NYE Grazing Platter
Serves up to 8 people
- 1 bunch Dutch carrots, washed and trimmed
- 200g/7ozs Mini Cucumbers, washed
- 200g/7ozs snow peas, blanched (see below)
- 200g/7ozs green beans, blanched (see below)
- 200g/7ozs cherry tomatoes, washed
- 300g/10.6ozs green olives, drained
- 300g/10.6ozs pitted kalamata olives, drained
- Small truffle brie
- 100g/3.5oz box crackers
- 100g/3.5ozs Vegetable chips
- 100g/3.5ozs Potato Chips
- 1.5 kilo/3.3lb wheel Caerphilly cheese
- 200g/7ozs fennel salami, sliced
- 200g/7ozs spicy salami, sliced
- Dips of your choice (I made bagna cauda and sour cream with salmon roe on top)
- Tray of focaccia, sliced into fingers
Step 1 - To blanch snow peas and green beans, place a pot of water onto boil. Have a large bowl filled with ice cubes and water ready and a pair of tongs. Place half of the snow peas in the simmering water and as soon as the green colour begins to change (under 1 minute) remove with the tongs and plunge into the ice water. Repeat with remaining half of snow peas and then repeat with the green beans. Once cold, you can drain and transfer these to a container in the fridge for the following day.
Step 2 - To present the wheel of hard cheese, slice around the top of the wax and remove the wax top of the cheese. Cut a hatch pattern across the top of the cheese going in around an inch deep. Using the knife cut out chunks of cheese until you get a whole layer of cheese chunks.
2 hours ahead of time: Lay out the olives, crudités and any soft cheeses like brie or camembert. Use air conditioning if it is very hot.
1 hour ahead of time: Place the chips in bowls, open the crackers and make the dips.
15 minutes before guests arrive: put out the charcuterie, dips and sliced bread.