Christmas Cheer

This may get me drawn and quartered in some circles but I'm over Christmas baking. Don't get me wrong, I love spicy, anise-scented pfeffernusse, rich and chewy peanut blossoms, Grandma's sugar cookies. I just happen to find the ever-present and cloying dominance of sugar at yuletide as stale as an improperly stored blondie. All I really want for Christmas is complexity and richness of flavor. Earthy, pungent. raw-milk Stilton, nutty jamon Iberico, crisp pear, sticky-sweet membrillo. Why stop there? Santa, fill my stocking with fresh-killed game. Pheasant pate, venison and currant sausages. Throw in some briny, peak-season, kissed-by-a-mermaid oysters and I'll give Mrs. Klaus a run for her money.

Recent Discoveries:

Neal's Yard Stilcheton http://www.nealsyarddairy.co.uk/cheeses.html

Okay, not a new discovery, but a favorite non-the-less. I love the earthy, creamy, pungency of this unpasteurized cheese, especially when paired with pears, fig jam, candied pecans, and rosemary in a puff-pastry tart.

Prosciutto di Parma Rotundo Dolce

Holy melt-in-your-mouth, fatty, porky goodness, Batman! This is hands-down one of the best prosciuttos I've ever encountered, with a memorably sweet, yet still subtle finish.

Salumeria Biellese - Petit Jesu http://www.salumeriabiellese.com/cured_pork.html#Petit_Jesu

I'll heartily celebrate the birth of this winey, garlicky, course-ground salami from Brooklyn's venerable Salumeria Biellese for years to come!

Philly foodies can find the above at DiBruno Bros. Fair warning, at over $30 a pound, these goodies ain't cheap. Trust me. They're well worth the price.