Cheese tasting at Quince
Oh, cheese, how I love you so! I was so excited to discover Madame Fromage, a Philadelphian blogging all about cheese, and I was thrilled when she said she would be organizing monthly cheese tastings at Quince Fine Foods in Northern Liberties.
I find cheese tastings delightful. An expert takes the time to select a menu of cheeses that will work together, pairs them with spreads and accoutrements to enhance your experience, and hopefully, introduces you to something you may never have discovered on your own. In short, a cheese tasting is all the things you’re looking for in a dining experience, at a fraction of the cost. Plus, if you find something you like, it’s so much easier to recreate at home!
The November tasting featured Caña de Cabra, Brillat-Savarin and Valdéon.
The Caña de Cabra is a semi-soft goat’s cheese, with a chevre-esque crumbliness in the center, and a gooey, soft ring around the rind. At the tasting, it was served warm, topped with honey and toasted pine nuts. It’s a mild, fresh-tasting cheese, and a nice introduction for someone who may have been shying away from soft cheeses.
The Brillat-Savarin is a triple-crème brie (which basically means the closest cheese to butter allowed by law. Mmm!) The ladies of Quince paired it with Marcona almonds (so different from regular almonds! Pick some up at Trader Joe’s the next time you’re there.) and dried apricots. The salty nuts were a great complement to the sweet, buttery brie.
The tasting ended with Valdéon, a very mild Spanish blue (at least, in my opinion — Internet opinions vary) served with a fig cake and sherry. This seemed like a great “gateway” cheese for a cheese fan who might be scared of blues. I hadn’t had this cheese before, and I’ll definitely be picking some up in the future.
All the cheeses were very accessible, so don’t worry if you aren’t a cheese expert already. Tenaya (Madame Fromage herself!) gave great rundowns of all the cheeses during the tasting, and both she and the women from Quince wandered around, answering questions. They are clearly cheese lovers on a mission to spread the good word of fine cheeses.
Madame Fromage’s next tasting is $12, and it’s scheduled for this Saturday, December 19th, at 4pm. To join her, RSVP via email to quince@quincefinefoods.com.
Quince Fine Foods
209 W. Girard Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19123
215.232.3425
