Tired of sharp cheddar on a toothpick or peanut butter on a Triscuit? Awful then and awful now.
Instead, look for Stacey’s Naked Pita Chips and/or Stacey’s Naked Bagel Chips. On them, try soft cheese plus shaved celery plus hot sauce, or sharp cheddar plus a pear slice plus honey, or goat cheese plus Spanish olives, or oil-packed tuna plus Swiss cheese plus ground pepper melted, or an oil-packed sardine plus a spicy mustard.
For cheeses, go Wegmans. Buy what catches your eye, but don’t miss Saint Agur blue cheese or Midnight Moon, a semi-hard white cheese with a unique crystalline bite. Brie and its multiple knockoffs are delicious on a cheese plate or spread. Serve cheeses at room temperature.
As for potato chips, Cape Cod’s Dark Russet are the tastiest chip on the market.
For appetizers, you can’t go wrong with Prosciutto di Parma. Try bite-sized fresh pineapple plus freshly ground pepper plus small strips of prosciutto in a small cup, or small wedges of avocado wrapped in small sheets of prosciutto plus a drizzle of good EVOO plus a grain or two of sea salt, or cooked, cooled tender asparagus tips wrapped in prosciutto.
And finally, my signature Tomato Amuse Bouche: Select five cherry tomatoes per person. Precisely slice the big ones in thirds and the little ones in half. Place all in a glass bowl. Dust generously with fresh ground pepper, splash with seasoned rice vinegar, add a little sea salt, quite a bit of aged balsamic vinegar, a few bits of finely chopped basil, and mix. Then add some finely diced Parmigiano Reggiano, and mix again. Place in small presentation cups and serve at room temperature with small spoons.
