pear & prosciutto mascarpone board

Celebrating National Cheese Day with Vermont Creamery Mascarpone.

Confession - I have a small kitchen. Minuscule, in fact. Whoever designed my kitchen either despised cooking or had something against people who enjoy it. There is simply no other explanation. If you were to take a peek while I am cooking you might be aghast by the sheer folly of watching me balance an improperly sized cutting board on the five inches of counter space between my stove and sink, knife sharpened and fervently chopping away to the beat of the featured playlist. You might gasp as I attempt death defying acts of preparing multiple dishes at once, knives and microplanes teetering on the edge of the sink, plates balancing ever so gingerly off the top of my Breville oven, wine glass haphazardly tucked on top of the fridge, ingredients stacked on whatever small surface I can find. This is not for the faint of heart.

Now, in the grand scheme of life, is this a problem? No, of course not. But it is a source of frustration. Often times I have let this tiny space deter me from opening up my home and entertaining the way I would like - the thought of cleaning up stopping me dead in my tracks with visions of pots and pans piled high on my pint size stove while plates and glasses compete for space both in the sink and on that five inches of counter space I mentioned earlier. So I have had to rethink my strategy a little. Streamline. Rein it in while still offering tasty dishes to those who enter.

That, my friends, is how this plate was born. It drew inspiration from the butter board craze that was flooding social media over the winter. I wanted something a little different, a flavor that would enhance the ingredients of what I was using, so I turned to one of my favorite items to have on hand - Vermont Creamery Mascarpone. This velvety rich and decadent Italian-style cream cheese pares well with sweet and savory recipes which is why it works beautifully in this dish, where I wanted to present a bit of both.

More of an assembled dish rather than a recipe, feel free to play around with the ingredients to make it your own. Here’s what I did:

Pear & Prosciutto Mascarpone Board

makes on large platter that can serve 4-6 people as a snack

1 container of Vermont Creamery Mascarpone

2 pears (I like Comice pears for their fruity aroma and flavor), diced and tossed in lemon juice to prevent them from turning brown

1/4 pound Prosciutto, thinly sliced and torn into bite-sized pieces

slivered almonds

Candied Ginger, diced

Fig Jam

Mike’s Hot Honey

Fennel fronds, chopped (or substitute mint or basil)

Baguette, sliced and toasted

Crackers of choice

To assemble:

Spread dollops of mascarpone over a large serving platter. Sprinkle the diced pears, slivered almonds, candied ginger, and prosciutto over the mascarpone. Distribute small dollops of fig jam and Mike’s hot honey, being mindful of filling in the platter in a way that makes it easy to scoop up a bit of everything in one bite. Garnish with fennel fronds and serve with slightly toasted baguette slices and your favorite crackers.

Entertaining in a small space doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Pull a platter together, offer something sweet such as the Blueberry Hazelnut Biscotti from Sticks & Stones Farm in Sunderland, VT that you see in the photo, toss a bowl of fruit on the table, and kick back with your friends. Enjoy!