How to Make a Fruit & Cheese Tray
Making a decorative and appetizing fruit and cheese tray is easy since the food you're working with is lovely on its own. Some people like to make nice, uniform trays. Others prefer to heap everything together. No matter which method you prefer, if you choose seasonal fruits and good, flavorful cheeses, you really can't go wrong. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Seasonal fruit
- Three or four cheese wedges
- Decorative platter or large cutting board
- Cheese knives
- Toothpicks
Instructions
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Go to your local farmer's market or food store. Farmer's markets, available in many cities, are a great place to see what fruits are in season and talk to the farmer who grew them. If you don't have a regular farmer's market, check out the produce aisle in your market and talk to the produce clerk about what's currently in season. Local, seasonal fruit tastes better and has not traveled as far to get to the store.
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Select four or five varieties of fruit. If it's spring and summer, you have melons, peaches, cherries, grapes and apricots to choose from. Fall brings dates, pears and pomegranates. You won't find too much in the winter as far as seasonal fruit; citrus and kiwis are usually great but don't complement cheese well. This platter is really best for spring, summer and fall tables.
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Browse the cheese counter at the supermarket, or check out a specialty store. Talk to the clerk about what you're looking for. Let her know you're making a cheese tray using pears and figs and she'll be able to come up with a few excellent companion cheeses in a range of prices. Alternatively, you can always pick up three or four wedges of the tried and true: Havarti, blue cheese, Gouda, sharp cheddar and brie are all terrific. Try to have at least one soft, one semi-soft and one hard cheese available for variety.
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Cut your fruit and cheese. Small wedges and easily picked up pieces of fruit are best for a buffet or appetizer-style platter. Grapes can be cut into small bunches of four to six grapes. Cheeses are best left in a wedge shape. If you have two or three varieties of hard cheese, you might want to cut small cubes out of one of them, to add visual interest.
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Arrange your fruit and cheese on a tray, platter or cutting board. Have fun with this. You can add sprigs of herbs for a little more decoration if you like. Make sure you have small cheese knives available so folks can cut small pieces off the cheese. Toothpicks work well for spearing fruit and cheese cubes.
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Tips & Warnings
Take your cheese out of the refrigerator at least 1 to 2 hours before your guests arrive. This will let the cheese get to room temperature and bring out its best flavor.
