Pepato Toscano Partied Too

[Brie]

This was an interesting cheese that I tried from Ricki Carrol's site. It is layered with Roasted black peppercorns and chipotle chile. I aged it for 4 months and it was quite like a Romano--hard rind and quite sharp. Many loved it--a taste to be aquired, as far as I'm concerned.

[DeejayDebi]

Looks very interesting. Was it bitter?

[Brie]

No, not bitter--I didn't know what to expect. Will have to taste again and it was shuffled in all the other cheese in the tasting. I don't know what I was looking for here--a softer cheese with spice or a Romano type with spice--seems I achieved the Romano type, and not so sure it works with spiciness for grating. Again, have to get my palate back on course to taste again.

[DeejayDebi]

Sometime the cheese must stand alone ...

[Sailor Con Queso]

Sometime the cheese must stand alone ...

I agree. Sometimes a cheese is wonderful if it's not sampled with a dozen other cheeses. Flavor overload. That's why when wine tasting, you always start off with the mild, sweet whites before progressing to the heavy reds.

[iratherfly]

I must agree too. Beautiful looking cheese.
I am afraid though that perhaps Mexican peppers may not work in this Italian cheese... It's not just a matter of regionalism and flavor... I suspect that the essential oils of Chipotle can break down and go rancid under the cheese' enzymes' activity. Black pepper or truffles are much more durable for this purpose. Flavor-wise, I think that if you want to pair it with any Mexican chili, perhaps Ancho chili would work best for its sweetness and deep hearty flavor