Taller Spanish Food in the 21st Century: Cheese & Sherry wine

Spanish cheeses have evolved massively since the first cheese catalogue publications of the 70's where only 36 cheeses where listed. Our cheeses are simultaneously traditional and modern and in a lot of cases due to their whimsical shapes need to be seen in one piece (this is the case of Tronchon, Tetilla or Mahon). We will analyze the historic impact of esparto grass and its millenary culture in Spain, where it is so abundant, and cheese making.

In this session we will taste well-known cheeses such as raw milk Manchego and less well-known ones like Torta del Casar, which is set using a thistle rennet possibly developed by Spanish Jews looking for a kosher cheese. We will examine sayings like “uvas con queso saben a beso” (grapes with cheese taste like a kiss) and others ase "dársela con queso" (give it with cheese) and its meaning.

We will teach you to prepare a Spanish cheese board with the best accompaniments like Marcona almonds, olives, quince paste, fresh fruits, charcuteries and jams and look at some other "not for the faint-hearted" pairings like anchovies and Cabrales blue cheese. We will transport you to trendy Madrid restaurants where pairings with flavored and smoked olive oils are all the rage and taste some DIY accompaniments like piquillo pepper jam, corn nut brittle and saffron and pear compote.

The tasting will include the pairing of some of the products with Sherry wine.

Blanca Valencia was born in Spain and raised in Latin America. She has a Grand Diplome from Le Cordon Bleu (London). Among other places, she has developed her professional career in Books for Cooks (London), El Bulli Hotel (Seville), El Alambique cooking school (Madrid) and has worked with iconic Spanish food brands through her work for a specialty food importer (Chicago). Her classes combine cooking, history, economics and pop culture.