For my family, a little indulgence of cheese, olives, prosciutto and a lovely glass of wine on a Saturday night is blissful. We gather together, enjoy a good chat and discuss the weekly events. A cheese board makes for a great starter before dinner, in our case however, it becomes dinner as we cannot stop devouring the lot.
Ingredients
12-16 Slices of Parma Prosciutto (dry cured ham)
200 grams French Brie
150 grams Asiago (sliced)
125 grams mixed marinated Olives
100 grams Baby Cornichons
12 Apricots (naturally dried Turkish)
50 grams Black Muscat Raisins (naturally dried)
crackers & crusty bread
Wine (Red or white)
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 4-6 people (approximately)
You will need one large wooden board, platter or two smaller wooden boards and a few small bowls should you wish to use bowls . On this occasion, I used two smaller boards and a few bowls.
Arrange the prosciutto brie and sliced cheese neatly on the board. Place the olives in a bowl as well as the cornichons, apricots, muscat raisins and arrange on the board. Decorative bowls or baskets can be used for the crackers and bread. Alternatively they can be neatly arranged on the board.
Cook’s Tips
When cutting cheese, its shape will determine the best way to cut it. Remember to provide a separate cheese knife or utensil for each cheese and encourage people not to mix the knives to avoid mixing cheese flavours.
With a firmer cheese such as Asiago, it is preferable to make neat slices and arrange on the board. Asiago is an Italian cow’s milk cheese originating in the town of Asiago in the Veneto Region of Italy. The cheese can assume different textures according to its ageing, from smooth for the fresh Asiago to a crumbly texture for the aged.
Enjoy!
