 |
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
| |
Cheese Expert
Mark Todd
Romatic Pairings for Valentine's Day
This month we look at St. Valentine’s Day and the pairings that make me think of romance. To be honest, commemorating martyrdom never sounded particularly romantic to me. But most normal Americans look to this holiday as an excuse to lavish attention on a significant other—and food is without question one of my favorite ways of lavishing.
The following are two quite different takes on this mission. The first, Brie de Meaux, is the more traditional St. Valentines Day fare, combining our favorite party beverage with our favorite guilty pleasure cheese. Add in some fresh berries (I recommend feeding each other!), and you have a romantic spark undousable by even the most insensitive cretin of a male.
The second is much more avant-garde—not the choice for a first date. This is for the couple that has been together for a while, and wants to throw some gasoline on the slowly flickering flame of their relationship. . |
| |
|
|
| |
Cheese and Wine
Pairing #1
Brie de Meaux and
Gruet Sparkling NV Brut
The Cheese
Brie de Meaux was unofficially crowned “King of Cheeses” by diplomats from all over Europe at the Congress of Vienna in 1815. Though they were ostensibly meeting to redraw the boundaries of Europe, the congress attendees also had plenty of time to nosh, and Talleyrand from France kicked off an unofficial competition by presenting a wheel of Brie de Meaux. The finest cheeses from all over Europe were offered, but Brie de Meaux outshone them all.
Originating about 130 miles east of Paris, this cheese is probably the best-known cheese of France. It is certainly one of the most imitated. It is traditionally made with raw cows’ milk, though it is rare to find this version in America. Where available, ALWAYS go for the raw milk version— the flavor difference is substantial. |
| |
|
|
| |
Cheese and Beer
Pairing #2
French
Morbier Cheese and Saison Farmhouse Ale
The Cheese
Morbier originates in the Jura mountains in eastern France, and began as a way to use the leftover curd from the day’s production of Gruyère de Comté. The remaining curds were placed in a small barrel and covered with the soot from the bottom of the copper cheese kettle to retain moisture, prevent rind formation and keep the curd somewhat sterile. After a few intermediate steps, the finished cheese was washed to develop a mild orange rind.
This traditional process is still carried out at two farms in the Jura mountains, but the vast majority of Morbier today is made with vegetable ash to imitate the original methods. Even so, it is still an outstanding cheese, and one of the few I would actually call “sexy.” It has a silky, smooth texture and flavors at once full and rich, and light and delicate. With aromas of French bread, toasted almonds, ripe melon and smoked meats, Morbier is a truly complex cheese. It is available in either pasteurized or raw milk versions. I strongly recommend the raw milk (au lait cru), if available. Also check to make sure the cheese is made in the Jura mountains, not in Auvergne or Poitou. Even the vaunted French are not above making a cheese in one region, shipping it to the traditional region, aging it there and labeling it as the original cheese. The rind should be smooth, reddish-brown and dry, not cracked or slimy. The body of the cheese should be light straw-colored, moist almost to the point of shiny and uniform, with no browning toward the rind. |
| |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
