The Art of Cheese — Cran-Apple Chutney Crisps with Aged Havarti

This post is part of “The Art of Cheese”, a partnership between Honest Cooking and Castello Cheese.
Sweet and spicy chutney spread crisps with aromatic ingredients like star anise, cardamom, and cinnamon, to compliment to the rich and creamy Aged Havarti cheese.
By Mansi Desai

It’s that time of the year when almost everyone is busy planning parties and gatherings, and food definitely takes a center stage on all of these occasions. From appetizers to dessert, everything deserves some elaborate planning. But I often think, entertaining shouldn’t be such a hassle. I mean, I love preparing elaborate meals for my family and friends, but sometimes I just want to spend good times and not spend too much time in the kitchen cooking. That’s when I turn to simple recipes that appease your appetite, and still leave you relaxed enough to enjoy the occasion!

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Last week, I received an Aged Havarti cheese from Castello, and I was looking for an opportune moment to put them to good use. The cheese was a classic variety, aged for 12 months to create a crystalline texture, and with rich notes and taste of butter and caramel, it was so good we kept snacking on it, including the kids! Seriously, if you try it once you’ll know what I mean – with that rich buttery taste, its hard to resist going for seconds or thirds!

Anyway, coming back to the recipe, I wanted to keep it simple, so I decided to pair the cheese with just two fruits – Cranberries and Apples. I made a sweet & spicy chutney to spread over thin wheat crisps. With aromatic ingredients like star anise, cardamom, and cinnamon, this chutney was a perfect compliment to the rich and creamy cheese. You can use any kind of crackers that you like, even sourdough bread would be good. But I think thin wheat crisps are a better choice as they highlight the flavor of the chutney and the cheese, which is the star of the recipe.