holiday entertaining made simple
Thinking of the approaching holidays usually conjures up a feeling of anxiety. So join us in taking a more simple approach this holiday season … discarding the traditional idea of serving an elaborate and time-consuming meal. Focus, instead, on the actual gathering with friends and loved ones, and keep the food preparation at a minimum. The holiday cheer will surely flow … Trust us! Coco’s simple recipe: It’s all about a killer cheese platter and expert wine pairings!
Preparation: Avoid hours spent in the kitchen, and simply ask your guests to brings a side dish while you prep the turkey. And while the turkey roasts in the oven, providing that inviting aroma of the traditional holiday, put together a killer cheese platter with the expert help of the local cheese shops in our area. And we’re not talking about your grandmother’s cheese log. It’s all about assembling a well thought out array of cheeses that are as beautiful to look at as they are to devour, and sure to keep your guests happy from the moment they arrive until dinner is served.
Our go-to local shop in Old Town Alexandria is La Fromagerie. Their cheese mongers know their stuff and are usually spot on when recommending a wine pairing. We asked our friends at our local shop to fill one of our gorgeous mirrored top trays with some of their finest, and in only a couple hours they transformed our footed gold tray into a culinary work of art. Our beautiful tray was covered by a variety of cow’s and goat’s milk cheeses styled with dried fruits, spicy chutney, a mound of crackers piled high in the center and two bottles of wine that had been selected specifically for our tray. Of course, we could have certainly done this ourselves but if you are like us and time isn’t always on your side, never feel ashamed to call upon the experts.
While the cheese and wine you serve is of the utmost importance, make sure your serving platter doesn’t fall short. If you are going to spend the time or money to plan an eye-catching cheese assortment, then you have to make sure your tray is up to the task, and this is something that we can certainly help with. Yes, it’s all about the cheese and wine, but equally so, it’s all about the serving tray for a festive presentation! Whether it be Thanksgiving, Christmas, or just a casual dinner party with friends, we have a tray that will suit your needs. But our advice is to keep things simple around the holidays. After-all, this is a time to enjoy spending with family and loved ones; not stressing over the meal. After all, the holidays are all about making memories that will last for years to come.
Cheeses, pictured left to right. (Available at La Fromagerie)
Sofia: Pasturized goats milk with vegetable ash. Cream and tangy.
Grayson: Unpasturized taleggio style cows milk cheese. Stinky and mildly sweet.
Mourtaineers: Unpasteurized alpine style (Gruyère) cow’s milk cheese. Nutty and smooth.
Buttermilk Blue: Pasteurized Wisconsin, blue cows milk cheese. Bright, rich and tangy.
Accouterments: Spicy plum chutney, dried figs, dried apricots and sesame seed and olive oil crackers.
Recommended Wine Pairings
La Fromagerie recommends to drink a white wine like Sancerre, with most of the cheeses on this platter. A heavier bodied wine like a Sera & Grenache blend pairs nicely with the Blue Cheese and the Grayson.
Trays and Platters (Available at Coco Blanca)
Gold rectangular footed mirror-top tray $248
Round aluminum tray with rim and slotted handles $72.50 (small) $115 (large)
Round lacquer tray with gold foil peacock and slotted handles $123
Large oval aluminum platter with starfish studded rim $115
Rectangular basket-weave trays with handles in a white wash finish $88 (set of two)
