FOOD AND DRINK

Meat. Cheese. Repeat.

TAMPA Magazine February-March 2018

By Derek Herscovici

The omnipresent cheese platter has remained a fixture at holiday parties, urbane social gatherings and haphazard wine nights for years - centuries, to be specific. At the height of the French aristocracy, chefs who maintained the royal food perfected the art of charcuterie by preserving and preparing various meat and cheese platters for the royal court.

To slice what separates a midnight snack from a party centerpiece, we talked to Jessica Wallerstein, an American Cheese Society certified cheese professional and specialty team leader at Whole Foods, about the dos (pick what you like) and don’ts (overload on crackers) to turn your ordinary platter into a spread fit for a king.

• The key to any good pairing is contrasting or complementary flavors and textures. "Meat and cheese work well together because they share a lot of the same traits," Wallerstein says. "Typically they have a lot of fatty and salty compounds, and they're foods that we're naturally drawn to because they're so full of flavor. They also have contrasting textures. Some of the softer, gooier cheeses pair with harder, firmer salamis, for example."

• Arrange everything around the "starring" meat or cheese. Crackers and grains can complement meats and cheeses, but too much can dominate the flavor.

• To truly enjoy the cheese, be sure to leave it out at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour before serving. As the cheese warms up, the flavor compounds start to come out. "You won't really get the full potential of the cheese unless it's sitting at room temperature," Wallerstein says. "Different cheeses react to heat differently. That's what's really cool about cheese-making: it's an art and a science."

• Consult your local cheesemongers for unique flavors and combinations, but it's easy to keep it simple. "Pick cheese that you really like, focus on three to five good, quality cheeses and everything else will work out for you," Wallerstein says.

Create Your Own Charcuterie Board

1. FRESH GOAT CHEESE WITH LAVENDER AND FENNEL+ FENNEL-INFUSED SALAMI The soft, creamy goat cheese has a cool fruit tinge to it against the harder, spicier salami. Texturally contrasting, they share a complementary ingredient in fennel. "I think fresh goat cheese is really underrated," Wallerstein says. "It's so versatile and so delicious."

2. PARMIGIANO-REGGIANO + PROSCIUTTO "One of the things that we like to say is, 'if it grows together, it goes together,"' Wallerstein says. "They're both classic Italian staples. The prosciutto has a sweet nuttiness that draws out the nutty and fruity flavors of the Parmesan. It's a classic pairing."

3. MILD, CREAMY GOUDA + SPICY SALAMI "That soft, creamy, buttery note in the gouda plays down the spiciness in the salami, so it's a good way to get that heat and also cool your palate down."

4. JASPER HILL FARMS HARBISON + MILD, HARD SALAMI "The Harbison, made by the sellers at Jasper Hill in Vermont, is a really unique cheese. It's a brie-style cheese that's wrapped in spruce bark, then aged, which imparts a nice kind of woodsy, briny flavor to it. It's so creamy and gooey that you can literally just dip your cracker right into it. That's why I chose a harder, milder salami for that one."

5. ENGLISH CHEDDAR TRUFFLE SALAMI Earthier and aged to a full-bodied flavor, the English cheddar leans to the crumblier side and pairs well with the equally funky !ruffled salami. "It's got an herbaceous note that goes with the tanginess of the cheddar," Wallerstein says.

6. ACCOUTREMENTS Jennifer's Homemade breadsticks; Castelvetrano olives; caramelized walnuts; Whole Foods baguette. "Whenever I'm building a cheese board, I like to think of it as a painting: different sizes and shapes and colors and movement on the platter. But always think 'Less can be more.'”

FORKS IN THE ROAD

TAMPA Magazine February — March 2018

Appetite for adventure or adventurous appetite? Satisfy both with these one-hour dining detours just north, south, east and west of Tampa.

WEST — CASTILE RESTAURANT + LOUNGE

3701 Gulf Blvd. St. Pete Beach

Powdery sand, gentle tides and a mellow breeze wafting through the palm trees - it's hard to find a better place to watch the sunset than the town of St. Pete Beach. Gulf Boulevard stretches the entire length of Pinellas County's western shore, but its southern terminus at Pass-A-Grille Beach offers some of the best twilight views around, with no bustle or traffic to get in the way. Beachside public parking is available all day long and is only a short walk from shuffleboard courts, a dog beach and the Gulf Beaches Historical Museum (115 10th Ave., St. Pete Beach, 33706), housed in a church built in 1917. For a bite with a view, though, nothing beats the Castile Restaurant & Lounge in the Hotel Zamora, featuring a blend of Latin and Mediterranean cuisine like Tuna Ceviche and Smoked Bacon Monkfish. The sunset view from the restaurant's 360° Rooftop bar is one of the best-kept secrets in town.

NORTH — HELLAS RESTAURANT & BAKERY 785 Dodecanese Blvd., Tarpon Springs

When sponges were found to grow naturally on the bottom of the lagoons branching off Tampa Bay in the late 1880s, an influx of Greek immigrants made their way to Tarpon Springs to work as sponge divers. As the largest Greek community in the U.S., Tarpon Springs' spongediving history still influences the town. At Spongeorama's Sponge Factory & Museum (510 Dodecanese Blvd., 34689) guests can learn all about the boom, bust and rebirth of the local sponge industry, experience the vibrant dock culture, and shop for natural sea sponges harvested from the area. As the town grew and the industry proved increasingly lucrative, the Greek population swelled, bringing with it all the flavors of the old Mediterranean. Hellas Restaurant & Bakery has been synonymous with Tarpon Springs since it first opened in 1970, with its dishes becoming calling cards - lush salads, authentic family recipes and visually stunning dishes like the flaming cheese dish saganaki.

EAST — FRESCOS 132 S. Kentucky Ave., Lakeland

Lakeland might not jump off the map as a vacation destination, but this inland paradise offers a beguiling mix of history and entertainment that seems out of place in an area surrounded by swamps and cow pastures. A former railroad town that "boomed" in the years following the Spanish-American War, Lakeland has modernized while keeping the small-town spirit alive. An abundance of parks and walkable lakes around downtown make for an easy, breezy walk to the Explorations V Children's Museum (109 N. Kentucky Ave., 33801) or the Polk Museum of Art (88 E. Palmetto St., 33801) while historic Main Street runs past Munn Park into Lake Mirror, home to Lakeland's famous swan population. At the end of the day unwind with a craft cocktail at Frescos, where the menu emphasizes Florida-grown proteins (Fort McCoy grass-fed beef) and old Southern favorites (Carolina boiled peanuts and shrimp).

SOUTH — SHORE ST. ARMAND’S CIRCLE 465 John Ringling Blvd. #200, Sarasota

St. Armand’s Circle has stayed something of a hidden gem since its inception, but only for those who've never been. An open-air shopping district around an enormous roundabout just blocks from the beach, upscale boutiques and eateries rub shoulders with the family-friendly and one-of-a-kind. Over 130 shops and restaurants occupy the neighborhood first developed by circus magnate John Ringling in the early 20th century, and a selection of Ringling's world-famous art collection comprises the St. Armand’s Statue Walk. To view the rest of Ringling's massive collection, just head north on the Tamiami Trail to the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art (5401 Bay Shore Road, 34243), a campus of enormous banyan trees, vintage circus museums and 31 separate galleries of art from antiquity to the modern era. Start, or finish your gallery perusing with Shore - part fashion boutique, part all-day culinary experience -located in the heart of St. Armand’s.

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