So one thing I love about being an intern is that you get pulled into all aspects of Artisanal! Today in one shift I flipped cheese, built boxes for shipping, did some online marketing, helped sales with collateral, learned the customer service database, poured champagne, drank wine, ate cheese and bussed tables after class.......I'M EXSHASTED!!!
However, all this hard work is paying off. Today I was offered payment for a small project starting tomorrow! I am really hoping (as is Uncle Sam) that all this leads to a full time job and today I got some really good signs that it is in the works for me. So if you could clap for Tinkerbell in whichever way you do that....start clapping for me.
Oh and I would like to give a quick shout to my BFF, Brett who had his first day at the French Culinary Institute for Pastry today. Mi leetle puff pastry fruit tart is going to ROCK it out. To check out his adventures I have linked his blog (Baking it till you Make it) and I highly suggest you check it out....not only for the yummy french pastry advice but of course all the perfect spelling and grammar that this blod lacks.
Onto official business:
At class today I learned the basic pairing concepts that can be used in my future cheese shop or for your next cocktail party. Here are a few concepts, pick one you like and pick your cheese and wine line up!
PAIRING CONCEPTS
1. Region or terroir
Region- that is pretty straight forward- if you are eating a lot of Italian cheeses from Tuscany you can pair with a Tuscan wine.
Terrior refers to the climate, altitude, soil, water or the elements that make up an environment that the product is produced. So if you want to highlight Manchego cheese which is produced in a hot and arid climate you should also pick a wine that sports a grape which flourishes in a hot and arid climate. To be honest this particular road is one I know little about and am learning from my Jedi Cheese Master, Max. I will hopefully have more to offer on this later.
2. Comparing Acidities
Some cheeses and certainly many wines have high or low acidities. Personally, I find the sour, lemony qualities of some young goat cheeses to be HIGH in acidity. One way to go in planning a pairing with this cheese is to match with a fruity, floral white wine.
3. Sweet/Salty
As I learned last week, port and cheese go really well together. It is just a classic contrast, one that I have enjoyed since my first chocolate covered pretzel. You stick a salty creamy cheese next to a tawny viscous port and even port hater's eyes will roll into the back of their heads.
4. High fat cheeses with bubbly
Ok....so I am my mother's daughter and love the bubbly. But besides the fact that champagne, cava and proseco are just plain good, they also do a great job at lightening up a thick creamy fatty cheese like tellagio or brie.
So there are some pairing options- so say we all.
Tonight I enjoyed my second Italian Cheese and Wine class, this time taught by Jessica Wurwang.
1. Robiola Due Latti, mixed milk
This was James's favorite bar none. He loved how buttery and unctuous it was. It wasn't too salty for him and really thought it was a perfect cheese.
Made in the Piedmont region of Italy, this mixed milk cheese (mostly from cow's milk, and a dash of sheep's milk) is a delectable treat. The paper thin rind covers an unctuous buttery paste that coats the palate. Mild and savory, creamy with a light lingering sweetness, this delicate pillow of soft-ripened cheese will be love at first bite.
We had this one last week. I love this Pecorino, especially for the true vegetarians in the house. This product uses no animal rennet.
This raw Organic pecorino from Tuscany is made with vegetable rennet of wild artichoke. It is aged in oak barrels for 60 days, the rind is then covered in oak and olive wood ash. The ash imparts a unique green olive flavor and long finish. This cheese is firm, toothsome (al dente!) and has a nutty texture.
3. Testun al Barolo, mixed milk
This is my favorite on the plate but I highly recommend that you get a piece that has not been directly exposed to the grape rind (just me personally- a lot of folks LOVED it). This cheese is so salty and so sharp. You can really taste the grape influence but in the whiter piece that I had it just sang!
Testun al Barolo is a semi-firm mixed milk cheese from the Piedmont region of Italy. The cheese has a beautiful complex flavor thanks the sweet and grassy milk from alpine pastures and it's aging process. It ages for a minimum period of four months in small oak barrels under the residues of the Nebbiolo grapes, the grape to make Barolo wine. The fruity wine flavors seep into the crumbly paste. This adds a little bit more of a complexity to it's flavor.
4. Piave, cow milk
We also had this last week- yup....still wonderful. Sharp, minerally and full of nutty flavor. It will be in my store some day...oh yes...it will...this I swear by the stars!
Piave is named after the river Piave, whose source is found at Mount Peralba in Val Bisdende, in the northernmost part of the province of Vento Italy. the land surrounding the ancient river is integral to the character cheese: it is where the milk is collected, the curd cooked, and the cheese aged until hard. Piave DOP has an intense, full-bodied flavor, reminiscent of Parmegiano Reggiano, which intensifies with age and makes the cheese absolutely unique.
5. Taleggio, cow milk
James really likes the stinky creamy cheeses- he thought it had a ultra creamy, buttery Munster quality but with a sweet note.
Taleggio is a semi-soft, salt solutions washed rind cheese from the Valtaleggio region in northern Italy, near Lombardy. It is characteristically aromatic yet mild in flavor and features tangy, meaty notes with a fruity finish. The texture of the cheese is moist-to-oozy with a pleasant melt-in-your-mouth feel. The combination of the soft texture, pungent aroma, and buttery flavors has proven to be addictive when spread on fresh crusty bread.
6. Parmigiano-Reggiano, cow milk
YUM! Such a familiar, salty, crumbly, homelike taste and yet it is so elevated when you get quality like Artisanal. Also its nice to have this cheese alone. It has a lot of character and it stands alone. (DISCLAIMER: James this is not an okay to not use these leftovers in your spaghetti making)
Parmigiano-Reggiano is one of the key cheeses in any cheese board. Made in the Emilia Romafna region of Italy. Parmigiano- Reggiano is produced in the shape of large cylinders weighing approximately 80 pounds each. (TRUST! that is one hard cheese to flip!!) When cut into, the hard smooth exterior reveals a cheese with perfect crystalline texture, a piquant, salty flavor and great aroma.
7. Gorgonzola Cremificato, cow milk
If you do not like blue cheese but are curious about adding that flavor profile to your like list, check out this blue cheese. It is a young version of Gorgonzola Piccante and it really shows you the quality of these cheese makers that even a young version is so delicate and creamy.
Gorgonzola Cremificato is a creamy cow's milk blue of quality unrivaled by other young or "dolce" Gorgonzolas. Although unnouculated with the same blue mold found in spicier blues like Roquefort, this delicate, soft and unctuous blue is milk and subtly sweet with fresh, grassy undertones.
As always these official descriptions are provided by Artisanal. Thanks Verna!
Ok hold on because this week is going to be brimming with cheese!
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