Food & Party Planning Ideas
Cheese & Crackers — Elevated!
More than 40 percent of people surveyed for The 2006 Celebration Report from Wilton Enterprises reported serving cheese and crackers at their celebrations.
Cheese and crackers are easy. Sometimes we need to dress them up a little - like for the holidays. One way is to cut cheese into shapes using seasonal-inspired cookie cutters, and serve the cut-outs with crackers. Or, you can go a step further with homemade Holiday Crisps and Festive Olive Cheese Spread. It´s always nice to "elevate" your entertaining during the winter celebrations, especially if it´s easy!
Starting with refrigerated pie crust, homemade crackers are easier to make than you might think. Use jolly holiday cutters to cut the crust. For flavor and color, brush the tops with pesto, barbecue sauce or sun-dried tomato spread and sprinkle lightly with cheese, then bake and cool.
For the cheese spread, which will rival any of those "gourmet" spreads you can buy, start with a cream cheese base and add roasted red peppers, green olives and fresh herbs. In keeping with the spirit of the holidays, shape the cheese mixture into a tree by pressing into a silicone mold. Make it in advance - it needs to chill at least 6 hours for flavors to blend.
For cookie cutters, stencils and silicone molds, plus sensational seasonal tips, techniques and recipes, visit www.wilton.com.
