Food With A Point

The other night I had a dinner party. As part of the appetizers, I wanted to serve roasted figs stuffed with Serrano ham and cheese. Following in the Spanish theme, I would have thought of something like Mahon for the cheese– but to be honest, I find Mahon rather boring. So I asked Raymond at the Fromagerie Atwater to guide me. Telling him that I was placing the figs under the broiler in order to crisp up the Serrano and to melt the cheese, he responded with: Murcia al vino.

This is a DOP ( Denominación de Origen Protegida or a regulated production according to strict guidelines, like DOC in Italy or AOC in France) 100% goat’s milk cheese from the Murciano-Granadina breed and made in Southeastern Spain. It is a firm but creamy cheese that melts beautifully. With a rich red/purple-hued exterior but with an off-white interior, this cheese gets its colours because the wheels are bathed in red wine. Taste-wise, it doesn’t have a strong flavour, it’s mild and soft, with a bit of acidity and a touch of salt but nothing overpowering and everything in balance. It is a perfect foil to the sweet of the figs and the salty of the Serrano.

Considering the overwhelming number of positive comments regarding the figs, I will certainly repurchase this cheese and reproduce this recipe as well as add to it my cheese platters. It also makes/made a very good Croque-Monsieur with Serrano.

And just in case your cheese monger isn’t fluent in Spanish, this cheese is also referred to as “The Drunken Goat”.