Possibly the Best Pairing Ever

If you have ever been to Pastoral, you know that we spend a fair amount of time trying to find some of the best pairings of wine and cheese. Well, this past week, Patrick and I may have come upon one of the best yet when we indulged in a Langres from Champagne, France with a bottle of the Blanc de Blanc made by the L. Mawby vineyards on the Leelanau Pennisula of Michigan.

The Langres is one of those unique, beautiful young cheeses from France that has been made in some form or another since at least the 18th century. Due to the excessive laws of the FDA, it is only available in a pasturized version in the United States, but it is still a goregously delicious cheese. It gets creamier as it ages, but texturally can span from supple to silky. As the fairer skinned sister to Epoisses de Bourgogne, its very pungent washed rind kin, Langres' flavors are also strong and complex yet slightly more subtle, ranging from smoky to tangy to earthy all at once. It is a 6 ounce round with a concave top sold in a high sided wooden round. While the cheese and bubbles were excellent as a traditional pairing, complementing each other in a manner that generated a whole new wonderful flavor, it was when we poured some of the Mawby on top of the Langres that pairing took on a whole new dimension.

While this may seem gratuitous, the divot in the top of the cheese, as well as the cheese container's high sides, are traditionally designed for this combination, and once the two were combined, it produced decadent, wonderful flavor offspring. Sticky bubbles came frothing up from the cheese, and we knew we had created a whole new delectable treat. The earthiness of the cheese became muted, and a subtle fruitiness was suddenly apparent, not noticeable before either in the cheese or the bubbly. The cheese was suddenly creamier and more delicious than we could have imagine, and it was then we realized that we may have stumbled onto one of the best pairings ever.

-Nat

Weekend Pairing

This weekend we are doing different pairings at each location. At our Lakeview store we are pairing a new favorite cheese, Cana de Cabra with a fig almond spread and a lovely 2007 Lini Labrusca from Italy.

If you like Boucheron, you'll love this Spanish goat's milk cheese. Aged for about three weeks this cheese has a grassiness and slight citrus flavor. Delightful with the fig almond paste.

For those of you who have had Labrusca in the past: this is nothing like that Labrusca. Not as fizzy as a champagne, not as sweet as the Labruscas you've tried in the past. Tart and fizzy with cranberry notes this wine is a perfect pairing for cheese, and dinner.


At our Loop store we are pairing the 2003 Malveria from Piemonte, Italy with the Bourbon Chocolate Torta from Capriole in nearby Indiana. Judy turns her goat cheese into a delicious treat by adding chocolate, bourbon soaked currants, and pecans. This is a decadent taste sensation! Lucky for us (and you) Malveria loves chocolate! The light fizz, strawberry, and flowery notes help cleanse the palate and whet your appetite for more. More chocolate cheese! More Malveria!

-Agela

Cheese Cracking and Roquefort Update

Come join us this coming Sunday at our Lakeview store from 1pm until 2pm for a cheesy demo. The great people at Neal's Yard Dairy have hand-selected a wheel of Montgomery's Cheddar for us. On Sunday we will be cutting into the 50+ lb. raw cow's milk Cheddar. Stop by to try some of this big, intense, fruity, nutty, grassy and oh so delicious cheese for yourself!

The Roquefort issue has been all the buzz in the cheese world. There was an article in the LA Times yesterday that discusses the issue, and the extension that is in place. Check it out here. Not to fear though, both our Lakeview and Loop locations still have plenty of Roquefort on hand.

-Agela