ANTIPASTO (picnic) help!

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Some good ideas here already.

First off you need mustard and by that I mean good mustard. It'll really set off the meat or cheeses. Grab some quartered artichokes in the can, drain them and throw them in some tupperware before you go. Or many olive bars will have artichokes marinated in various whatnot. They are great to top off that bite of cracker or bread. Also I didn't see any mention of boursin. Delicious soft cheese that could make a wet dog taste good.


ING-boursin-cheese_sql.jpeg


And don't forget knives to cut and spread. Maybe a pepper mill. Damn I'm getting hungry.
 
I've always loved sharp cheddar. My favorite is 5 year old Black Diamond Cheddar. So try to get your hands on that.

Let's get some pics of this girl up here. :) (Joking...but seriously)

Hope it goes well!
 
Classic antipasti from my Italian grandmother's table:
Roasted red peppers
Salami, prosciutto, etc
Tuna in oil
Giardinera
Shrimp, octopus, etc
Other faves: tabbouleh, hummus, any kind of pickle
 
And subscribed. Want to see how this turns out.

When you have the "I'll cook dinner for you" date, let us know. I'm sure you will get some fancy ideas.

Xpertskir said:
Date #3..I think we all know what that means

Quoting Howard Wolowitz,
"Three dates means sex?" Haha
 
Hey there Cheezy,

My name is Summer and I am James's wife- I hear you have a very important picnic date coming up. First of all- let me get this out of the way AWWWWWWWW! SO CUTE!!!!!!

Ok now that I have gotten that out of my system- onto cheese selections. I love our Louisville stores (Kentucky is freakin awesome by the way). Here is what I recommend for 2 cheeses. You probably want one softer and one firmer.

Piave- Italy- cows milk- firm, traditional Italian, nutty, like parm but sweeter
Bonne Bouche- goat milk- soft, gooey, tart and minerally. It may look a little scary because it is covered in vegetable ash and it looks kinda wrinkly. But these little guys are amazing and based off classic Loire Valley, French cheeses.

Pairings- La Quercia Speck- like prosciutto but in my opinion even better, lightly smoked with black pepper and juniper berries. Its also made by and amazing dude in Iowa who grew up in Parma, Italy and who really does an amazing job with his animals before and after they die.

Z Crackers- with Sea Salt and Olive oil. They are made by a former pizza maker in Brooklyn. They are all rustic and handcut and I think they are hearty enough to stand up to a picnic setting. You don't want anything too breakable.

Chardonnay- girls like chardonnay..... and its nice with all the things above. If you want to go the homebrew route- make it one of your own. If she is cool, she will be impressed.

If you would be kind enough to give me a report about your customer service experience I would be really grateful. We want them to be nice, cool and offer you a sample without you asking for one.

I wish you the best of luck and have fun on your big date. I am sure I will hear all about it from James!
 
I am not a huge fan of the Piave I've had compared to the better Parmesans I have had. If you can find it, Sartori Reserve SarVecchio Parmesan is my favorite of that type of cheese.

Not that Piave is a bad cheese, mind you. It is just if I have a side-by-side choice, I'll take that parm thank you very much.

Cheers!
 
Holy f*ck,,,she does exist......;)

Hey there Cheezy,

My name is Summer and I am James's wife- I hear you have a very important picnic date coming up. First of all- let me get this out of the way AWWWWWWWW! SO CUTE!!!!!!

Ok now that I have gotten that out of my system- onto cheese selections. I love our Louisville stores (Kentucky is freakin awesome by the way). Here is what I recommend for 2 cheeses. You probably want one softer and one firmer.

Piave- Italy- cows milk- firm, traditional Italian, nutty, like parm but sweeter
Bonne Bouche- goat milk- soft, gooey, tart and minerally. It may look a little scary because it is covered in vegetable ash and it looks kinda wrinkly. But these little guys are amazing and based off classic Loire Valley, French cheeses.

Pairings- La Quercia Speck- like prosciutto but in my opinion even better, lightly smoked with black pepper and juniper berries. Its also made by and amazing dude in Iowa who grew up in Parma, Italy and who really does an amazing job with his animals before and after they die.

Z Crackers- with Sea Salt and Olive oil. They are made by a former pizza maker in Brooklyn. They are all rustic and handcut and I think they are hearty enough to stand up to a picnic setting. You don't want anything too breakable.

Chardonnay- girls like chardonnay..... and its nice with all the things above. If you want to go the homebrew route- make it one of your own. If she is cool, she will be impressed.

If you would be kind enough to give me a report about your customer service experience I would be really grateful. We want them to be nice, cool and offer you a sample without you asking for one.

I wish you the best of luck and have fun on your big date. I am sure I will hear all about it from James!

Dammit. This thread has gone from inspiring and AWESOME!!! to deflating and causing me to 2nd guess myself.

I appreciate your input! Wish it had been sooner.

Rather than list every single thing I got...

I got brie.

I got a soft irish cheddar...

And a hard, sharp irish cheese.

I also got sharp provolone.

I got...OH GOD!!!!! both irish cheeses are the same brand, Kerry's.

Creamy Good..er, james, did one hell of a job describing your job, Krogers' cheese shoppe etc.

In the end, I assumed that Kroger cheese is like kroger sushi. They do one HELL of a job.........for a grocery chain.(please, no offense intended. I started a thread on how FANTASTIC kroger sushi is:smack:)

I went to a more upscale store for some diverse (see 2 cheeses from the same damned manufacturer:drunk:) cheese selections, with some more tame ones from kroger........I screwed up.(never found "purple haze" BTW)

I got good crackers. They have sesame and poppy seeds on them, but are substantial.

I am making flatbread, frybread, focaccia, and possibly crackers.
 
Its Creamy again... did the Krogers you go to have a seperate Murray's counter or did you just go to a non-Murray's Krogers? Just a little confused.
 
Its Creamy again... did the Krogers you go to have a seperate Murray's counter or did you just go to a non-Murray's Krogers? Just a little confused.

They all seem to have a little unmanned cheese section. This section contains evrything from goat cheese to uncut pepperoni. They are all unmanned. They are sort of near the deli, but I don't think any of the deli personell are "cheese mongers". I haven't noticed any signage of "murray's".
 
aha! I think you were in one of the Louisville stores that does not have a Murray's counter. I'll have Summer get you the address of the Kroger-Murray's store. There really is a huge difference.

Glad things seem to have gone off well though!!
 
Went FANTASTIC. Awesome.


The food was pretty good too.;)

I learned that less is more (as far as food), 3 awesome ingredients are far better than 12 semi impressive things.

Next time....

I think that in the same situation.....homemade focaccia, herbed goat cheese, prosciuto, and good olives, and some good hard plain crackers, vino.
 
Quail eggs was the most exotic. Nothing crazy by your standards!;) Lightly herbed goat cheese. Plainish good crackers. She knew the secret to picnic success.
 
Quail eggs are lovely. Well played. Did you (and/or she) know that if you boil them and put them on a skewer they are magnificent lightly grilled?
 
Quail eggs are lovely. Well played. Did you (and/or she) know that if you boil them and put them on a skewer they are magnificent lightly grilled?

That might have been good. They were boiled and merely peeled and dipped in salt and white pepper. Pretty darned lovely considering that I am not a fan of eggs in general.
 
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