[Photographs: Kathy YL Chan]

Monday officially kicked off a week-long celebration of chocolate called Chocolate and I, and Sugar Rush correspondent Kathy and I stopped in for the very first event: a chocolate and cheese pairing workshop with Roni-Sue and Saxelby Cheesemongers. The Essex Market neighbors have been teaming up as of late to explore the ways in which their respective fermented goods can converse, and their side-by-side shops make it easy to replicate the super tasty results (which we might just have to do sometime soon ourselves).

Our pairings went from mild to strong, as with wine, so we started with a Brebis Blanche cheese from Three Corner Field Farm, which Roni-Sue paired with her upcoming Valentine's Day exclusive, Roni's Red Rose. The former was a fresh sheep's milk cheese which was really unusual and intriguing; Anne Saxelby told us that it takes as little as five days from the time that the sheep are milked to the time that their cheese reaches our plates, which means that the mildly tangy, light, and grassy flavors are pretty much as farm-fresh as possible. The rose truffle could have easily been overwhelmed by the pairing, but there were good points of comparison and contrast, letting the floral aromatics and bittersweet chocolate (Roni used 53% cacao) both jump out with plenty of clarity.

Next up, we tried a soft, bloomy cheese called Constant Bliss from Jasper Hill farm in Vermont, made with pasteurized cows milk. Roni one-upped Anne with a pecan pie truffle that wasn't filled with ganache but with what she called "perzipan," much like marzipan but made from ground apricot kernel instead of almond paste. The result is more fruity and light, but with a similar texture to its distant cousin. Also in the truffle: molasses and Mountain Creek Bourbon. This pairing was nearly a direct translation of mediums: the cheese and chocolate were both nutty with a shell-like skin, and the comparison of both texture and taste made for a really compelling side-by-side.

Last up, the "Love Hurts" pairing: Spring Brook Tarentaise cheese with Roni's Down the Hatch chili truffle. To create the truffle, Roni makes a crunchy toffee base and pours it over a layer of dehydrated Hatch chilis from New Mexico. All this is covered with dark chocolate and rolled in cocoa nibs and sea salt for a really distinct but controlled heat. The semi-firm Gruyere-style cheese tempers the heat, but has a bit of spice on its own—much more subtle and mysterious, but still plenty present.

The pairings were really eye-opening; I love both chocolate and cheese, but wouldn't normally go back and forth from one to the other. If this is an indication of the Chocolate and I events to follow this week, I'm excited—make sure to check the full schedule here (including plenty of free tastings, too!).