I was hanging out in the Cakebread Cellars kitchen in Napa Valley not long ago, watching chef Tom Sixsmith assemble cheese plates for visitors. What caught my eye was the accompaniment he was putting on each plate, slices of a dried fruit and pistachio paste that looked delicious. And it was. Tom makes it himself and calls it dried fruit “salami,” for obvious reasons. It takes all of five minutes to make. It’s a good keeper, so you can make a lot and use it to dress up your cheese boards all winter long.
In the image above, I’ve paired the fruit paste with Roquefort, my sentimental tribute to a cheese that may soon be unaffordable if Trump makes good on his French tariff threat. I’d say it’s time to make yourself a nice French cheese platter and pray for some sanity.
Cakebread Cellars’ Dried Fruit Salami
Cakebread Cellars chef Tom Sixsmith developed this recipe for the winery’s cheese plates. He uses dried prunes or dried figs from the winery trees. I used store-bought dried Mission figs; next time I’ll try dried golden figs.
The recipe calls for Sambuca, an Italian anise liqueur. If you don’t have Sambuca, you won’t regret buying it. It keeps forever and a few drops create magic in a fruit salad or fruit compote. Peel and slice navel or blood oranges crosswise, float them in a light sugar syrup and add drops of Sambuca. In summer, toss berries, peaches and plums together with superfine sugar, lemon juice and Sambuca. You won’t believe what a few drops can do.
½ cup unsalted shelled pistachios
½ pound dried figs, stems removed, or pitted dried prunes
1 tablespoon Sambuca (Italian anise liqueur)
1 teaspoon aniseed
Pinch sea salt
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Put the pistachios on a small baking sheet or in a pie tin and toast until lightly colored and fragrant, 5 to 8 minutes. Let cool completely.
Put the pistachios, figs, Sambuca, aniseed, and salt in a food processor and pulse a few times, until the ingredients just begin to come together. Leave the mixture a little chunky. Transfer the mixture to a sheet of plastic wrap and roll into a neat tight log about 1-1/2 inches in diameter and 10 inches long. Roll as tightly as possible by twisting the ends of the plastic wrap.
Refrigerate until well chilled. To serve, use a thin-bladed knife and slice about ¼ inch thick.
Serves 12
NEW! 2020 World Cheese Tour Classes Announced
Please join me for the ninth year of the World Cheese Tour, a monthly series of guided cheese tastings at the beautiful Silverado Cooking School in Napa. You’ll find new class themes this year and, as always, many new cheeses. I rarely repeat a cheese! Come learn more about Spanish cheeses, raw-milk rockstars, or cheese and wine pairing. Find the complete schedule here.