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
Piave Vecchio Cheese
Rosette de Lyon Salami
Piave Vecchio Cheese from Northern Italy
This rarely tasted traditional cheese made high in the mountains of northern Italy has been one of my favorite eating cheeses for years. In truth, I’ve always been reluctant to reveal it for fear that already limited supplies will become even more difficult to get.
What’s so great about it? It’s simply one of the tastiest, most versatile cheeses I’ve ever tried. I don’t think I’ve met anyone who doesn’t like it. After aging for half a year or more, its flavors are accessible enough to entice a cheese novice yet more than complex enough to compel cheese fanatics to come back for more.
Flavor wise, think of a good Parmigiano Reggiano, with a little kick of sweet mountain Gruyére. It brings the smoothness of cheddar, the texture of Parmigiano-Reggiano and the mellowness of sweet mountain butter to your table.
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.