“It’s a Lunchables for foodies!”
My husband’s reaction to the cheese and salami plate I painstakingly assembled the other day was spot on. This was definitely my idea of an excellent lunch: a platter full of six types of salami, three amazing cheeses, sweet honeycomb, spicy mustard, marcona almonds (forgot to include in the photos – oops!) and grilled slices of baguette with olive oil. Positively grazeworthy!
Read on for my tips for putting together a fabulous cheese and salami plate, plus a salami GIVEAWAY from Columbus Salame.
When it came to building this cheese and salami plate, I just let my palate be my guide. To start, I had the six different salami that the folks at Columbus Salame had sent me in a nice wooden tasting box. That was a bonanza! From there, I filled the platter with tastes I liked, with special attention to variety. Our favorite combination: the hot All Natural Pepper salame (rolled in a bazillion freshly cracked peppercorns) with manchego and sweet honeycomb. Unbelievable. We also loved the Toscano salame with soft Taleggio and Dijon mustard.
Here are a few tips for assembling your own cheese and salami plate:
Choose a variety of cheeses. I went with buttery Spanish manchego, because it’s my all-time favorite and it appeared on Columbus’ list of pairing inspirations. Taleggio is soft and robust, so I thought that would offer a nice contrast to the firm aged manchego. The Mahon Reserva, suggested by the girl behind the counter at Venissimo Cheese (definitely seek recommendations from your local cheese shop – even the cheese counter clerk at your regular grocery store has probably tasted a lot of cheeses and can offer some ideas) was bold, smoky and porky.
Select a few different types of salami. Mine happened to all be from the same brand, but you could always mix things up and try a few whose flavors sound interesting to you. Some are spicy, herb crusted, aged – there really is a good variety out there.
Add sweet and spicy condiments. Half of the fun of a plate like this, at least for me, are all the little condiments on the side. I’ve recently fallen in love with honey comb and marcona almonds to accompany cheese and salami. Also hot mustard, olives and roasted red peppers are among my favorites.
And then there’s the bread. Grilled baguette slices with a little olive oil brushed on make fabulous crunchy vessels for all of your little salami- and cheese-topped bites.
Serve at room temperature. According to Columbus, salami should be served at room temperature, about 20 to 30 minutes out of the refrigerator. The same goes for cheese.
* * *
Win a Columbus Salame Tasting Box!
The Tasting Box includes:
- Herb Salame
- Toscano Salame
- Italian Dry Salame
- All Natural Pepper Salame
- Tasting & Pairing Guide
Here are four ways to enter, you can do any or all of them (please leave separate comments for each entry): [THE GIVEAWAY HAS CLOSED]
- Leave a comment on this post telling us your favorite cheese or salame.
- “Like” Panini Happy on Facebook
- Subscribe to free updates from Panini Happy via e-mail or RSS
- Follow me @paninikathy on Twitter
The giveaway will close on Monday, May 30, 2011 at noon PDT. I will use random.org to select one winner to receive a Columbus Salame Tasting Box and announce the winner in this post. Due to shipping costs, the prize can only be shipped to U.S. addresses.
**UPDATE 5/31/11 – Congrats to our winner – #8, Lauren at Keep It Sweet!
Thanks to Columbus Salame for providing the tasting boxes for this review and giveaway.
Panini Happy, online since 2008, is more than just a sandwich blog. Here, you'll find hundreds of my original 
I love salami, particularly with smoked gouda.
My favorite Salame is Felino.
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My hubby would love to try this! My favorite cheese? Hmm, hard. I would say cheddar. Boring, I know.
I love winter salami. And my favorite cheeses are brie, chevre and stilton. And havarti. And manchego. Manchego with quince cheese.
Love this! My favorite cheese is goat cheese, but I love most cheeses:-)
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Oooh! Fun giveaway! I like a lunchable for foodies 🙂
My favorite cheese is Velveeta. Ok, just kidding. My favorite cheese is gouda made with goat’s milk, dry Jack from Sonoma, or Chevre with huge chunks of black pepper 🙂
My current cheese obsession is the Irish Whiskey Cheddar that KerryGold makes. It’s impossible to find, and SO good.
My favorite cheese is Drunken Goat, which is Spanish. Then again, I don’t think there’s a cheese I dislike!
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I’m with Kate. I love smoked gouda!
my favorite is the italian dry salami
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My favorite cheese is jarlsberg . . . with red wine! Your cheese/salami plate looks incredible!
If I had to pick one cheese it would be parmigianno reggiano and for salami, sopressetta…I hope spelling doesn’t count!! 🙂
I love, love, love havarti with dill! And any salami with pepper is good for me. 🙂
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Ohhh I love love provolone! But I also love all sorts of salami!
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Love both your blog pages…
bought my youngest daughter a panini press for X-mas ( she’s 10 now)
love all sorts of salami…don’t have a particular favorite…
Cheeses…where to start…
Tomme is a new really like it type cheese…our favorite stand by that we make is chevre…add fruits or herbs…it’s fantastic
Great post. I’m a sucker for cheese and salami. My favorite cheese is sharp provolone.
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Beautiful! I like to see the Italian cheese in the mix (because I usually do salami with an antipasto) and I haven’t tried a taleggio. I’m always a sucker for a smoky chedder – wonder how that would go? I also love a good blue cheese but… not with salami. 🙂
smoked gouda
I love cheese…far too much to name a favorite! lol! I love salami just as much!
I love Harvati Cheese
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Nothing beats a great smoked Provolone. It goes great with all kinds of cured meats
I love taleggio and sopressata!
Ohh, what a fantastic giveaway, perfect for picnics! I love a peppered salami with a nice creamy havarti! My mouth is watering!
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This looks fantastic! I would say my favorite cheese is Fromager D’Affinois and my favorite salami is sopressata.
I love havarti, and a nice sharp cheddar. I like most cheeses, secept for brie and stilton
I love colby cheese
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I love a good dry salami, especially sliced thin atop an aged chunk of asiago…..mmmm
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Italian dry salami -smoked gouda-sharp provoline-oh, any hard salami works for me
I think my current favorite is Gorgonzola… but I’m awfully fond of Cheddar, gouda, edam, goat cheese, beemer with mustard seeds, … Oh heck. I just love cheese.
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I love a sharp cheddar, Gruyere, Brie…actually, most any cheese!
What a beautiful plate of num-nums!
My favorite of all time cheese is the stinky Epoisse, which my hubby begs me not to buy as it stinks up the whole kitchen.
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Your platter looks wonderful. Fontina, fontinella and hard salami’s with a wonderful crusty Italian bread, what’s better than that!
Great posts, thank you
Sharp cheddar and feta are my favorite cheeses… although I love pretty much any kind of cheese
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My all-time favorite cheese is Sartori Reserve (many different flavors: gold, raspberry, merlot, balsamic, etc.) It’s similar to parmesan, but with a softer texture. It’s a great cheese!
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I LOVE Salami!! Good genoa hard salami..Love all types of cheeses too, such as brie, fontina, swiss, provolone, havarti & mozarella(fresh is yumo! lol)
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Sorry I like things simple – cheddar cheese and genoa salami are good to me!!!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Manchego with the pepper salame…..AMAZING
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I love all kinds of salami so it’s hard to narrow it down. Favorite cheese is brie. Yum!
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My favorite cheese is Brie. I love it rolled in bread crumbs, saute til browned, then put in the oven to finish melting. Or panini style with smoked turkey and cranbery sauce. YUM!!
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I love a good white cheddar
I love the carmelized onion cheddar from Trader Joe’s….sooo good!
I Liked you on Facebook a while back…and do like you and your blog very much! Gimme cheese & salame any day of the week and I’ll be happy, OH, and of course panini!
Honestly, it is so hard to pick just one cheese as my favorite, but I love a good truffle cheese.
I love brie!
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It is so hard to only pick one favorite cheese. :< Extra sharp cheddar / extra sharp white cheddar would probably win out.
It’s hard to choose a favorite cheese. And I’m too much of a salame n00b to tell you which salami is my favorite. I like them all!
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Awesome giveaway! Loved meeting you this past weekend
My fave cheese is probably mozzerella 🙂
Oh choose me!
My favorite cheese is…fresh mozzarella, smoked gouda, brie. Never got to try enough salami to have a favorite though!
Oh I love salami and cheese…WITH WINE!!!! I want to try the honeycomb as a condiment. Sounds excellent!
Salami is really tricky for me since I’m gluten free, so any salami that’s gluten free I’ll eat!
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my favorite cheese is brie
I just discovered manchego recently, but my favorite cheese has to be Havarti. Especially with really crunchy apples!
My husband absolutely loves salami! I would have to say our favorite type is the peppered variety.
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I love hot sopressata, with asiago. It is really great with red wine. Another cheese favorite is Spanish Manchego with guava slices. We chill the guava (comes in a round tin) and then have slices of manchego and guava. Its very refreshing.
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and I really like haloumi cheese…a frying cheese from Cyprus…i am imagining that it would be good with the herbed salami.
thank you!!!
My favorite is a toss up between a good mild cheddar and pepper jack
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I don’t think I can pick just one cheese. I like different cheeses for different things. Brie, fresh fruit and crackers are top notch for a picnic. Cheddar and apples are fine for tailgating at a horse show in the fall. I love Danish Blue and pears around Thanksgiving. And that just the ones off the top of my head.
Parmiggiano-Reggiano is one of my top three favorite foods in the world, I bet it would go great with any of those salami!
What a beautiful plate, Kathy! Happy Friday 😀
Thanks so much, Yuri – Happy Friday to you too!
Depending what I am in the mood for, I like many different cheeses. Brie, Gouda and bleu cheese are my faves though. The salami looks delicious!
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My favorite cheese is Dubliner and I love all kinds of salame!
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I love a really hot pepper jack!
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I think my new favorite cheese is one called something like Australian Cheddar. We got it at Whole Foods.
My favorite cheese jalapeño jack!
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I love trying new food
Wow those look good! Those salami are calling to me.
Bringing up the rear at commenter number hundred something or other! Haha! Just wanted to say (outside of loving the meticulously arranged salami plate) that I loved spending time with you in Atlanta this past weekend. You’re a riot with an infectious smile! Have a great weekend!
Manchego cheese with a bit of cantimpalo sausage is the best mix!!!!
My favorite cheese is fresh mozarella.
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Now that is one nice looking plate of cheese and salami!
I love Gouda cheese and beef salami.
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Pick a favorite cheese? Impossible! There are just too many that I love!
I’m fond of Tillamook Sharp Cheddar and Kerrygold Blarney Castle
I love spicy salami. I like just about all the types of salami that I’ve tried but the spicy salami is my absolute fav. I would love to be the winner of this contest.
Nice tray of meat and cheese. Sometimes I like having a tray like this with some roasted vegetables for a light dinner.