For our last and final Maine and Greece dispatch, I thought we would focus on smoked cheeses from each locale. Smoked cheeses are excellent with darker beers and bigger red wines as the temperatures begin to drop.
Hailing from Silvery Moon Creamery in Westbrook, Maine is their Applewood Smoked Mozzarella. Their mozzarella is crafted in the traditional manner and here it is cold smoked with applewood from the cheesemaker's grandfather's orchard. Cold smoking simply means that the cheese has been smoked at temperatures ranging from 70 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit infusing the cheese in this case with lightly smoked flavors and a residual apple-y sweetness. Combined with the luscious creaminess of a fresh mozzarella cheese, the smokiness will add a dynamic depth of flavor to the cheese. Great enjoyed on a baguette with a nice IPA or cooked into a rustic decadent mac n' cheese paired with a medium bodied red wine.
And what of our Greek counterpart? How about Metsovone?
Hailing from the Metsovo region in Northwestern Greece, this smoked pasta filata or stretched curd cheese is traditionally crafted with cow's milk. Occasionally it is produced with a combination of goat and cow's milk but most often you find it crafted with cow's milk. The cheese is crafted into rolls and hung from the ceiling to help develop the sharp biting flavors that bring the cheese to life. Semi firm with a nice buttery feel and a smoky fermented rustic finish, this cheese is great served as part of a Greek meze with a nice glass of red wine.
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