My Canadian daughter and her husband leave Tuesday
for their move to South Carolina. They plan to drive it in one long day, since
they will have two young and rambunctious doodle dogs with them. God speed
their journey. I have been to a large-ish farewell party for them but felt I
wanted to do a more personal goodbye. I figured by Sunday night their kitchen
would be packed, and they wouldn’t want to cook. So I’d invite them for happy
hour with heavy appetizers. At first I thought I’d serve cheeseburger sliders
and bean salad, but that somehow didn’t sound right. So I’ve settled on a big antipasto
platter. And that got me to thinking about charcuteries, cheese platters and
antipasto, the differences and the similarities.
I
think of these as versions of the same dish. All three are easy to put together
if you plan ahead and have the ingredients. A cheese platter may be the
easiest, but with the price of good cheese these days, it may not be the least
expensive. Charcuterie is the traditional meat platter of France. Antipasto is
traditionally the first course of a formal Italian dinner, but in this country,
it has gone from the seated table to the happy hour coffee table. You often
find the same ingredients on charcuterie and antipasto platters. The key to all
three platters is variety in taste, texture, and eye appeal.
Cheese platters: You can choose from
four basic types of cheese: aged (cheddar, brie, gouda, goat, various types of
Swiss); soft (camembert, Havarti, feta); firm: Manchego, Parmigiano, Pecorino;
blue: (blue, gorgonzola, stilton). For a small gathering of perhaps four people,
three choices, one each from three of the groups, are probably enough. Count on
a third of a pound per person. Offer a choice of crusty breads and crackers.
I’d put each cheese on a separate dish or board, so they don’t “share” flavors,
and be sure to put out a separate knife for each.
Refrigerate cheese until two or three
hours before serving; bring to room temperature.
Possible accompaniments: honey, chutney,
artichoke hearts.
[Note: a favorite treat a young friend
recently introduced me to: put a bite of blue cheese on a cracker or slice of
apple or pear and then drizzle just a drop or two of honey on it. Delicious!
You can also spread a really thin layer of honey on a slice of feta and bake it
briefly.]
Charcuterie: Traditionally
this is a platter of cold, cured, or preserved meats. Once again, you want to
mix texture and taste. Use one or more salamis, perhaps a hard and a soft; a
pate or terrine; sausage; thinly sliced ham, possibly rolled for easier eating;
prosciutto or its beef cousin bresaola. If you include a smoked meat, limit it
to one. As one chef says, after a while all you taste is smoke.
[Note: a pâté is meat in a spreadable
paste texture. Most people think of duck or chicken liver as pâté and it’s true
those are most common, but pâté can be made of beef, game, fish, even
vegetables. They are usually richly seasoned with herbs, spices, and either
wine or brandy. Often, they are made in a loaf or terrine pan, chilled, and
sliced. A terrine is distinguished by its texture. Ingredients are coarsely
chopped. Pork is the most common base ingredient but again, game, seafood,
poultry may be used.]
Two ounces of meat per person is usually
enough, since the meats tend to be rich.
Suggested accompaniments: olives, nuts, a
good grainy mustard, cornichons, chutney, or jam. Serve a variety of crusty
breads and plenty of forks. Small individual plates are a good idea.
Antipasto:
an
antipasto platter makes wider use of a variety of foods. Cured meats such as
prosciutto and salami may be the basis, but add cheeses, perhaps bocconcini
(those mozzarella balls), a hard Pecorino or grana, and a provolone somewhere
in the middle. Vegetables are also prominent on the antipasto platter—cherry
tomatoes, artichoke hearts, broccoli or cauliflower pieces, sliced sweet onion
or whole scallions, hearts of palm, celery slices, baby carrots, capers. If
you’re ambitious, devil an egg for each of your guests Bread sticks are
traditional but it’s nice to offer bread too, maybe crusty baguette slices.
Garnishes:
my
mother, a fabulous cook, always told me food is half eaten with the eye. It’s
particularly important to remember that when laying out these platters. Tuck a
leafy green—radicchio or watercress or flat Italian parsley—here and there
among the meats and cheeses. Use grapes as a focal point. Stand back and look
at your platter to see if the colors and spacing draw your eye.
Once you get the hang of these platters,
you can put one together in minutes. An unexpected or last-minute guest? Just
whip up a platter, and you’ll rank high as host or hostess.
I
haven’t quite made the final decision for Sunday’s antipasto, but I resisted
the temptation to add pickled herring, because I figured I was the only one who
would eat it. And I did add liverwurst—we’ll see who eats that. But I hope
there’s enough variety for everyone. And, yes, I will devil some eggs—I found a
recipe the other day where you put in tiny bits of almost every spice in your
cabinet, but it’s for a dozen eggs. Not sure I can reduce it enough for four
eggs! I also resisted white anchovies, another taste I love, because I know
Sue’s husband Teddy doesn’t like them.
I do
hope no one will go home hungry, but I’m a bit worried about Christian. Several
things he won’t touch, so I’ve added some sliced roast bison and some black
olives specifically for him.
Adapted from Gourmet
on a Hot Plate: Tiny KItchen Tips and Recipes: Alter, Judy, Alter, Judy:
9780996993531: Amazon.com: Books
