The Perfect Cheese Tray

I am not the first person to write about a cheese tray this season, and I won’t be the last. It’s a no-brainer as an appetizer when you’re harried and busy. Unwrap a few items and plunk them on a platter and there you are. It never goes out of style and people gobble it up happily.

At this time of year, cheese and some yummy accompaniments are perfect by the fire as a Christmas Eve starter, or an ideal way to kick off (or wrap up?) your New Year’s Eve festivities. And, on a quiet, cosy Saturday night when you’re not in the mood to cook, who says it can’t replace dinner?

While the idea of a cheese tray itself may be nothing new, I do have a few ideas on how you can make one that’s uniquely local. Should you find yourself in Kitchener this weekend -- or on any other Saturday, for that matter -- a trip to the downtown market will have you in very good shape for putting together a gorgeous cheese course.

This is one of my favourite things to feed people whether I’m hosting or whether I’m headed elsewhere. It’s lovely to serve (or take) to out-of-towners because it allows you to impress with (and be an ambassador for) some of Waterloo region’s best eats. But it also introduces locals to things they might not have known existed in their own backyard.

Cheese, naturally, is the place to start. Designers love things in odd numbers, and plating food is design, isn’t it? Three to five cheeses is about right, depending on how many people you’re feeding. There’s no shortage of wonderful cheese at the market but I like to head to Knechtel’s to pick up a few types by Millbank’s Monforte. Knechtel’s carries a handful of the 25 types made by Monforte cheesemaker Ruth Klahsen. Three to try: Belle, a smooth, lemony chevre; a hunk of smoked cheddar (regular or chipotle); and a wedge of Piacere, an oozy, buttery, French-inspired, herb-encrusted thing of beauty.

Now the fun begins. What else to buy? To start, I head to Doug’s Honey for a piece of honeycomb. Honey is a fabulous partner to cheese. It creates some opportunity for salty-sweet contrast and it tempers the flavour of particularly strong cheeses. There are also all manner of pickles, sauces and relishes available from a couple spots, including those from Kountry Kitchen Cupboard, made in Winterbourne.

With some almonds and a little jug of Mennonite country’s finest maple syrup, you can make a quick batch of roasted nuts at home. Just toss a pound of skin-on almonds with 1/3 cup of syrup and a tablespoon of vegetable oil, spread on a parchment-lined baking sheet, bake at 325 about 20 minutes, then sprinkle with coarse salt.

And a bag of Oak Manor Farms flour, which you’ll see displayed and sold on the main level, will serve you well if you’re up for making your own crackers, which is much easier than you’d think. See the recipe below, if you’re game.

As for some deliciously salty meat, I hit up Unfactory Farm, one of my favourite booths (they also sell the flour), for organic beef pepperettes, which come in spicy and not-so-spicy. They’re perfect sliced up on the diagonal. But the market is certainly your oyster as far as cured meats go.

Lastly, a trip across King Street to Golden Hearth bakery for a couple of loaves of just about anything. Especially beautiful when left whole on a tray is their Epi, a leafy-looking version of the baguette.

Once home with your spoils, all that’s left to do is assemble. A big wooden board is the perfect canvas, if you’ve got one. A few cheese knives, some cocktail napkins and some vino, et voila. Beautiful.

For those who actually want to turn the oven on and tinker around a little further, here’s that cracker recipe, adapted slightly from Lucy’s Kitchen, by Lucy Waverman. Happy feasting.

Walnut Cracker Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour (feel free to try subbing in whole wheat or other kinds)


2 tbsp granulated sugar


1 tsp kosher salt


1 cup cold butter, cubed


1 tsp fennel seeds


1 cup chopped walnuts


3/4 cup water

Topping:


1 egg, beaten


1 tsp kosher salt or Maldon salt

Combine flour, sugar, salt, butter, fennel and walnuts in food processor and process until butter is size of peas. Blend in enough water to bring dough together (you may need slightly more or less than 3/4 cup). Transfer dough to a bowl and knead lightly until it forms a ball. Flatten dough into a disk and wrap in plastic. Chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350F. Divide dough into four pieces. Roll each piece as thinly as possible on a floured surface (shape can be irregular). Transfer to ungreased baking sheets and prick with a fork. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with salt. Bake in centre of oven (you may have to bake these one at a time) for 18 minutes or until golden and crisp. Cool on a rack. Break up crackers into smaller pieces.

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