Parmigiano Reggiano At TT Liquor Review

Parmigiano Reggiano teamed up with TT Liquor for a unique press night dinner on 21 March. Sampling a variety of parmesan cheese of differing maturity, dishes featuring the differing ages of the cheeses and specially crafted cocktails to compliment or feature the cheese, we had a lovely time.

Now I’ve been to many cocktail and wine tasting events, but never to a cheese tasting. To taste cheese, you need to look to see if it is elastic or solid, break it close to your nose to smell the flavours, and finally taste. We sampled an 18, 24 and 36 month cheese. Due to its young age, the 18 month old cheese is crumbly and elastic making it the perfect accompaniment to fresh or dried fruits and nuts. It can be used with both street and upper market foods.

With the 24 month old cheese, you can smell and taste the fruity and buttery. Given it’s additional maturation, it is slightly darker in colour and has small white crystals which are a sign of good bacteria. It suits most Italian pasta dishes (shaved or grated), shaved over beef or fish, and the rind can be used in soups like minestrone. It’s clear to see why this particular cheese is the largest product on the market. In the 36 month old cheese the white crystals are more evident as they are whiter and bigger, resulting in the cheese being more grainy. It has hints of feta and nutmeg giving it a slightly salty and intense flavour. Cheese needs a minimum maturation of 12 months and Parmigiano Reggiano does up to 100 months maturation.

All of us were then given the opportunity to try our hand at making one specially made cocktail. The mixologists at TT Liquor had chosen a wet martini as it’s both classy and with lots of booze! We filled a Boston glass with ice cubes, added 2 shot glasses of gin which allows the botanical notes to shine through, 12.5ml of Vermouth and 5ml of Cornichon (pickle juice). It was stirred not shaken which allows for a stronger drink as there is limited oxygen in the drink. After pouring into a pre-cold martini glass, we were finally able to enjoy. It was served with olives, ham and you guessed it, parmesan. I know a number of us found a new way to enjoy a martini.

This drink was paired with our first dish of the evening. Using 18 month old Parmigiano Reggiano, well-known chef and food writer Luke Vandore-Mackay, made polenta chip poutine with crispy chicken skin and gravy. Although a touch salty, the dish was agreeable all around the table.

Next, was 24 month Parmigiano Reggiano and cauliflower veloute with parmesan and chilli crisps. This smooth and luscious thick soup was a great texture and I could easily have had more of this. The chip was made by putting some chilli and parmesan into the oven for a short time to crisp. A chilli twist on a margarita with salt flakes and parmesan on the rim, made a salty, tangy drink that enhanced the chilli flavours in the food.

The third dish was Scottish venison carpaccio with shaved 36 month old Parmigiano Reggiano, parmesan dressing and hazelnuts. It was prepared by flavouring venison loin with salt, pepper and butter before partially freezing it to enable it to be thinly sliced. Finely grated parmesan, balsamic vinegar and egg yolk were melted on the venison, with parmesan and hazelnuts dotted around.
It was paired with a twist on a Bloody Mary which was topped with 36 month Parmesan cheese. I’m not the biggest fan of Bloody Mary’s but the tomato, cucumber and cheese worked well and reminded me of a garden salad.

Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is today famous throughout the world, and prides itself on being the first and only Parmesan cheese. In Europe the title is protected but in other parts of the world the term parmesan is used for a variety of cheeses. Parmigiano Reggiano cheese has been made since 13th century and last year produced 3.8 million wheels of cheese. The environment, such as rivers, mountains or plains in the various parts of Italy it is produced, changes the taste of the cheese. Four breeds of cow produce the milk required to make the cheese. As such, the milk, environment and maturation age give us cheese lovers a universe of different types of cheese.

Overall, we had a delicious cheese filled evening. Parmigiano Reggiano is a beautiful cheese perfect to be served cold or hot, as a snack, starter or main. With different textures and tastes due to ageing process, there’s bound to be something for the whole family to enjoy.

Information about Parmigiano Reggiano

Website: https://www.parmigianoreggiano.com/default.aspx

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/pages/Parmigiana-Reggiano/236561572564

Twitter: @theonlyparmesan

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/theonlyparmesan/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/parmigianoreggiano

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ParmigianoReggianoIT

Information about TT Liquor

Address: TT Liquor, 17 Kingsland Road, Shoreditch, London, E2 8AA

Phone: 0203 131 5351

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://ttliquor.co.uk