Before we cut to the chase here, let me apologize for not writing to you all, I was feeling somewhat under the weather yesterday and do not think that any of my musings would have been particularly entertaining. I originally had another Marriage Monday idea planned, but in pondering how I wanted to lay the competition out, I decided to take a distinctly different turn and go with a fruit that is already quite creamy and might not be your first thought when you come to pairing with cheeses...
And that fruit is avocados!
I admit, it is tough to pair something rich like avocado with a large percentage of cheeses and since avocados are so good for you, I thought this would be quite a fun Marriage Mondays. As things have gotten a little scrambled with me missing yesterday's posting, you will get your dosage of Marriage Mondays on Tuesday Evening and another post this evening, but your MM results will come tomorrow with a special new Summer section of Fromagical, stay tuned, I guarantee its exciting!
Jumping right back to avocados here, before we getting going with our three cheese options, let's go over a few basic facts about the avocado:
1. Avocados are native to Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America. The oldest evidence of avocados date back to 10,000 BC in Puebla, Mexico.
2. The term avocado actually refers to both the flowering tree plant and the well-known fruits that we are utilizing in today's Marriage Mondays. Avocado, the name itself actually comes from the Nahuatl (or Aztec) word 'ahuacatl' meaning testicle which is a direct reference to the shape of the fruit.
3. Enough about the fascinating etymology and history of the avocado that has been around for centuries, let's talk about why it's good for you! Well, it is rich Vitamins B, E, and K, high in fiber, and has more potassium than bananas. It promotes healthy skin and hair and has significant antibacterial qualities. But more importantly than all of that, it is high in monounsatured fats aka good fats. Actually a diet high in avocados helps reduce one's cholesterol across the board.
Really delish, satisfying, filling, and all around really good for you. This sure is a fun contestant!
Let's get going with the three cheeses, Mr. Avocado will have the opportunity to be featured in tomorrow's recipe with:
Contestant Number #1 : Mozzarella -- Last week's feature in Marriage Mondays, this contestant is young, fresh, creamy and fantastically delish. A classic Italian cheese with more nuances each time you taste it. As we know from last week's MM dosage, this is a cheese best eaten somewhat chilled and fresh not baked or roasted into any dishes, the flavors get lost. So I am sure that makes you wonder will Ms. Italian meet her match in Don Juan the Avocado? We will have to find out!
Contestant Number #2 : Piave -- Another Italian queen of the cheeses, this pasteurized cow's milk cheese is grown up. Aged for anywhere between six and fourteen months, it resembles Parmigiano-Reggiano in its caramely, crunchy, butterscotchy, dry, and crumbly textures and tastes; however unlike Parmiagiano, it is full of tropical fruit and almond flavors with a fantastically sweet finish -- a perfect mixture of contradictions.
Contestant Number # 3 : Tomme de Savoie -- Hailing from Italy's neighbor, France, this is a classic stinker that comes in many different forms, however always made with cow's milk -- whether it is raw or pasteurized, whole or skimmed milk, homemade or industrial crafted, you name it, tomme de savoie is made in that manner. But don't you worry, surprisingly enough, there are elements that never change -- it comes in medium sized rounds with a light wooden colored rind with plenty of white and yellow mold and when you cut into the cheese, the paste is straw color, full of mold holes, stinky and sticky and fantasticallly delish. The flavors in the contestant are everything from fresh to barnyardy to rustic to buttery to creamy to savory to grassy -- a party in your mouth! Will it be successfully paired with a great party food like guacamole??
We shall see who will triumph with tomorrow's results and our unveiling of our new Summer weekly special...
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