Bacon
Bloody Mary Cheese Plate
- Prep time 20 minutes
- Cook time 10 minutes
- Serves 2-4
Author Notes
Bloody Marys are an extremely versatile cocktail. There’s the classic Bloody Mary, with tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, with celery and olives to garnish. Or you have the Bloody Mary taken up a notch, with recipes that include everything from spicy pickled peppers and bacon to shrimp cocktail or tiny sliders. Many of these savory and briny Bloody Mary ingredients actually act as wonderful cheese pairings, so I decided to deconstruct the timeless brunch drink to create a Bloody Mary cheese plate. Whether you serve the cheese plate with a round of Bloodys is up to you.
Pairing Suggestions:
- Blue cheese, celery, bacon, and hot sauce on a baguette slice
- Habanero cheese, garlic-stuffed olive, cucumber on a baguette slice
- Manchego, bacon, yellow tomato, and pepperoncini on a baguette slice
—Marissa Mullen
Ingredients
-
8
strips bacon
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4
Persian cucumbers, halved lengthwise and quartered
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1
medium green heirloom tomato, sliced into ½-inch-thick rounds
-
4 ounces
tomatoes on the vine, plus more (removed from vine), halved for garnish
-
2
small yellow tomatoes, sliced
-
4
stalks of celery, sliced in half, plus any leaves reserved for garnish
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1
lemon, quartered
-
1
lime, quartered
-
6 ounces
blue cheese
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6 ounces
spicy cow’s milk cheese (I used a cheese with habaneros and pimentos)
-
6 ounces
manchego
-
4 ounces
pepperoncinis
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5 ounces
garlic-stuffed olives
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1
baguette, sliced
-
4 ounces
chili-spiced cashews
-
4 ounces
hot sauce
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4 sprigs
of parsley, for garnish
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Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
-
Chili powder, for serving
Directions
- Arrange the bacon in a cold, medium nonstick pan. Turn on the heat to medium low, Cook, letting the bacon cook on one side for a few minutes, then flip and repeat until the bacon is crispy. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. If desired, pour rendered bacon fat into a heat-proof container and store in the refrigerator for another use.
- Meanwhile, slice the cheese into desired size.
- Assemble any serving jars or ramekins on the cheese board, then lay out the cheese, cooked bacon, produce, bread, olives, nuts, and hot sauce. Garnish with reserved celery leaves if using, halved tomatoes, and parsley. Season the tomatoes and pepperoncinis with salt, pepper, and chili powder. Serve immediately.
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