I can’t take any credit for this simple and sublimely delicious cheese course: it’s been on the menu of San Francisco’s Zuni Cafe for most of my adult life. The rich, salty, nutty flavor of really good Parmigiano Reggiano cheese blends with just-sweet-enough, creamy dates in a way that makes you experience both of these relatively common foods in a new way. For a spring/summer accent, you can add a few leaves of peppery baby arugula dressed with a few drops of olive oil, but this really isn’t necessary. In winter, a sweet clementine or mandarine orange is also a nice addition.
This dish is nice to serve with cocktails, but I think this salty/sweet pairing works best when it’s served in the traditional sequence, after the main course and before dessert.
For best results, buy the best aged Parmigiano Reggiano you can find. If possible, have your chunk cut fresh from the wheel. I’ve found that, like many cheeses, good Parmesan suffers from being tightly wrapped in plastic for any length of time: it can sour the subtle aroma of the cheese, and its outer layer can develop an unpleasant waxy texture. (Generally cheese should be stored wrapped in parchment or wax paper, not plastic.) If, however, you need to buy shrink-wrapped parm (as I often do), you can usually trim away the damage caused by improper storage, revealing the softer, fragrant interior of the cheese.
To serve, I like to break the cheese into different types of pieces –shavings, chunks, crumbs– and combine them on the plate. I think each emphasizes a different dimension of the flavor of this complex cheese, but I acknowledge that I may be overthinking this.
For the dates, choose the plumpest, softest ones you can find. Medjool dates are often considered the gold standard here, but I also like the more caramel-like flavor of the somewhat drier Deglet Noor variety. If possible, try to avoid dates sold primarily for baking as they can be a little small, dry and beat-up for this purpose. Of course, cheese courses generally involve bread or crackers, but here I think they just get in the way. But, then, at our house, we all really love cheese.
