Cheese and Accompaniments of the Mediterranean


On February 27th I went to a program of the New York Women’s Culinary Alliance presented by the Manager of Murray’s by Mail, Amy Sisti, and Michele Buster of Forever Cheese. Wines were donated by C & P Wines, NY.

The program was presented in the glass-walled second floor auditorium overlooking the cheese shop on Bleecker Street, seating 24. Tables were precisely and generously set with full platters of cheeses and six wine glasses. Michele, with a slide presentation, told about the producers of the cheeses and condiments she joyfully finds and imports from Spain, Portugal and Italy.

We tasted Aragones, a cow milk cheese from Spain, paired with sparkling Campassos Brut Cava and Fig Jam. Followed by an Italian cow milk cheese from Piemonte, the ancient semi-firm Castelrosso, paired with a Rose, Castellroig Rosat Vi de Terrer, and Marcona Almonds in Rosemary Honey from a Co-op.

All the while Michele stressed the importance of having fun with pairing and tasting as different combinations could be put together with the flick of the tongue.

Next tasted was a rosemary coated goat cheese, Cabra Romero, very white and mild, also paired with the Cava and a luscious, raw, Spanish lavender honey.

The fourth cheese, Malvarosa, from milk of a rare, Valencia native breed of sheep, the Guirra, formed by knotting in cheesecloth. This was paired with a red Sonsierra Crianza, and a thick, earthy and delectable Arrope Jam made of concentrated grape and candied pumpkin.

Number five was a goat milk cheese, PataCabra that paired nicely with a tangy Pear Mostarda and the red and oak-y Rejadorado Temple from Toro.

This was followed with a salty, spicy, and smoky (from paprika), Toledo cheese from Portugal, made from a blend of milks. Michele suggested pairing this with the special Largueto Almonds and a bright and fruity white wine, Ermita de Nieve Verdejo.

The final cheese tasted, Michele’s best seller, was the Fulvi Pecorino Romano, a tangy hard cheese made in the Roman countryside from all sheep milk, that paired well with a Lambrusco Wine Jelly and the full-bodied red Rejodorado Temple.

We left to purchase some of the items offered, and to battle a cold night with strong winds, having been fortified by these products from the sunny Mediterranean warming our innards.