Food and wine. Red wine and cheese. Coffee and cake. But does it always have to be this way?
We decided to put cheese and coffee to the test. BARistaBARBAR asked London’s finest cheese merchant, La Fromagerie, to give their suggestions for the cheese to accompany a good espresso.
What they came up was one of the cheese world’s best kept secrets: the Sottocenere. The results are simply amazing. Sottocenere is a compact flaky textured cow's milk cheese with flakes of truffle which are mixed into the paste before it is placed into moulds. It is left to ripen a little then undergoes a brine wash and then dried a little. In a final step, the cheese is rubbed in olive oil and then rolled in an array of spices including cinnamon, and truffle essence. Fine ash cinders are then pressed onto the cheese to help retain all the aromatic characteristics. This cheese works wonderfully on the palate with a good espresso.
Another combination well worth a try is the Spanish specialty cheese Manchego which can be enjoyed with the duo of Quince Paste and black coffee.
La Fromagerie Marlybone Shop 2-6 Moxon Street Marylebone London W1U 4EW
