Ready for the picnic.
You’d think there would be hard and fast rules for a proper picnic, but there’s not. I checked.
You can have a picnic anywhere you like at any time of year. Snowing outside? Throw a blanket down infront of the fireplace, grab a couple of plates and a knife. Done.
Hiking the Appalachian Trail and need a nosh? Repeat the steps above, just leave out the blanket and plates and now you’re eating like any other devil-may-care picnicker basking on a lush green lawn.
What I’m saying is a picnic is what you make of it and with these two ingredients you can make it pretty great.
In This Installment
Downeast Cheddar from Maine
Rosette de Lyon Salami
Downeast Cheddar from Maine
Sometimes you find a cheese you just want to always have around. Putting together a cheeseboard? Don’t miss the Downeast Cheddar. Looking for a cheese to crumble and cube into your salad? Downeast Cheddar is your bag. Want to capture all the complex yet approachable flavors of a great American cheddar? Friends: meet Downeast Cheddar.
Made by our friends at Pineland Farms Dairy in New Gloucester, Maine, this cheese is everything we love in a New England style cheddar. It has a wonderous aroma that gives way to deep flavors including a little vegetal, a little sweet, a little bitter, a little bright, with a smooth texture and a lingering flavor that goes on and on till you grab your next bite.
Great for picnics, backpacking, car rides, or anywhere else you like to spend some time snacking on good cheese. If you’re looking to turn a few friends onto the beauty of a good American cheddar, this is the one to share. It’ll click right away.
Rosette de Lyon Salami from Indiana
Rosette de Lyon is a traditional French salami named for its rosy pink color. It’s popular with everyone that tastes it because of its straightforward, honest, unadulterated flavors. To me, it’s a benchmark salami. Every deli counter that carries salami should have at least one version of Rosette de Lyon amongst their offerings if not more.
This one comes to us from our friends at Smoking Goose in Indianapolis, Indiana who make their version with humanely raised pork flavored with organic red wine, garlic, and black peppercorns. You’ll taste the garlic a little, but that’s muted by the red wine and the black pepper gives a slight kick at the end. But what you’ll really taste is the quality and flavor of the pork. It comes thinly sliced and ready to enjoy. Go all in on the French vibes and serve with a baguette and a glass of rosé, tuck a few slices into a salami sandwich, or pay homage to the name by making salami roses for your cheeseboard.