TASTES: Parmesan - Pairing Appendix!

By Kara and Erica

In our tasting of Farmer John's Parmesan, we implied that the lingering nutty-meatiness of Parmesan just begs for a good pairing. This might have been correct in theory, but... well, just watch. It seems we need a little pairing practice.

THOUGHTS: It's in the pairing

By Kara

Erica and I recently sampled the Scandinavian cheese plate at Restaurant Magnus: a spectacular experience, and even more beautiful than the picture above. The plate included one goatsmilk and two cowsmilk samples, ultra-thin slices of apples and perfectly halved red grapes, and, most importantly, beautiful globs of condiments, perfectly selected to highlight each of the cheeses. Roasted pecans offset the smooth texture of a white block cheese, while a tart raspberry jam echoed and elaborated on the sour flavor of the goat cheese. Most mind-boggling was the sweet mustard paired with simple asiago, which somehow brought out flavors in the cheese that were otherwise indiscernable. How is this possible?

I believe that we have come to a major turning point in our Journey: a venture into the world of pairing.