Tonight I will have the pleasure of being part of an early Passover dinner before my folks leave town for the holiday and for vacation. Who knows what culinary creations my mother will come up with, but that adventure will unfold in the coming hours. What I do know are the three cheeses I got to go with the dinner. The cheeses will be served with charoset (a traditional Passover food composed of dried fruits and nuts meant to symbolize the mortar Jews utilized to adhere bricks to one another when they were enslaved in Ancient Egypt) and a strawberry, tomato, balsamic confiture. So what cheeses did I choose?
I decided for Passover cheese, I had to go to the old school Upper West Side standby -- Zabar's of course. Yes they do have a fantastic cheese selection and even have a variety of kosher cheeses. Don't fret folks I was not planning on getting kosher cheeses for tonight, I was aiming to get three cheeses from three different regions of America each symbolizing the distinct cheesemaking processes across the nation.
East Coast cheese - Vermont Butter and Cheese's (VBC) Cremont - a mixed goat and cow's milk cheese with a dollop of fresh Vermont cream added in. It embodies Vermont terroir in a nutshell and is the perfect melding of the superstars of VBC's cheese and dairy repertoire -- Bonne Bouche plus their Bijou plus their creme fraiche all rolled into one distinct cheese. It is luscious, unctuous and decadent and will go wonderfully with both accompaniments.
Midwest (ish) cheese - Haystack Mountain's Queso de Mano - A firm goat's milk cheese crafted near Boulder, Colorado. Queso de Mano is Haystack's first experiment with a raw milk cheese aged for four months -- it is fresh, crisp, floral, grassy, crisp and truly characteristic of the Colorado terroir. A very versatile pairing partner, it will become significantly more rustic when served with the charoset and daintier and lighter with the strawberry basil confiture.
West Coast cheese - Point Reyes Blue - Hailing from Point Reyes Station, CA where my mother and I visited a few years ago, this is farmstead cow's milk blue cheese done right. Cheese is crafted hours after milking the cows and then consequently aged for six months producing a round full bodied creamy blue with hints of that classic piquant spiciness and a depth of flavor.
Overall a nice selection of American cheeses for a very special dinner.
No comments:
Post a Comment