You’re probably bored with traditional crackers plus dips and cheese platters that get served at parties. So am I.
What about letting your creative juices flow to create a colorful fruit, nut, and cheese platter to delight your guests in your next get-together?
Here’s how.
When to Serve a Fruit Nut and Cheese Platter?
There are endless possibilities to occasions where you serve such a platter to delight your guests. Among them:
- Birthday parties
- Bachelor parties
- Graduation parties
- Baby showers
- Book clubs
- Game nights
- Family dinners
- House parties
- Holiday celebrations
It really is a get-together staple and a life savior sometimes!
How to Make Your Own Fruit, Nut, and Cheese Platter? – The Basics
This is a process that I have so much fun doing. You get to choose elements, assemble them together, and produce something that’s both good looking and perfect for snacking.
Choose a Convenient Base
You’ve got to start with laying out the base. I love using wooden platters. They look nice and complement the look of the fruits. You can find them in all shapes and sizes on Amazon. I’d recommend the Lipper Acacia Tree Bark Footed Server for its rustic contemporary appeal. It’s a work of art by itself.
Another nice option is the Unique Bamboo Charcuterie Platter from Royal Craft Wood. It’s designed to be used as a cheese platter, and it takes on loads of snacks!
You can use marble or silver platters as well. Be playful!
Big Things First
Start with big items like bowls or jars you’ll be placing on the platter. It might be a ramekin of olives, a jar of jam, or a small bowl of nuts. These components serve as centerpieces to your platter; you start arranging fruits and cheese around them.
Start with Cheese
Next, place your chosen cheese on the platter. I like to put them next to the centerpieces to separate them from each other so that their flavors don’t mix.
To give your platter an edge, use geometric shapes, especially when it comes to cheese. We’re looking for a perfectly triangular piece of brie, nicely cut aged cheddar slices, some gouda cheese cubes, and maybe a chunk of blue cheese. I’d recommend an average of three to five types of cheese.
Note that cheese should be served at room temperature, so make sure to let it out of the fridge about half an hour before serving the plate.
Throw in Some Crackers & Charcuterie (Optional)
This is an optional step, yet it enriches your platter. At this point, you can add some crackers and some french baguette slices. People love these additions!
However, don’t overdo it, as they take up plenty of space on your board. You can use separate bread baskets to solve this problem. Also, make sure you always have a restock.
If you’d like to add charcuterie, it’d be the time for that too. You can roll on some salami triangles from the deli.
Here Come the Fruits
That’s when your beloved platter will start to look complete. Place big fruits first. If you have mango or persimmon, you can start with them. Slicing out a mango so that its cubes pop out will amp up your platter’s appearance, and a peeled persimmon will look like a dazzling star on your platter.
Then, you can go on with sliced fruit. Slice a couple of apples, pears, kiwi, and maybe oranges?
Dried fruits are a welcome addition, as well.
Let the Platter Go “Nuts!”
At this point, you add your desired nuts. For mixed nuts, you can add them in a ramekin to be easily accessible. You can also place a bunch of almonds on the board to fill the gap between two fruits, for example. Pistachios look amazing too!
Just make sure to separate salted nuts from fruits so as not to mix flavors unintentionally. Leave the mixing to your guests!
Fill in the Gaps
Supposedly, you’re done by now, except for some gaps here and there on your platter. You can fill in these gaps using fruits like grapes, plums, berries, mandarines, or figs. You can slice some strawberries in half and add them too.
A few squares of dark chocolate would look pretty there, striking some contrast on that colorful plate!
What Cheese Should I Use on My Platter?
Now that we’re done with the ‘how,’ let’s get back to the ‘what.’ Here are the common types of cheese to use in a platter. However, there are no rules. You can use whatever you want!
You want some variation in cheese’s taste and textures. I’d advise you to take one or two of each type.
Soft Cheese
We’re looking at Brie, Mozzarella, and Camembert. These are soft textured cheese with a mild taste, so they go well with most fruits. They’re like the go-to option on your platter. Make sure to have plenty of the one you’ll choose of them, and it’d be better to accompany it with a serving knife.
For a stronger taste, we’ve got Feta cheese and Blue cheese. Both look and taste well accompanied by crackers, fruits, and nuts!
Hard Cheese
The best thing about hard cheese types is that they’re easy to serve. You’ve got Gouda with its distinct nutty flavor, Aged-Cheddar is a classic that pairs with nearly every fruit, and Parmesan with its subtle lovable taste.
What Fruits Go on the Platter?
Mhmm, anything?
You can’t say no to any fruit type. However, I’m going to mention some fruits that ‘look good’ on a platter.
- Grapes, especially if you leave on the stem. Exotic!
- Santa and Honeydew melons, slice some of these.
- Mango, cut it well; it does wonders.
- Berries and cherries, add both color and texture
- Figs, texture!
- Apples and pears, life-saviors.
Finally,
Have fun while you put your fruit, nut, and cheese platter together. It’s more about mixing colors and playing with textures than anything. Follow our guide, and you should end u