Cheeses

For a very long time, my favorite cheese was of the American variety. It was what I grew up with -- and to be honest -- perfect for grilled cheese sandwiches. Then, as a snack on my first inter-continental flight, I got to try a bit of Camembert, and the rest is history. So, follow along with me fellow cheese-lovers! I am not the most eloquent food writer, but I promise not to shy away from the moldy or the stinky and to share everything I learn along the way.

I am beginning to realize that I need to start tasting a few different aged cheeses together at one time, because I find it difficult to pick out the subtle differences between them when I taste them days or weeks apart. This Balsalmic Bellavitano tasted to me kind of like Parmesan and also kind of like a Gruyere. However, this cheese was unique because the balsamic made it tangy and pleasantly sweet. We ended up eating it on its own, but I found myself wishing that we had some crusty bread and a bottle of pinot noir to pair it with! Although that might just be my fondness for bread and wine peeking through rather than the features of this particular cheese...

The description on the Sartori website says:

"An absorbing Sartori discovery: The sweet, nutty, fruity flavors of our most-sought-after BellaVitano become even more desirable when blessed with a few prized drops of Modena balsamic vinegar. By gently bathing BellaVitano Gold in balsamic, cheesemaker Mike Matucheski has given it a sweet coating that burnishes the legend of BellaVitano with yet another honor from the World Cheese Awards."

ali mcmurtrie

ali mcmurtrie

Cheeses

ali mcmurtrie

A sporadic list of cheeses I have tried and enjoyed. Having no expert knowledge on this subject, the below are simply my observations!

#15 - Sartori Balsalmic Bellavitano

ali mcmurtrie