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CHEESE PLEASE AND DRIZZLE WITH HONEY

If you are a cheese lover, then make a bee line to Montage Laguana Beach in Southern California for the cheese and honey pairing.

Public relations and marketing manager Lauren Crowley  and I met up with Jason Truckenmiller, the resort’s Maitre Fromanger. 

The young chef is passionate and extremely well versed on the subject of cheeses – they offer more than 100 different varieties from around the world - plus he pairs them expertly with the 80 or so different honeys.  The cheeses, he says, cover the gamut - from mild to medium, strong, stinky and blue.

All cheese plates here are made-to-order and customized.  And, the general rule with cheese and wine pairings, says the Maitre Fromage, is to match intensity of flavours.  For instance, Truckenmiller points out that one of the most delicate and revered honeys in the world is Acacia Honey which has a blossom season of just two to three weeks. “It has a light delicate flavour that lends itself perfectly to a light brie.” 

As with wine, the colour of honey denotes intensity of flavour.  And, the darker the honey the higher it is in antioxidants. I tasted a Desert Wildflower Honey that looked like motor oil. 

The “best cheddar,” says Truckenmillar, is the Isle of Mull Cheddar from Scotland.  He says the cows that give the milk to make this cheddar are fed the sweet, mashed grains left over in the making of Scotch.  One could call them “happy cows.”

Truckenmiller tells me the most popular cheese and honey pairing at The Loft is aged Gouda drizzled with Lavendar Caramel Honey.  I tried it and the word “ambrosial” leaps to mind.  No question why it’s the most popular. I’d return to Montage Laguna Beach simply for another taste.