Posted on 11/20/2006 6:21:45 PM PST by randita
I am in charge of desserts for my family Thanksgiving dinner. Many in my family are not dessert eaters for various reasons and I would like to prepare a dessert cheese and fruit plate for those not eating the standard dessert pies.
I am soliciting suggestions from food savvy Freepers for a good combination of cheeses, fruits and nuts for a nice post dinner nibble. There is a Wegman's supermarket nearby, so almost anything suggested, no matter how obscure, could most likely be found there.
One cheese I have already purchased is a triple cream Brie, which I personally love.
Thanks in advance for all your good suggestions and a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving to you and yours.
randita-Freeper since 1997
Leni
I have indeed! It rocks, but is more expensive than Spec's - the cheeses are about a buck, buck-fifty a pound higher there than Spec's. Just depends on whether I feel like making the drive. Sometimes convenience trumps price.
(My other problem with Central Market is that the store is built in a weird maze; I have trouble navigating it and am usually exasperated by the time I'm ready to check out.)
What does quince taste like? Where does one procure a quince? I want to see this color change.
The Central Market maze is intentional.
Makes you walk the entire store before checking out.
Still fun to go to when one is not in a hurry.
Yeah, it is a bit exasperating - BUT, there is a back way which is a direct beeline to the cheese section from the take-out meals showcase area! I'll leave cracker crumbs for you next time, lol.
I absolutely never think of going to Spec's - well, I can't these days, anyway - but when I did, wowee. In the old days, it was European Imports that was just like that - in fact, I think that's who bought them out, long ago.
Luckily, my little neighborhood mom&pop has a pretty good selection, so I'm headed that way shortly.
If you can find it, blue cheese with cranberries. Trader Joe's carries it and it's to DIE for!
In the UK it is standard practice to offer cheese and biscuits as an alternative to a dessert - especially in quality restaurants.
BTW biscuits = crackers!
If you have a Costco near you, Roasted Raspberry Chilpote sauce on cream cheese YUM!
This is true . . . and their produce is excellent as well.
Okay, that's it. If I get off work early today, I'm heading to Central Market to pick me up some Cahill's Porter and some Red Dragon! Woooo Hooooo!
Well, I can only shop one place, so luckily, that's where I find them. They have a very short availability and I don't think this is the season right now.
I'll look and then tell you. Seems like it's later on, like when I usually get cardoni, maybe mid- to late December.
Quince are sort of like pears, but not. They're creamy yellow inside when they're raw and have to be cooked forever to be edible. Let me see if I can find something online ...
They are thought to have been the "golden apple" that tempted Eve in the Bible. Here's the wiki page, for a brief explanation and a couple of pix:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quince
Thanks! Do let me know (if you remember). They sound good, especially with cheese. :)
Managed to find some at Trader Joe's. Not always easy to get. They tend to put "stuff" in it - cranberries; apricots etc.
My personal favorites, success guaranteed for the cheese-fan :) Pick one or more from each category, serve them on a wooden platter with a seperate knife for each cheese.
Blue cheeses:
Bleu d'Auvergne (France)
http://www.cheese.com/Description.asp?Name=Bleu%20d%27Auvergne
Fourme d'Ambert (France)
http://www.cheese.com/Description.asp?Name=Fourme%20d%27%20Ambert
Stilton (England)
http://www.cheese.com/Description.asp?Name=Stilton
Soft cheeses:
Chaumes (France)
http://www.cheese.com/Description.asp?Name=Chaumes
Tomme de Savoie (France)
http://www.cheese.com/Description.asp?Name=Tomme%20de%20Savoie
Hard cheeses:
Smoked Gouda (Holland)
http://www.cheese.com/Description.asp?Name=Smoked%20Gouda
Manchego (Spain)
http://www.cheese.com/Description.asp?Name=Manchego
Port-Salut (France)
http://www.cheese.com/Description.asp?Name=Port-Salut
Oh, wish I had a Trader Joe's near me. That sounds scrumptious!
Well just freaking YUM. God that sounds good.
Well now, HTB, Christmas is coming up and I could always put that on my wish list!
(Hint, hint, hint.)
:^)
It is! Make you jump up and kiss yo' momma!
No quince today. :-(
The place was a madhouse and the produce manager wasn't around for me to ask him when they'll come in. Only two produce people "no habla ingles" and didn't even know "membrillo."
I'll let you know. Remember, it's the paste you want, not the fruit itself - unless you want to make it yourself. In which case, I'll have to give you a tutorial - it's difficult at best.
Ha, the very, very first thing I ever spent my tiny, tiny discretionary income on, in my first apartment as a 20something (and you would know where it was), was a membership in CheeseLovers International - the same cheese-of-the-month type of club.
Loved it. Never regretted it. (Unlike record clubs, tape clubs and spas!)
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