Kerrygold sent the cheeses for recipe development, Arianna Trading Company sent the olives, Melissa’s Produce sent the Clean Snax and Wente sent the wine. As always, I only write about things I love.

Tagged as: appetizer, apple butter, cheese, Fuyu, Kerrygold, olives, Party, prosciutto, salami, Wente Vineyards, wine