By Madison Butkus
Hometown Weekly Reporter
The Westwood and Dover Council’s on Aging (COA) joined together once again this past Thursday, December 14th at Powisset Farm to learn how to host the perfect holiday gathering. Chef Thi put together this special class that featured both hand-on experiences and demonstrations to help seniors elevate their holiday entertaining flare.
On the docket for this class was to create a festive assorted cheese ball wreath and an easy semi-homemade Mezze board display. To start off, Chef Thi detailed all the different cheeses they would be using, including goat cheese, blue cheese, cheddar cheese and cream cheese. Each cheese would be accompanied with their own toppings that would go on to complement them beautifully.
For the blue cheese balls, COA members combined cream cheese, blue cheese, and butter together and formed four small balls. They then rolled each ball in golden raisins and chopped pecans. They then created the goat cheese balls and rolled them in either pepper flakes mixed with parsley, everything spice, and/or fried shallots.
The last cheese balls they made were cheddar bacon balls using cheddar cheese, cream cheese, almonds, cooked bacon bits, and green onion. For this one, all of the ingredients were not only on the outside of the ball, but also mixed within the cheese ball itself.
Once all of these fantastic cheese balls were created, it was time to perfectly present them on a cutting board. The COA members split up into groups, each side creating their own festive wreath. When placing them together on the board, Chef Thi mentioned that they should alternate the cheese balls within the circle so that two of the same were not right next to each other. Upon completion, it was time to add some more pops of color using different herbs and fruits like rosemary, thyme, sage, strawberries, and grapes.
Next up was to create the Mezze board displays which included meats, diced cheese, dried fruits, nuts, hummus, tomatoes (regular and marinated), cucumbers, olives, and crackers. Each display came out absolutely stunning and the presentation could not have been more perfect.
After everyone enjoyed their appetizers, COA members were delighted in a ‘light’ lunch of pulled chicken sandwiches with barbecue sauce and homemade coleslaw, green beans, and butternut squash mac and cheese. If anyone had room in the end, there were desserts of brownies, chocolate covered pomegranate seeds, cookies, and more.
By the end of this class, all COA members learned how to make innovative and delicious appetizers, as well as how to artfully arrange them for the best aesthetic appeal. Everyone received the cheese ball recipes so they could make each at home if they pleased. Both COA’s are hopeful to return here again to learn how to cook the incredible lunch Chef Thi provided them.
