Grazing Platters: A Private Chef’s Favorite Way to Serve Farm Fresh Appetizers
Working at a farm in Steamboat, Grazing platters, dip spreads, and cheese and charcuterie boards are a few of my favorite ways to serve appetizers and show off the bounty of our farm fresh ingredients!
As a fan of rustic dining, small bite appetizers and composed small plates are a thing of my past. I’ve been LOVING showcasing the bounty of our local, seasonal Steamboat produce with an array of farm fresh veggies and fruit served with homemade pickles, mustards, and compotes. Throw in a few easy homemade dips, marinated olives, and spiced nuts for a little extra flair!
I’ve always been a strong proponent of food not needing to be complicated to be delicious and this is the perfect example!
This month, I had the pleasure of catering a weekend getaway office retreat for a group from Denver. They wanted a rustic farm-to-table spread which was perfect for showcasing Steamboat’s bounty of late summer/early fall! I also partnered with my friend and sommelier/owner of Ski Town Wine and Spirits to bring them an hour long wine tasting session during cocktail hour before sitting down for a rustic family style spread of local food. For the grazing platters, I gathered a small variety of our Elkstone Farm veggies and let them speak for themselves. I used our sun gold cherry tomatoes, snow peas, cucumbers, and sweet peppers plus our watermelon, figs, house pickles, house mustard, and house jam. All of the fruits and veggies were served raw and paired with a few varieties of cheeses and charcuterie. Whenever I can, I get our local cheese from Moonhill Dairy farm. When they don’t have any available, I’ve found that City Market has a wonderful artisanal cheese selection!
When choosing cheeses for a grazing platter, I like to think about the textures and flavors I will be serving. I usually go with a soft ripened funky cheese, a sweet blue cheese, and some sort of aged gouda or alpine style cheese.
This mix of flavors and textures give a wonderful variety to your platter. As far as charcuterie goes, I like to think of it in a similar way. For this platter, I chose two different types of dried salames, but I would normal mix it up with a pate of some kind, a hard salami of some kind, and a softer charcuterie like prosciutto or coppa. For the dips, I made a simple carrot and white bean hummus and served it with a generous glug of olive oil and dukkah (a middle Eastern and Egyptian condiment made of various herbs, spices, and nuts) and labneh with za’atar (a strained yogurt cheese with another middle eastern spice blend). Toast up a few slices of baguette with olive oil and salt to serve with the spread, and you’ve got a bountiful appetizer platter that is sure to please!
You can mix and match so many flavors with a cocktail hour spread like this. Have fun and enjoy!
*To get the recipes or read more about dukkah, labneh, and za’atar, click on the links below!