C’est Cheese

Tonight was a tasting session of the cheese from Italy.  I attended with Sue.

Kathryn made a point of selecting cheeses that weren’t the obvious Italian ones, like parmigiano and the like. She focused on the regions around Piedmont.

Starting at 12:00 on the plate, and moving clockwise:

* La Tur – Cow, goat and sheep’s milk, from Piedmont, aged 2-4 weeks.
Notes: very soft and creamy, tasted good with the dried cherries, has an edible rind that’s hard to distinguish from the cheese itself. It matures in flavor with stronger accents of the goat and sheep milk over time.

* Quadrello di Bufala – water buffalo’s milk, from Lombardy, aged 3-4 months.
Notes: pretty funky for how plain the taste of the cheese is, and it’s soft but not creamy.

* Salva Cremasco – cow’s milk, from Lombardy, aged 3-4 months. The name means “save cream” and there are varying theories to what this means. This cheese is made from the milk skimmed of cream, so the cream is saved for other purposes. It could simply be the definition of cheese – a way of preserving dairy. Duh. Who knows. Anyway.
Notes: dry texture. It was crumbly but held together well. It was tangy but not salty. I liked it.

* Piave – cow’s milk, from Veneto, aged 12-14 months.
Notes: I’ve actually had this cheese before, from a big grilled cheese making afternoon with friends two months ago to celebrate National Grilled Cheese Month. It’s firm and grainy and dry with a nutty light taste. There’s a younger version of Piave but it’s apparently boring in taste so we don’t bother with it. My notes also say “mountain style cheese” and I have no idea what this means anymore.

* Verzin di Capra – goat’s milk, from southwest Piedmont, aged 3-4 months.
Notes: mmm, this is a nice, light blue cheese with moderate veins. Mild in flavor for a blue, which I’m totally happy with. The asian in me took a long time to even consider blue cheese to be edible (thanks to the cheese and honey tasting from C’est Cheese a couple years back, changed my life it did). I still find strong blue cheese to be overwhelming and can only nibble small amounts. This one was great, although Sue found it to be plain for blue.

The wine of the night was Palmina Dolcetto, which I skipped. Lightweight.

Event note: it had been a long time since I’d attended one of the tastings. When the shop first opened I went to nearly every one. I recall that there was more time to talk amongst ourselves to compare notes about each cheese. Over time, this has gone away and Kathryn does nearly all the talking. I suspect this is because people don’t know what to say and everyone just looks to Kathryn for guidance. I wish we could talk more. I understand I’m probably in the minority here. Still, it’s an enjoyable evening and quite educational on cheese, which we, as podunk uneducated people who think cheddar cheese is bright orange and the rest only belongs on pizza, can use a little more enlightenment.

Past words.

C’est Cheese
825 Santa Barbara St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93103
www.cestcheese.com