A Party Spread Worth Eating

December is all about holiday parties: the work party, the wine club party, the occasional get together among friends to celebrate the coming of the New Year. The cool thing to say here would be that drinking fine wines and artisan winter cocktails are my favorite part of holiday parties, but the truth is, it’s the cured meats and high quality cheeses that really do it for me. To me, there is nothing better than a paper-thin slice of prosciutto and a spread of Bri,e over a piece of sliced baguette. Sonoma County is swimming in fine cheese and meats. We have incredible food purveyors that take the meat and cheese biz very seriously.

Sonoma Meat Company makes smoked salamis and jerkies that you can purchase  in their store front.

Thistle Meats has an incredible selection of cured meats, including a truffle salami. The staff really knows their meat.

As far as cheese companies in the area, I could go on for days. Some of my favorite local cheese are:

Truffle Tremor by Cypress Grove may possibly be the best cheese I’ve ever had in my life. They are a Humboldt based creamery, but Truffle Tremor is available all over Sonoma County.

Vella Cheese Company in Sonoma makes incredible cheddar and jack cheeses. Their sharp cheddar makes killer mac & cheese. Follow the recipe on their website.
http://www.vellacheese.com/

Mt.Tam from Cowgirl Creamery may be the second best cheese I’ve ever had. This is award winning cheese that can be found all over the North Bay. But my favorite place to go is to visit their shop in Pt. Reyes.

If you’re looking for me at the party, I’ll be by the charcuterie table with a small plate full of meats and cheeses, and a glass of bubbly in my hand to wash it all down. Cheers!