Create Your Own Spring Salad Bar

Spring is a perfect time to host a luncheon. With so many fresh fruits and veggies in season, the flavors in your kitchen blossom as fast as the flowers outside. Keep the fare light and fresh with a Spring themed salad bar. The taste of spring is everywhere - strawberries fresh off the vine, fresh mesclun greens topped with a sizzle of pancetta and Ile de France Brie, toasty baguettes topped with fresh herb butters and Sweet Potato Butter. Try some Carolina Sweet Potato & Apple Salad, Sweet Potato Black Bean Salad, fresh fruit salad, or your own personal favorite.

For that extra special touch, serve your salads a la carte, and give your guests Edible Cheese Bowls. Their beautiful golden color and lace-like texture adds an elegant (and delicious) accent to your meal. Firm aged cheeses such as Parmesan or Asiago work best. Another wonderful variety to try is the delicious Comte' cheese. Each wheel has a unique flavor with flavors varying from nutty to sweet and fruity.

To prepare, melt butter in a small skillet and sprinkle in a thin layer of grated cheese. Arrange your cheese in about a six inch circle. Cook on medium heat. As soon as the edges are golden brown and the cheese is bubbling in the center, remove pan from heat. Let cool for 30 seconds and then lift out the cheese with a spatula. Invert hot cheese onto the bottom of a bowl or glass. As it cools, it will form a beautiful edible bowl! What could be better that a salad bowl made out of fried cheese? Try adding chopped pecans, or a sprinkling of fresh chives as it cooks. The possibilities are endless.

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Fun Tip:

You can make your own flavored and herb butters by softening butter at room temperature and then stirring in the flavors. Roll it up in plastic wrap or wax paper and put it back in the fridge. It's that easy. Try strawberry-mint butter, dill-Parmesan butter, or even orange-ginger butter. Let your imagination run wild.