Day 55'ish - Cheese and Wine

This is a bit of recap from my weekend indulgence. It all started so innocently. A trip to one of my old haunts, Central Market. The cheesemonger and I have been acquaintances for nearly 5 years or more. Virginia's face brightens when she sees me... It's been awhile and I feared she may have forgotten me. Instead she quickly comments that I am looking great!? eep.

Instead of the normal four or twelve artisanal cheeses, I carefully choose three. Montenebro, a creamy goat from Spain. Capri, a blue ash covered goat and a aged Grand Cru Pecorino from Italy. Yeah... this is getting good. Not to be outdone, I also snagged a few slices of Serano ham from the deli. A nice ciabatta bread and an Italian red wine. Done! The evening is set.

After settling in at home, we created our indulgence plates. I added a bit of fig spread to balance and we were off! Flavours? Hellz yes. I thought my eyes would roll back in my head. Okay, they sorta did, but I recovered. But, wow the darn ham was salty? Yikes. I don't remember that. Cheese and bread was unbelievable. I loved it. The wine didn't seem to have the same finish as pre-PCP, but it was still worth it. However, by the time I finished my plate, I was very full. Even though my stomach was full of rich foods, I swear I could hear my body screaming for more fats and carbs as an instant craving. I didn't get any more cheese, but I did sneak one more slice of bread with just a sprinkle of olive oil, salt and pepper as a final bite and another half glass of wine. My tummy and palate were sated.

Ummm. What happened next I am not all that clear about. I had picked up a copy a new magazine "Cheese Connoisseur" and was settled in to read some of the articles including creameries in Vermont and the making of Comte' from France. Then, sleep hit. And, I mean the crawl towards the bed and put a blanket over me while I drool sleep. I was near comatose until morning. Talk about an early evening. A bit of cheese and wine and I was out! Craved water in the morning and felt sluggish all the following day. My legs seriously felt like I had ankle weights on during jumps. It took a good 3-4 hours after waking up to feel like a normal person with some kind of personality. Before that, guttural vowel sounds were my main form of communication.

I loved the indulgence, flavors were great and near explosive. Salt was a problem, and I felt it the next day. Even my ring finger was swollen. Wine, I think was okay, but it sure cut short the evening. I can't see me giving up cheese forever, but I think I can work in a future indulgence now and again. Hopefully Virginia and Central Market will survive with my limited visits.