A marriage of wine and cheese

To go with our theme of pairings, I will post a couple events happening at respected restaurants and stores in and around New England.

 

T.W. Food

 

 

T.W. Food a restaurant in Cambridge, Massachusetts that is tucked away outside of Harvard Square in a residential neighborhood, is worth a visit.    The chef knows his food and farmers and he keeps the sources as local as possible.  The restaurant is fine dining at a fair price.  For this special pairing meal the cheeses are French, the wines are Italian and French, and many of the rest of the ingredients are local. (Note that the links to each cheese may not be the exact cheese that Chef Wiechmann will be serving, but it will tell you a little bit about the style and flavors of each cheese.)

A Marriage of Wine & Cheese
Four Course with Wine $49

On Tuesday April 7, T.W. Food Restaurant will do a special four-course Wine &
Cheese dinner, called a Marriage of Wine & Cheese. The menu will feature
hand selected cheeses with wines from Italy and France. According to Chef
Wiechmann, “A good cheese and wine pairing can be magic.”
❣
Amuse Bouche

Gratin of tuscan kale
with bleu cheese Fourme d’Ambert
or
Oeufs au Fromage
with a Normandie Livarot

American lamb leg
shaved with local potato salad, Pyrénées cheese
Ossau-Iraty and black cherry compote
or
Gnocchi Parisienne
gratin with fennel, celery and carrot, cave-aged
French Comté
or
Farm Beef
Painted Hills Farm, roulade with potato gratin,
sauce with Burgundy cheese Epoisses

Cheese
first spring vermont greens, Loire Valley goat
cheese Bucheron

Tiramisu
Vermont Mascarpone, espresso, ladyfingers

T.W. Food is located at  377 Walden Street, Cambridge.

 For reservations call
617 864-4745

Wine and cheese pairings

 

 

How can one conceive of a one party system in a country that has over 200 varieties of cheese. Charles DeGaulle

 

 

When I think about pairings, the first thing that comes to mind are wine and cheese pairings.  I know cheeses quite well.  Having lived in France, Canada, England, and now the US, I have tasted a great variety of both mass produced and artisanal cheeses (even before they had such a fancy title).  

Characteristics of cheese come from so many aspects of the cheese:  the animal’s environment and diet, the type of milk, the process of cheese making and of course the aging or lack thereof of the cheese.  If you don’t know cheeses very well begin by going to a local cheese shop or a larger grocery chain such as Whole Foods which has a large cheese selection and well-informed staff.  Ask to sample cheeses made with different milks.  As you taste let the person behind the counter know what you like and they will guide you.

As for wines, their characteristics are regional among many other things.  To learn about wine casually, visit some local liquor or wine stores or boutique foodie shops and participate in their wine tastings.  Many stores offer free wine tastings.  You can go online or stop in to your local shop and ask about their upcoming tasting events. 

Cheers.  Let’s eat.