54 THE QUEENS COURIER • THANKSGIVING • NOVEMBER 9, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
thanksgiving
Impress your guests with a cheese plate appetizer
Whether you’re gathering with friends,
colleagues or family this holiday season,
entertaining with appetizers is the perfect
way to have fun without the stress of
creating a multi-course meal. And when
the question of what to serve arises and
you need an easy-yet-impressive solution,
cheese plates are an ideal way to bring a
gourmet touch to your event without a
lot of eff ort.
If a cheese plate sounds too basic, think
again. It’s all about balancing tastes, textures
and visual appeal with a variety of
fun food and beverage pairings. Plus, it’s
a great conversation starter to get your
guests interacting.
Luckily, if you’re in a rush on the day
of your gathering, a cheese plate is easy to
put together in minutes - no cooking necessary.
Just plan to include three to fi ve
cheeses per platter - estimate about 3 to 4
ounces of cheese per person - and arrange
-your choices on a pretty dish or tray.
Th ere are infi nite ways to create a cheese
plate that will be the talk of your party.
Consider these simple suggestions for a
bit of inspiration:
• Play with variety and contrast. Include
cheeses in a range of textures, from soft to
semi-hard to crumbly or hard, that have
a range of fl avor profi les. Consider combinations
like a soft and creamy brie,
a harder aged cheese like Stella Sharp
Provolone and a crumbly Salemville blue
cheese.
• Start mild and move to strong. Give
your guests a tastebud tour of the many
diff erent fl avors fi ne cheeses have to off er.
Present a trio of options with varied intensity
of fl avor including an appealingly
tangy chevre like Organic Creamery goat
cheese, a buttery Gouda and a bold cheese
like Black Creek Extra Sharp Cheddar.
• Shake it up with unusual cheeses.
Give guests the opportunity to try cheeses
they might not have had before. It’s
the perfect way for them to sample something
that could become a new favorite.
Look for cheeses with unique ingredients,
like Great Midwest Mango Fire Cheddar,
which has habanero pepper and the rich
sweetness of mango.
It’s a great idea to set out some other
small food items that pair nicely with
cheese, like Kalamata olives, sun-dried
tomatoes, Marcona almonds, grilled vegetables,
sliced fruit or even chocolate.
Cheese and wine famously go together,
so off ering your guests samples from
a few bottles will make the tasting experience
even more fun. Keep these wineand
cheese pairing principles in mind:
• For hard, stronger-fl avored cheeses
(e.g. Gruyere or aged Cheddar): Mediumbodied
reds (e.g. Pinot Noir)
• For soft , young cheeses (e.g. goat
cheese): Simple, young wines like sauvignon
blanc
• For stronger blue cheeses (e.g. gorgonzola,
Danish Blue): Sweet/dessert wines
• For mild, buttery or creamy cheeses
(e.g. triple-creme bries): Sparkling wines
• Semi-soft cheeses (e.g. camembert):
Chardonnays and full cabernets
Parties should be just as much fun for
the hostess as they are for guests. Opting
for easy-to-create gourmet cheese plates
will save time and allow you to enjoy the
tasting experience with friends and family.
Courtesy BPT
5 ways to take your holiday party to the next level
On the one hand, the holidays are all
about traditions. You and your family
probably have some favorite recipes
you like to cook up, or maybe it’s a trip
to the tree farm or pumpkin patch. But
just as much as holidays are about tradition,
many have an insatiable drive to
outdo themselves and try something new,
to outdo the festivities of years past and
make this holiday season the most memorable
yet.
How can you outshine yourself this
holiday season? Th e answer is simple:
Th ink big. Don’t be confi ned to the party
supplies you have around your house;
stretch out and rent equipment similar
to what professional party planners
use. RentalHQ can connect you to nearby
rental stores and help your party stand
out from the usual traditional gatherings.
Here are some other great ideas to
jump-start your holiday party planning.
1. Serve your food the right way.
Preparing a holiday meal is a labor of
love, but even for small gatherings, it can
be a real challenge to make sure that delicious
food stays warm and is served at
its optimal temperature. Renting chafi ng
dishes for main courses and hors d’oeuvres
can ensure that the temperature and
fl avor of your food stays just right and
that those masterpieces you cook up taste
better than ever.
2. Add some smoke, snow or bubbles.
Whether you want to bring some snow
to a Christmas party or some cool smoke
and fog eff ects to ring in the new year,
renting a snow or smoke machine can
create a party atmosphere like none other.
3. Drink in style. To throw a truly stellar
holiday party, there are some items you
must have. On the top of many people’s
list is a full-service bar. If you don’t have a
built-in bar in your home or party venue,
you’re in luck. Why? Because you’ll have
more options to choose from when you
decide to rent one. Whether it’s an illuminated
bar, modernist style or a classic
stone-top design, renting a portable bar
to fi t your party is key.
4. Fountains of deliciousness. To really
go all out, you need to think bigger. You
need to plan as though you were throwing
an A-list celebrity party. Renting a champagne
or chocolate fountain is a sure way
to do this. A perfect blend of luxury and
deliciousness, a fountain will leave guests
talking about that tumbling tower of liquid
chocolate or bubbling champagne for
years to come.
5. Focus on the details. For many holiday
get-togethers, it’s all about having
the right plates and serving ware. For a
reasonable price, you can easily rent fi ne
china and exquisite glassware that will
wow your guests. Best of all, you won’t
have to spend a fortune on items you only
use a couple of times a year!
Need help fi nding these items or have
other party ideas in mind? Locate virtually
everything you need by visiting www.
RentalHQ.com and be prepared to set a
new standard for holiday parties.
Courtesy BPT