Say Cheese!

Despite the fact that there are more than 400 different types of cheese produced in Italy, we limited our usage to three. But as two of the three were cheeses we’d not tried before we were pretty pleased with our selection and thought you’d like to know more about them.

For the Antipasto, we chose CRUCOLO, an artisanal cheese made from cow's milk. There’s only one producer of this cheese and that’s the Rifugio Crucolo, located near the Val Campelle in Trentino (northern Italy).

The Crucolo is matured for at least two months. It’s an ivory-tannish color, chocked full of irregular holes. The flavor is likened to a creamy version of Parmigiano Reggiano, both buttery and mild but with a nice tangy finish. It’s a great snacky cheese and can be served with either sweet (grapes or figs) or salty (olives and salami).

For the Lobster Ravioli, we were seduced by a taste of a smoked FIORE SARDO, or as its more commonly known, Pecorino Sardo (“pecorino” means “of sheep or relating to sheep”). It’s a firm cheese makes from a breed of ewe native to the Italian island of Sardinia.

The taste is a balance of salty and sweet to begin with, but the smoked version adds a whole other depth to it. We had it grated because it’s best to take in small to moderate amounts so that it doesn’t overpower what you serve it with.

We found that the lobster could hold its own though (and they made a really nice couple).

For the salad, we went with a PARMIGIANO REGGIANO, a pretty well known cow’s milk cheese. We served it as large shavings so that it would add a pop to the salad. It’s got a nice salty tang to it which went really well with the sweeter elements like the fig vinaigrette.

We found the Crucolo and Fiore Sardo at The Southern Season in Chapel Hill and picked up the Parmigiano Reggiano at the Whole Foods in Durham, NC, both of which have really wonderful cheese selections.

We definitely encourage you to explore new cheese options when you put together a meal because the results can be spectacular.