Week 20 - Gino's/Lepzig Tavern cheese plate

Hey all, sorry for my prolonged absence, first my mom was in town, and after I just hadn't been in the mood to get any writing done. But here I am like Whoopi Goldberg in Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (have I already used that joke here before?). Anyway, cheese nights are happening faster can I can crank these out, so let’s just get right into it.

A few weekends ago a friend and I, already a few cocktails deep*, went to Lepzig Tavern for some grub. When we saw that they offer a cheese plate, without question the decision was made. Most of the evening is pretty hazy, (did I mention my pre-drankin game is strong?) but fortunately I had the wherewithal to write the different cheeses down (or at least close approximations, that you Google for figuring out what I meant). Unfortunately, I didn’t take any pictures of the cheese plate, and neither has anyone else on Yelp. Thanks for nothing Yelpers.

Brigante: Brigante is a semi-soft, sheep’s milk cheese, aged for 20-30 days, that hails from the island of Sardinia, Italy. Brigante is Italy’s most popular ‘table’ sheep’s milk cheese, with its buttery, smooth, and mild flavor. Story has it that ancient shepherds used to make Brigante by pressing the cheese curds into woven baskets. Today, Fratelli

Pinna, who has been manufacturing Brigante since the 1960’s, uses basket weave molds to achieve that effect. The rind has a natural coating which protects against mold, letting the cheese mature. This cheese pairs well with fruit, or melted on a baguette, and is complimented with an equally mind wine.

Taleggio: Taleggio is a semi-soft, cow’s milk cheese, aged for 6-10 weeks, from the Val Taleggio region of Italy. There is evidence in writings that this cheese dates back to Roman times, however, the first real documentation of this cheese dates back to the 1200’s. Production of this cheese takes place from autumn to winter, either aging on wood selves, or the traditional cave aging. It’s a washed-rind cheese, washed weekly in seawater to accommodate a bacteria Brevibacterium that

produces a firm, flavorful rind (also giving the cheese a pungent smell) and gives the rind a reddish-orange color. As the cheese ages the rind may also develop a thin layer of white and grey mold. This cheese was our favorite of the night, the salt flavor from the rind, mixed with the meaty flavor of the cheese was a great flavor combination, and great to pair with a hard cracker.

Fresco Verde: This is one of those cheeses where there just isn’t a lot of information for me to

research on. It’s a sheep’s milk cheese (although sometimes it will be made with a portion of cow’s milk), aged for a short duration, and is pickled in virgin olive oil and herbs. The cheese has a creamy consistency, with a mild hint of herb flavor.

Hopefully this holds you over for a moment, I do have another post from a cheese night with my mom that I will be getting out in due time!

*For anyone concerned about any of the times I talk about being out on the town and getting crunk, just know that A. on this occasion I was not driving, and B. Uber and I are tight. Being a safe driver is sexy.