Sorry for my day of absence folks, we traveled down to Miami for work yesterday and the day simply got away from me...but fret not, we're catching up!
It's time for those caper results!
Contestant Number #1 : Humboldt Fog - Although this is one of my favorite cheeses, it's not necessarily one of our dear caper bud's chosen few. Why? Well this is somewhat of an oil and water sort of case -- the creamy, lactic, citrus vegetal cheese will not succeed in calming the salty, brininess of the capers. Each in it's own way great but together there is no sense of a potentially successful relationship -- two different entities functioning on their own, not for a common cause.
Contestant Number #3 : Beaufort - The Alpine king is so fantastic but it's rich buttery nuttiness isn't the perfect fit for our salty friends this week. It's a potential match, even a decent one but there is no huge sense of opposition or difference here, each has moments of similarity but in their moments of difference there is no real sense of one element coaxing out the nuances in the other. Therefore by deduction our second contestant, Gorgonzola Dolce wins the prize this week. Why you may ask?
Contestant Number # 2 : Gorgonzola Dolce - An excellent choice - the salty sweetness of the cheese balances out the briny saltiness of the capers -- each has salty notes that find their partner in the other's nuances and the delicate sweetness of the blue cheese balances out what some may consider as overwhelming notes in the capers.
So how to serve these together?
How about in a fantastic spinach salad with roasted asparagus and caramelized shallots with a hint of lemon in your homemade vinagrette? The mixture of the sweetness that comes out of the shallots and the fabulously vegetal notes of the asparagus and spinach with the hint of citrusy brightness will be perfect with the creaminess of the cheese and the salty brininess of the capers.
Recipe is super simple to boot!
Take one bag of washed salad spinach and put it in a salad bowl with a half cup of crumbled gorgonzola dolce and a handful of chopped up capers. Place to the side. Grab about ten asparagus and place in a roasting dish with some EVOO, salt and pepper. Roast at 275 degrees for about ten minutes, depending on when they are tender. While roasting your asparagus, chop up finely one shallot and over low heat sauté with some EVOO till golden brown and caramelized. Combine all together. Then top with a small squueze of fresh lemon juice and your homemade vinaigrette - EVOO, white wine vinegar and sherry vinegar.
Enjoy with a nice light Sauvignon Blanc.
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