Missed Saturday’s Cheese-101 class at COOK? Well, here are the “deets” on how you can recreate the 10-cheese tasting in your own home.

This past Saturday, Di Bruno Bros.’ Emilio Mignucci was joined by cheese blogger and now author, Tenaya Darlington (AKA Madame Fromage), for an exceptional tutorial in cheese tasting and pairing. Emilio and Tenaya, who wrote the new Di Bruno’s textbook on cheese, “Di Bruno Bros. House of Cheese: A Guide to Wedges, Recipes, and Pairings“, have been out promoting the amazing cheese tome and doing special tastings across the region.

The book provides a peek behind Philadelphia’s largest and oldest cheese counter for a lively guide to pairing cheese with everything from beer and cocktails to olives and charcuterie. In the book, Tenaya brings to life 170 of the world’s greatest artisan cheeses, drawing on stories and knowledge from the store’s third-generation owners (like Emilio). Cheeses in the book are broken down into personalities (eg Vixen, Free Spirit, etc) as you’ll see from the list below.

Their class at COOK featured 10 cheeses and 5 wines. The ten cheeses were served in pairs -so #1 with #2, #3 with #4 and so on – and 1 wine for every 2 cheeses. Emilio and Tenaya moved from fresh to aged, from international to local, and introduced the cheese pupils to a classic example from each personality.

The cheeses on the syllabus (see below) represent different animal milks as well as pasteurized vs. raw. Each cheese also has a unique story.  Along the way, Emilio and Tenaya offered advice on pairings, explained rind styles, and described how to observe signs of ripeness. Their cheese lexicon, on page 139 of the book, is great for beginners in putting names to flavors.

Below is a list of the 10 cheeses (and accompaniments) Emilio and Tenaya selected for their beginner lesson in cheese tasting. So run to Di Brunos, buy a copy of the book, grab a small hunk of each and invite some friends over for a cheese tasting that is bound to contain something for everyone!

June 22, 2013: COOK Cheese-101 Class

1. Baby Face (fresh): Burrata Handmade Fresh Mozzarella + a Dollop of Whipped Curd = This little slice of heaven. Olive oil drizzle & sea salt.
2. Vixen (ultra creamy): Delice de Bourgogne (& Amarena cherries) The ambrosia of cheese, celestial in its decadence.
3. Quiet Type (subtle): Camembert du Normandie (& walnuts and apricots) Nothing says Normandy like Camembert and Dried Fruits
4. Free Spirit (goat): Shellbark Sharp II A spunky, unusually sharp chevre made just outside Philly. Young & tangy, bright flavor. Strawberry/Rhubarb preserves
5. Mountain Man (burly): Marcel Petit Comte Easy like Sunday morning, in that it tastes like a soul-satisfying buttered biscuit. Rustic salami.
6. Stinker (whiffy): Ardrahan (& onion jam) Like you feel after the gym: more powerful than your appearance and stinky as all get-out.
7. Rockstar (revered): Montgomery’s Cheddar AKA THE Cheddar.  That is all.
8. Wise Guy (old school): TumaPersa (& truffle honey).  Like all Sicilians: stubborn, bold and soaked in wine.
9. Sugar Mama (sweet): L’Amuse Gouda (& honey roasted pecans) The flag bearer for this often underestimated family of cheese.
10. Pierced Punk (blue): Blue de Bufala (& dark chocolate figs) A resounding statement for the use of Buffalo milk in something other than Mozzarella