Cheese and wine? Yes
Cheese and bread?? Yes
Cheese and more cheese?? Of course.
Cheese and Mezcal? Yes!
What's that? Oh, you've never paired cheese and hard liquor?
Not intentionally at least?
Neither had I until I met this lady..
Barre Lynn, aka The Cheese Impresario.
This lady knows cheese...really knows cheese. She has an infectious personality and I had so much fun learning from her. Thanks to Keren Brown for inviting me to this event. Like I told her...she had me at cheese.
Our cheese plate.
We had four different cheeses to try and four different types of alcohol There wasn't a drop of wine in the joint!
First Paring:
Jokigen Rice Label Sake
and
Sartori Reserve Salsa Asiago.
First we tried a nice bite of the cheese, as Barrie Lynn says, prepare your "cheese highway"
then wash it down with sake. Right away I noticed how smooth the sake was. This sake and cheese pairing was delicious. I don't know a lot about sake, but this was highly drinkable..and alcoholic! The next thing you do is taste the rind. Wow! My favorite part! You could really taste the "salsa" that is featured in the name. Just a great tomato taste. This would end up being my favorite cheese of the night. I would love to try it in a grilled cheese sandwich!
Second pairing:
Neisson Rhum Agricole Reserve Speciale
and
Sartori Reserve Espresso BellaVitano
Now rum I know a little more about! This was obviously a rum that you would sip and enjoy...no need to mix in a cocktail! This cheese also had another interesting rind...espresso rubbed!
Very interesting mix of rum, espresso, and cheese. I liked this combo, but still favoring the first.
Third pairing:
Glenfiddich 15-year-old single malt scotch whisky
and
Sartori Reserve SarVecchio Parmesan
In this pairing, I really enjoyed the cheese. Just a great flavorful parmesan cheese. The whisky was also good, but definitely a strong flavor. Not something I would probably drink regularly, but I have a feeling that whisky drinkers would really enjoy it. The combo of the cheese and whisky was very smooth. At this point...more bread please!
Final pairing:
Del Maguey's Santo Domingo Albarradas Mezcal
and
Sartori Reserve Dolcina Gorgonzola
I loved this pairing! Maybe because of my love for tequila? I had never had mezcal and was surprised at the flavor. Yes, it was strong, but still smooth. However, once I paired it with the cheese..I loved it! It made the cheese even creamier and so tasty. Such an interesting taste. I finished it all! Plus, look at the cute little drinking glass we got to bring home:
This was my second favorite pairing of the night...something I would have never tried.
One more surprise!!
I was one of the lucky winners of this book!!
Thanks to Kathy Casey!! She also attended the event and I was very happy to meet her. Can't wait to try out some great recipes this summer!
If you want to learn more...both Barrie Lynn and Kathy have videos on Small Screen Network. I'm looking forward to watching and learning more.
This was such an interesting and new experience for me. One of things that Barrie Lynn kept saying was "just see what happens." She obviously knows what she's doing, but you can tell she likes to try new combos to see what she comes up with. I really learned a lot and I love to try new things. Each pairing was unique and I enjoyed each one. I'd love to share this experience with my friends!!
Thanks to Keren and Barrie Lynn! I hope to see Barrie Lynn again..such a warm person and someone who truly enjoys sharing what she knows!
Have you ever tried any fun cheese parinings?
