The Significance of a Platter
Everybody loves a delectable platter and if you think you don’t well maybe you haven’t enjoyed one of these delightful edible specimens in all its glory.
I’m going to be honest, I love a good platter. One that’s packed with goodies such as delicious cheese, dips, pesto, hummus, sliced fruit, avocado, fig paste or better yet fresh figs, salmon, salami, cherry tomatoes and of course toasted crunchy nuts – walnuts are my absolute favourite here, especially these Maple Toasted Salted Walnuts.
While platters are downright delicious in their own right, a platter signifies so much more. A platter is an opportunity to gather friends and family, both old and new, to share foods over a lovely glass of wine or a cold beer and to share conservations centred on the day’s activities, the bounty before you or your plans for the future. Platters enable you to slowly nibble and talk and wile away the warmer evenings in the sinking sunlight.
With the right combinations of food, platters can provide a valuable source of calcium, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats and if you play your cracker cards correctly, fibre too. The key is portion size and the ability to stop and still leave room for nutritious and delicious dinner. This is where slow, relaxed sharing comes into play and the use of protein rich foods such as salmon and fibre rich, low energy foods such as sliced vegetables.
The platter pictured above was one I made with my family for us all to enjoy while away in Hanmer Springs for the weekend. The only thing I wanted to add (which we didn't have at the time) was homemade crackers as we'd arrived in late from a quad bike adventure and I didn't get the chance to make any! So following that weekend, I set out to craft a delicious wee crunchy morsel that can be added to wholesome platters rather than high-salt, nutrient devoid crackers that are so often found in our supermarkets - this is especially so for gluten-free crackers. My Super Seed crackers are a wonderful source of fibre, protein and omega-3 fatty acids from the addition of linseeds. I'd suggest making a batch every few weeks and keeping them in an air-tight container to ensure you have a continuous supply of homemade wholesome crackers to enjoy over these up-coming lovely warmer weekends!
You will be able to find the recipe for my Super Seed Crackers over on the Eat Marlborough Facebook page here tomorrow. Eat Marlborough is an exciting new initiative that celebrates all things edible from Marlborough - food, producers, growers cafe's, restaurants! I love it!
Always remember that a platter is a symbol of much more than the food that adorns it, and there will indeed be many more platters for you to enjoy over the Spring/Summer months so savour, enjoy and eat each mouthful mindfully.
