It's the perfect time of year for entertaining and, for a break from the barbecue, there is nothing I love more than a decent platter in place of a main meal.
It means you can graze for a couple of hours without stress. A bit of forward planning and buying can make for a relaxing and delicious evening.
I have a few tips for constructing the perfect platter. I like a mixture of textures, flavours, and plenty of colour. A mixture of crackers, bread and fresh vegetables for dipping is great, and a couple of home-made dips mixed with store-bought ones work well too.
A few olives, half an avocado, a piece of smoked salmon, fresh berries, home-made sauerkraut, hummus and some cheese, with something tangy like a relish or pickle, and then fresh herbs for garnish, make a great start.
These three recipes work well as part of a platter, or on their own for a little something to go with a drink in the sun. The smoked fish spread also makes an excellent topping for toast the next day. Enjoy.
Smoked fish spread
250g smoked white fish, flaked 250g cream cheese 2 gherkins, finely chopped Small handful fresh dill, plus extra for garnish Flaky sea salt and black cracked pepper Juice of half a lemon, plus lemon wedges to garnish Small pinch chilli flakes or half a red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped 1 Tbsp olive oil
Combine all ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl and stir well with a tablespoon to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.
Serve with thin slices of grainy toast or crackers.
Soft goat cheese dip
Soft goat cheese dip. Photo / Doug Sherring
200g soft goat cheese 3 Tbsp thick natural yoghurt Juice of half a lemon 2 Tbsp good quality extra virgin olive oil Pinch sea salt Small pinch cayenne pepper, to garnish Optional: soft fresh herbs of your choice, finely chopped
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until combined. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.
Add fresh herbs if you wish.
Serve with fresh, crunchy vegetables (radishes are great) and crackers or flatbread.
Honey and thyme walnuts
This is one of my most simple but most impressive recipes and has been a hit on my blog, delaneymes.com, for a while. The walnuts are a great addition to a cheeseboard or platter, and people are always asking for the recipe.
Honey and thyme walnuts. Photo / Doug Sherring
1 cup (roughly) fresh walnut halves 1 very generous pinch flaky sea salt 4-5 fresh thyme sprigs 1 Tbsp clear, runny honey
Preheat oven to about 180C. Line a flat baking tray with baking paper and scatter over the walnuts.
Sprinkle over the sea salt. Pull some of the thyme leaves from the stalks and scatter over the walnuts. Add the other stalks whole among the walnuts.
Roast in the oven for about 8-10 minutes, being very careful not to burn them.
