Celtic Cross Cheese Platter (Print Version)

A visually striking cheese board arranged in four quadrants with a central creamy dip and assorted accompaniments.

# What You'll Need:

→ Cheeses

01 - 3.5 oz Irish cheddar, cubed
02 - 3.5 oz Brie, sliced
03 - 3.5 oz Blue cheese, crumbled
04 - 3.5 oz Manchego, sliced

→ Central Dip

05 - 5.3 oz sour cream or Greek yogurt
06 - 1 tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped
07 - 1 tsp lemon juice
08 - Salt and black pepper, to taste

→ Accompaniments

09 - 2.8 oz seedless red grapes
10 - 2.8 oz dried apricots
11 - 1.8 oz walnuts
12 - 1.8 oz honey

→ Crackers & Bread

13 - 3.5 oz rustic crackers
14 - 1 small baguette, sliced

# How to Make It:

01 - Combine sour cream or Greek yogurt with finely chopped chives, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper. Transfer mixture to a small round bowl.
02 - Place the dip bowl at the center of a large, round serving platter.
03 - Divide the platter visually into four quadrants and place each cheese variety in its own section, fanning or grouping pieces attractively around the central dip.
04 - Fill spaces between cheese quadrants with seedless red grapes, dried apricots, and walnuts to provide color and texture contrast.
05 - Lightly drizzle honey over the blue cheese quadrant to enhance flavor.
06 - Arrange rustic crackers and baguette slices around the outer edge of the platter.
07 - Serve immediately, ensuring cheeses are at room temperature to optimize taste.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • It looks intimidatingly elegant but takes just twenty minutes, which means you can stress less and enjoy your guests more.
  • The honey-drizzled blue cheese quadrant always becomes the first one empty, and people remember that detail.
  • You arrange it once and it becomes the centerpiece—minimal fussing, maximum impact.
02 -
  • If your cheeses are cold from the fridge, they taste muted and rubbery—taking them out thirty minutes before serving changes everything, and I learned this the hard way at my first fancy dinner party.
  • The cross shape isn't about being geometric perfect; it's about the visual flow that makes people want to taste from all four corners.
  • Honey on blue cheese sounds odd until you remember that's how medieval feasts actually worked—sweetness balancing salt and funk.
03 -
  • Arrange the platter no more than one hour before serving; this prevents the honey from running and the cheese from sweating, while keeping everything visually sharp.
  • If you're nervous about symmetry, use toothpicks to outline where each quadrant starts and ends, then remove them before serving—nobody needs to know you cheated.
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