Dolce Salato Antipasto

Sometimes a full course meal doesn’t set the tone for a rustic, romantic evening. This sharable platter mixes both sweet and salty tastes (“dolce” is sweet in Italian and “salato” is salty), and its sample-sized portions are open for a variety of tasty choices.


Brie cheese
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Prosciutto
Spicy cacciatore sausage
Olive and rosemary focaccia bread
Sesame bread sticks
Arugula
3 tbsp honey
3 tbsp strawberry or four fruit spread
1 handful mixed nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds)
1 cup red seedless grapes
 

Cut off a good portion of the Brie cheese and break Parmigiano cheese into pieces – crumbling the cheese rather than cutting it offers an unprepared look which fits the rustic tone of this dish.  If you have time, warm up the Brie in the oven at 350F (175C) for about 10 minutes or until it begins to melt. 


Wrap the bread sticks with thinly sliced prosciutto and cut the sausage into bite-sized pieces.


Wash the arugula and grapes well and let dry in a strainer until ready to assemble.


Drizzle the mixed nuts with a good quality honey. Form a dollop of fruit spread or jelly to spread onto the bread or simply to enjoy with each bite of cheese. 


Final Touches:  The key to this kind of platter is balancing the amount of salty items with sweet hints of flavour.  I found an older wooden cutting board to use as the serving dish to keep the rustic theme going. I wasn’t as concerned with a perfect presentation which makes things much easier for a host with limited time. The items I chose for this particular platter are completely interchangeable. Be as creative as you dare.

What is your favourite item in our Dolce Salato Antipasto? Would you make any substitutions?

by Diana Petrina
* all images by Sabrina Tenace