Things I love: prosciutto.

This week has kind of turned into a "can I put prosciutto on that?" sort of week. This is something that I am very happy about. I ate a pizza with prosciutto, fig, and basil (delicious), but perhaps the most exciting was yesterday's prosciutto extravaganza. Is there anything that isn't improved by being wrapped in prosciutto? Probably not. After buying 1/4 pound of prosciutto di Parma at Whole Foods, my partner in the appreciation of cured Italian meats and I proceeded to pair it with not one, but two delicious cheeses: mimolette (which caught my eye because of its bright orange color), a semi-hard, aged French cheese, and Mt. Townsend Creamery's trailhead tomme, which was softer than the mimolette, mild, and tasty. Also, there was a perfectly ripened plum and pear, half a loaf of Campagne bread, and a 74% cacao Theo chocolate bar. We tried every configuration of these items, all while enjoying a surprisingly good bottle of rose (Belleruche cotes-du-rhone m. chaputier rose, 2007) that we had chilled previously. It was probably the best snack I have had in weeks, not only because of the excellent food, but because of the delightful company.

Huckleberry

I feel like I blog about cupcakes with some regularity. I guess it is because I really like cupcakes, and because Cupcake Royale has a cupcake of the month that is particularly delicious pretty much every month--and every month my hajj is not to Mecca, but to Ballard, where I drink coffee and savor the newest offering at my favorite cupcake place. Today, after what felt like ages of anticipation, I finally had the huckleberry cupcake, the deliciousness of which was matched by its beauty. The frosting was a gorgeous fuschia/purple with bits of huckleberry in it, and the vanilla cupcake had bits of huckleberry in it as well, lending a dull purple color that was very pleasant and tasty (and moist!). The frosting was sweet, with just enough tartness added by the berries. I savored it for a long time, eating half of it, drinking my latte, then finishing the cupcake--smacking my lips with relish. If you want one... you have until the end of September to acquire one. I highly recommend you do.