Day 951 : Last Weekend of 2012 Cheese Crush

What to do for the last weekend of 2012?

Why not go spend it in East Hampton with one of my closest friends for a weekend of relaxing, movies, cooking, red wine, around a fabulous fireplace?

Of course I had to bring cheese for this wonderful weekend, right?

Standing in front of the Murray's Cheese counter in Grand Central the other day, I decided it was time to get some thing different -- something rustic and earthy, warming and round, nutty and spicy.

How about Moringhello di Bufala?

A Buffalo milk cheese sporting a natural rind that has been basket aged for between two and four months crafted by the Gritti Brothers at Quarttro Portoni farm in the Lombardia region of Italy. A bright, citrusy, lactic tang goes hand in hand with an earthy, musty, rustic, round, moist density and a semi-firm consistency. The great thing about this cheese is that it is full of flavor and has a fantastically dynamic character but is still light and not too rich. Great paired with dried figs to bring out the round, earthy, sweetness of the cheese. In terms of wine, I would enjoy it with a medium bodied Italian red that is fruit forward with a nice earthy side to it.

The perfect cheese for a winter-time weekend in the country!