I need food help

CinemaGoddess

So I'm going to do the bruschetta for Christmas appetizer.

I'm also going to do a fancy meat and cheese tray, but I have no idea what kind of meats/cheeses to get.  I'm trying to steer clear of salami/Hickory Farms beefstick/cheddar/swiss and go for something a little more exotic. 

I'm going to Central Market tonight and I can ask them, but I just wanted to get an idea of what people like or have had before I go. 

The only thing on my list is prosciutto and a google search has not yielded any good websites for meat/cheese pairings. 

Help!

husky422

i'm ghetto and actually really like the hickory farms stuff...lol.

exotic like what....like alligator exotic or proscituttoish?

ETA  what about soppressata?  it's in the salami family though

here's a link from food network with different italian cured meats: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes-and-cooking/italian-cured-meats/index.html

KNemo

Italian dry salami is actually really delicious. There are all sorts of cheeses you could do, fancy mozzarella, brie, havarti, gouda....

YUMMY. Can I come??

stacylu

Smoked Gouda is one of my favorites. Costco has a great tray of cheese

CinemaGoddess

husky422:

i'm ghetto and actually really like the hickory farms stuff...lol.

exotic like what....like alligator exotic or proscituttoish?

ETA  what about soppressata?  it's in the salami family though

here's a link from food network with different italian cured meats: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes-and-cooking/italian-cured-meats/index.html

Oh don't get me wrong.  I'm a Hickory farms lovah, too.  I just wanted to do something special since DH's grandparents are in town and they're like 95 so we don't know how many more Christmases we have with them.  GFIL was kind of complaining one year how everyone sends them Hickory Farms and they're not really fans, so I wanted to make it more special than usual. 

I wanted something exotic that they haven't maybe had before.  I should have said that in my original post.  ~

 

zulan78

If you have time to make a stop in downtown Anthony Bourdain's dad has a salami shop https://www.salumicuredmeats.com/.  There's also a place you can get an assortment of cheeses and they have a ton to choose from at The Cheese Cellar www.thecheesecellar.com. 

husky422

i think you can't go wrong with some awesome cheeses like pp said...you could even go down to beecher's (not sure if you have time) and get some cool cheese.

CinemaGoddess

zulan78:

If you have time to make a stop in downtown Anthony Bourdain's dad has a salami shop https://www.salumicuredmeats.com/.  There's also a place you can get an assortment of cheeses and they have a ton to choose from at The Cheese Cellar www.thecheesecellar.com. 

DAMN.  I wish I'd brought my car today. I could have gone to both of these places tonight.  Blerg. 

braveangel2

Morbier is delicious! It's a soft cheese with a blue line through it that gives it some kick.

I'd go with some goat cheese too...pretty classic cheese spread in my family.

chibipoe

cinema_goddess:

zulan78:

If you have time to make a stop in downtown Anthony Bourdain's dad has a salami shop https://www.salumicuredmeats.com/.  There's also a place you can get an assortment of cheeses and they have a ton to choose from at The Cheese Cellar www.thecheesecellar.com. 

DAMN.  I wish I'd brought my car today. I could have gone to both of these places tonight.  Blerg. 

I was going to suggest salumi too. Their Mole Salami is AMAZING!

(BTW, it's actually Mario Batali's parents who own it - Anthony Bourdain is just a big fan and family friend of theirs)

iHeartHimMore

Here's what I would do:

Cheeses: Dubliner, herbed chevre, brie and Stilton blue. ?Something for everyone. ?:)?

Meats: dry cured salami, sopressata, prosciutto and some kind of pate.

We have GOT to stop talking about food. ?I'm dying here.?