When we took our family on a cruise a few years back, I imposed afternoon naps for everyone. I did this partly because it’s always fashionable to channel Mary Poppins, and partly because we got up so early, and stayed up so late. While the 4-6pm rest time was initially resisted, I found a way to make it more than palatable. Every day at 6pm, I had a fruit and cheese tray sent to our room. So, we were awakened not by a cell phone, but by a butleresque gentleman with a gentle tap on the door and a faux-silver tray of pineapple, strawberries, and cheeses. I am a believer in the afternoon snack, particularly before a large dinner is coming. It seems the charcuterie board has become more popular than ever, and no two are alike. This one includes the old recipe for the cheese dip at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Pioneer Hall.
The ALLURE of the Board
The charcuterie board is trendy not because it is inexpensive (it is not), but because it is high protein and healthy, and allows one to treat the board as an art palate. People on keto and high-protein diets welcome it, as do people with food allergies. I have one friend, Ms. Thang, who will only come to visit if I tell her I am making some version of this. We love our cheesy times together, and I think that today was the first time I’ve made one without inviting her.
In fact, after I posted the picture of this board on Instagram, I immediately got a text that read “the ultimate betrayal!”
The ART of the Board
A board can have anything you choose, but usually includes prepared meat, cheese, crackers, and a condiment such as Fig spread. Others include fruit, olives, vegetables, and dips. Of course, the ultimate companion to the charcuterie and cheese board is a good bottle of wine.
The point of it all is to make it look as pretty as you can, and my recommendation is simply to visualize yourself in Paris or Tuscany with a very handsome stranger. That makes the art all come together so easily. Because the art of art is visualization. I think. Of course, Ms. Thang probably knows all of the salacious thinking that goes behind the making of a cheese board (and heaven forbid a cheese table). But she’s a bit reticent, and therefore we would never have such a discussion. Hence, the Mickey-shaped cheese balances our board with the necessary level of innocence.
There are two cheese that I always include. One is a Cream Havarti (mild) and Sweet Grass Dairy Green Hill Cheese from Thomasville, Georgia. Now, the cheese dip has not been on the Hoop Dee Doo menu at Pioneer Hall menu for a long time. It’s fairly basic, and reminds me of the time that our cheeses never went far beyond American slices, Velveeta, cheddar, and cream cheese. This dip has two of the four, and it’s hard to go terribly wrong with cream cheese. The original recipe was published in the 1987 edition of Cooking with Mickey Mouse Around Our World, which I have had since that time. I substituted heavy cream for the half and half to make it richer, and because now we know that fat is good, right?
ingredients
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper (original recipe calls for white pepper)
1/8 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (do not overdo!)
3/4 cup grated Cheddar cheese (I used sharp)
8 oz. cream cheese softened
Instructions
Combine the heavy cream and chili powder over medium heat. Add salt, pepper, and Tabasco sauce, and stir until hot. Remove from heat and stir in cheeses until melted. Serve with crackers or vegetables.
