How to Create the Perfect Meat and Cheese Platter

Hey everyone! Last night Wayne and I received a last minute invitation to a food writer dinner at a brand new brewery called Brannon's Brewery. We devoured tons of delicious food and I will have to share pictures of it soon, but in the mean time I've got some other tasty pictures that I hope will help inspire you to create a platter for your friends and family during the holidays. 

These are photos from the meat and cheese platter that I created as my contribution to a Thanksgiving dinner we were invited to at our friend's house. I'm not sure if these pictures do it justice, but the platter used was my turkey platter - so there was plenty for a large crowd! (I always make sure I bring too much!)

I got to thinking about meat and cheese platters, and why I loved them so much. For one, I get to be creative when designing them - like which meats and cheeses to use, how I will arrange them, what kinds of spreads I'll have with them, as well as any other foods I fill the platter with. I'm no expert on what to use, so I just get some things that I like, and some that I know others will like and go from there. 

First I start with a list of what I'm going to buy. I'll search around and hit up what's on sale too. Grab a couple of kinds of cheese that you know people will like, then buy 2-3 more that sound interesting to you! The same goes for the meats - the one thing I always make sure of is that the meat is sliced thin, I hate taking a bite on a cracker when there's just a huge chunk of meat or a huge chunk of cheese on it. Make it thin so you can layer better. :) 

Here's some other ideas for food that you can add along on your platter:

grapes

nuts

pickled vegetables

berries

olives

also, think about spreads - I love having an herb cheese, mustard's, and my favorite? Red pepper jelly!

After you've decided what you're going to have on your plate, it's time to figure out how to place everything. I like just using my imagination and letting my hands flow but if you have no idea where to start I'd begin by alternating meat and cheese sections. You don't have to do this by any means, but I think it looks a little more balanced. You can then also add the spreads onto the platter and anything else you desire. 

Finally when I've tweaked the platter to how I'd like it to look I made a bread and or cracker basket that has a variety of different flavors, From whole grain to butter crackers there is something to please everyone's palates. 

And there you have it - how I create (my) perfect meat and cheese platter!

What do you do differently with yours?

~Melissa