Morbier and Salami

Once I read that the Tomme de Crolles I had paired transcendently with salami, I knew it was inevitable that I was finally going to jump aboard the charcuterie train (the sensation that is sweeping the foodie nation!). Not to deceive you: actually making and home curing salami is still a bridge too far (where exactly am I going to cure it in a tiny Cambridge apartment?) - but I sure can buy it. So I headed over to Savenor's to see what they had, and after asking for a little advice, brought home two salamis from Creminelli.

Thus started my new afternoon snack tradition, as I slowly ate through the Tomme de Crolles and the Creminelli salamis... and it's been fantastic. Obviously cheese and meat is not the best snack from a calorie counting or cardiovascular health perspective, but it really is quite delicious and holds off my hunger perfectly for the the semi-random times I end up eating dinner (especially when cooking, but also when Anna teaches at night, etc).  Probably I should be eating an apple, but what's the fun in that? So I'm pretty happy with this new snacking regime.

The problem is... I finished the Tommes and salami a week ago. So what to do? Well buy more cheese and salami, of course. For cheese I picked mobier, a fairly mild rich and creamy cheese with a distinctive line of vegetable ash (note: not actual ash) through the middle... and for salami I chose two very basic ones from Creminelli: casalingo and sopressata. Casalingo is just a simple salt and pepper salami that anybody who has had salami is likely familiar with, while sopressata is equally ubiquitous, but with more of a flavor of garlic and wine.

Honestly, probably not the best paring in the world (nothing like the Tommes - which was awesome)... I think you need a funkier, more assertive cheese to complement the relatively strong flavors of the salamis. I had hoped that the basic choices in that area would work well here, but morbier may just be too mild. Not that it was bad by any means... it contributed a nice creamy richness... but not more than that, so I may need to head over to Formaggio Kitchen and ask for some advice.