Rosalynn Carter’s Plains Special Cheese Ring Is Just Sharp Cheese, Mayonnaise, Nuts And A Grated Onion, And It Is An Easy Make Ahead Holiday Appetizer With Strawberry Preserves In The Middle

Susan Parker

2 hours ago

Holiday hosts know the feeling. Guests arrive in an hour, the kitchen is a mess, and the appetizer tray is still empty. A cheese ring made famous by a First Lady might be the easy answer, because you make it ahead and it takes just minutes of hands-on work.

Upworthy shared Rosalynn Carter’s “Plains Special” Cheese Ring as a simple, historic recipe to serve this holiday season.

Source: Upworthy.

A Farm Girl From Plains Who Checked Every Food Label

Rosalynn Carter grew up on a farm in Plains, Georgia, and she carried her taste for fresh ingredients into the White House. She preferred fresh food and checked labels for additives. After months of limited produce on the road, she made a point of buying fresh vegetables once she was back home in Georgia.

Her philosophy was plain: “You have to know what you’re eating!”

The U.S. National Archives highlighted her cheese ring in a November 21, 2023 post, which helped bring the recipe back to attention.

Four Chefs In The White House Kitchen, But The Favorite Meal Was Country Food

The Carters had a staff that included four chefs at the White House. Even so, Jimmy Carter told Oprah Winfrey that the couple still favored Southern-style country food. He recalled the White House cooks saying they had been preparing that kind of meal for staff for about 20 years.

It is a charming reminder that the simplest dishes often end up on the most important tables.

What Goes Into The Cheese Ring

You need only a handful of pantry and refrigerator staples:

1 pound grated sharp cheese
1 cup finely chopped nuts
1 cup mayonnaise
1 small onion, finely grated
Black pepper, to taste
A dash of cayenne
Strawberry preserves, optional

How To Make It, Step By Step

Line the mold. Line a 5 or 6 cup ring mold with plastic wrap. The article credits Southern Living with this tip, which keeps the mixture from sticking.
Mix. Combine everything except the preserves, season with pepper and mix well.
Press it in. Pack the mixture firmly into the mold.
Chill. Refrigerate until firm, which takes several hours or overnight.
Unmold and serve. Turn it out onto a serving plate. If you like, fill the center with strawberry preserves, or serve it plain.

The hands-on work takes only minutes, and the chilling does the rest. Serve it with crackers, fresh vegetable slices or toasted pita.

Serving Ideas That Make It Feel Special

The strawberry preserves in the center are optional, but they give the plain ring a pop of color and a sweet-and-savory contrast against the sharp cheese. If you prefer to keep it savory, leave the center empty and tuck a small bunch of fresh herbs or a few sprigs of rosemary there instead.

Set the ring in the middle of a board and arrange the crackers, vegetable slices and toasted pita around it so guests can help themselves. Celery sticks, cucumber rounds and bell pepper strips are easy choices that add crunch without extra work.

A small spreading knife and a stack of cocktail napkins are all the table needs. Because the ring holds its shape, you can put it out early and let the party get started without anyone waiting on the cook.

Tips To Make It Look And Taste Its Best

A few small choices can make the ring a standout at your table:

Grate your own cheese. Cheese from a block usually melts and mixes more smoothly than the pre-shredded kind, which often carries a coating to keep the shreds apart.
Toast the nuts. A few minutes in a dry skillet brings out their flavor. Let them cool before you stir them in.
Squeeze the onion. Pat the grated onion dry so the mixture does not turn watery.
Plan ahead. Because it needs to chill overnight, make it the day before and spend party day on everything else.
Keep it cool. Food safety experts recommend not leaving perishable foods like a mayonnaise and cheese dish out for more than two hours, so set out a smaller portion and refill from the refrigerator.

If you do not own a ring mold, a bundt pan or a small bowl lined with plastic wrap can work. Press the mixture in, chill it, and flip it onto a plate. The shape will not be the same, but the flavor will be.

A Make-Ahead Appetizer For A Busy Season

With Thanksgiving, Christmas and all the open houses on the way, a recipe like this earns its keep. It costs little, uses ingredients most kitchens already have, and sits in the refrigerator without any fuss until the guests walk in.

It also makes a lovely hostess gift. Press a half batch into a small bowl, wrap it up with a box of crackers and a jar of preserves, and you have a present that costs a fraction of a store-bought basket.

Presidents and farm families alike have been serving this kind of Southern appetizer for generations. This year, it might just earn a place on your table too.