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We have a group of 10-12 heading to a nice restaurant for New Years Eve dinner. I am in charge of cocktails and appetizers before we leave for restaurant. I am planning a cheese board with some meats, cheeses and olives.
Any good suggestions as to what is popular? I despise goat and bleu cheese but probably will include one of them since they tend to be liked by others.
Thanks!
Champagne, red and white wine. Martinis with olives, and Manhattans with cherries. Cheese is a no brainer, prosciutto is fine, olives and gourmet crackers. You are going out for dinner, so all you need to do is get 3 cheeses, 3 gourmet crackers and colorful olives. Do not dismiss good cheese, just because you don't like it. You cannot predict what others will like or not like, you only need to serve a high quality variety, and your obligation is done.
If you wanted to, you could make a bunch of fancy hors doevres but that's according to your comfort level.
I would add some spiced nuts, preferably pecans. Easy recipes you can do in the microwave for either sweet or savory blends.
Figs probably aren't available, but maybe you could find fig preserves at a gourmet market that would add some sweet to the platter. If not, then I agree with dates as someone else posted, sliced and pitted.
If you live in an area where pimento cheese is appreciated, I would add celery stuffed with pimento cheese, or pimento cheese as a dip with pretzel crackers.
Cheese selection is largely a function of the guests that you invite. For example, the pimento cheese described by the prior posters works really great in the Southern states but not so much in other parts of the country.
Many of my friends would appreciate a good blue cheese like Maytag or a good British Stilton.
A very sharp New York cheddar would be on my list, the more crumbly the better.
In general, when I am doing a cheese tray for my friends, I bring in Cougar Gold cheese from Washington State University and a variety of cheeses from the Babcock Dairy at the University of Wisconsin.
Although they are out of season, I do like to add in some champaigne grapes. I also like to have some good olives and at this time of year, I also include some kumquats.
Cheese selection is largely a function of the guests that you invite. For example, the pimento cheese described by the prior posters works really great in the Southern states but not so much in other parts of the country.
Many of my friends would appreciate a good blue cheese like Maytag or a good British Stilton.
A very sharp New York cheddar would be on my list, the more crumbly the better.
In general, when I am doing a cheese tray for my friends, I bring in Cougar Gold cheese from Washington State University and a variety of cheeses from the Babcock Dairy at the University of Wisconsin.
Although they are out of season, I do like to add in some champaigne grapes. I also like to have some good olives and at this time of year, I also include some kumquats.
I love pimento cheese and I agree with you here. Also, it is a down-homey, American comfort food that may seem out of place with European cheese and olives.
OP how about smoked Gouda or at least one smoked cheese? (This will also add some color since it sounds like you've got all white cheese so far, with a bit of blue.) I also really like Butterkaase. Like the name suggests, it's buttery. has a mild flavor that goes with just about anything. They make it in the US as well as in Germany.
Last edited by Kaphawoman; 12-27-2016 at 11:41 PM..
Got some smoked Gouda from Costco at $5.69 lb. It is delicious. I also have smoked salmon from DH's annual fishing trip to Alaska. The smoked salmon is very popular wit our particular group. May throw in some kielbasa from the European market due to the Polish guests attending. Love the idea of figs or fig spread!
If you live in an area with a large Polish population (like Chicago), hit up a Polish supermarket. Eastern European countries have a big array of cheeses and sausages. I really like Polish cheeses, like Podlaski and Morski; both are American-friendly, flat-sliced cow's milk cheeses, tasting similar to Swiss or brick. They go best on a thin slice of French bread with a touch of butter.
I was about to type out a list of my favorite cheeses, but then I did a quick google search and found this website about cheeses, that I think may be very helpful to you. Much more helpful than just a list of what I like.
On that page I linked to, scroll down to the section on Cheese and Wine Pairings for some good general information about choices and presentation. Once you decide on which cheeses you think sound good, you can look at the individual descriptions of many different cheeses.
Here's a good link that will tell you a lot about choosing meats:
I like the suggestion about having dates or figs. You also might want to consider having some grapes or other fresh fruit - strawberries or cherries. And definitely some nuts.
As far as olives, Costco has a Merzetta brand of garlic stuffed olives that I really enjoy. And there is a brand of olives that are wonderful, if you want more stuffed olives. Here's a link to their website, but you can also buy them in stores. They have olives stuffed with all types of things - blue cheese, tiny dill pickles and peppers, to name just a few. Kalamata olives are also an excellent choice.
And, as other people have mentioned, you should have a nice crusty bread - a baguette or something similar and/or some good quality bland crackers - water crackers or something similar.
For the meats, you might also want to have some top quality mustards.
I personally would not serve honey - too sticky and too messy.
For the drinks, you could serve both white and red wine and just keep it simple. If you decide you want to also have mixed drinks - just get a selection of vodka, gin, tequila and rum with mixers to go with them - club soda, tonic, coke, etc. You will probably also want to have limes and other garnishes like that. The Filthy brand olives that I mentioned above are good for drinks, and just for eating.
Maybe add some whiskey, bourbon or dark alcohol of some kind. I don't drink dark colored alcohols except for spiced rum, so I can't really advise you about what or how to choose those.
Last edited by vrexy; 12-28-2016 at 08:33 AM..
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