Di Bruno Bros. House of Cheese
I've had a lot of Burrata in my day. Let's face it...I live one block from Eataly so I practically eat a creamy ball of cheese once a week. But I've never had a Burrata quite like this before.
Let me start at the beginning. I was invited to a fabulous cheese tasting last week led by Philadelphia's famed Di Bruno Bros. with wine pairings from Moore Brothers to celebrate the launch of their cookbook: Di Buno Bros. House of Cheese: A Guide to Wedges, Recipes and Pairings. This book is incredible. There is a ton of information along with photos so people like me can throw together a beer and cheese party and actually know what we're doing. The author Tenya Darlington (AKA Madame Fromage) and Emilio Mignucci (third generation owner of Di Bruno Bros.) were on hand and took us through the tasting which highlighted a cheese from each chapter of the book. The chapters are named for the type of cheeses such as Baby Faces for fresh unaged cheese and Vixens for those that are rich and decadent.
Let me start at the beginning. I was invited to a fabulous cheese tasting last week led by Philadelphia's famed Di Bruno Bros. with wine pairings from Moore Brothers to celebrate the launch of their cookbook: Di Buno Bros. House of Cheese: A Guide to Wedges, Recipes and Pairings. This book is incredible. There is a ton of information along with photos so people like me can throw together a beer and cheese party and actually know what we're doing. The author Tenya Darlington (AKA Madame Fromage) and Emilio Mignucci (third generation owner of Di Bruno Bros.) were on hand and took us through the tasting which highlighted a cheese from each chapter of the book. The chapters are named for the type of cheeses such as Baby Faces for fresh unaged cheese and Vixens for those that are rich and decadent.
The Little Owl event space was set up with "flavor wheels" to help us discover specific flavor elements. Our first pairing was Baby Face Burrata and Quiet Type Camembert Du Normandie with Chardonnay.
Look at how creamy this is...I've never met a burrata I didn't love and this one was exceptional.
The Camembert really surprised me. I loved how the buttery, nutty flavors paired with the oaky Chardonnay. This may have been my favorite pairing of the night. Onto the next Free Spirit Shellbark Sharp II and Vixen Delice De Bourgogne paired with Roero Arneis.
I enjoyed the sharp Shellbark goat cheese with strawberry preserves but I think the Delice De Bourgogne was the winner. Darlington called this "the world's best party cheese" and I think she's spot on. It was so creamy and decadent I really felt like I had been invited to the party of the year. Our next cheese was the Mountain Man Marcel Petit Comte with rustic salami.
Mignucci called this his "grandparents salami" and it was the perfect complement to toasted flavor of the cheese. The wine was absolutely incredible.
I really must pick up a bottle of this for myself some time soon. Onto the next two Rockstar Montgomery's Cheddar and Wise Guy Tuma Persa.
As with the name of this chapter the Cheddar was indeed the "rockstar" needing no accompaniment just incredible all on it's own. The Tuma Persa is also your typical "wiseguy". Created with a long dip in a white wine wash and then rubbed with black pepper, this cheese has a ton of strong personality that I was never really sure if I loved or hated. The next was also a Wise Guy Moliterno paired with a Dirty Martini.
This was a special addition to the menu since the Stinky Ardrahan didn't make the trip from Philly. The Dirty Martini was the perfect pairing to bring this rugged cheese to the "wiseguy" level. Last but certainly not least the Suger Mama L'Amuse Gouda and Pierced Punk Blue De Bufala.
These were the dessert cheeses of the night and I loved them both. The Gouda had a nice brown sugar flavor that I could see myself snacking on every day while the Blue had a surprising white chocolate taste that went just perfect with the dessert wine.
But let's get down to the real star of the show- this book!
As you can see from the tasting it's absolutely incredible. The passion for cheese Darlington and Mignucci exude in real life you can feel on each page of the book. It profiles over 170 of the world's best cheeses and also offers cheese-focused recipes, storage and pairing tips. This is an incredible resource for cheese lovers and party planners everywhere.
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