Cheese, Glorious Cheese! And Prosciutto

As we were standing behind the counter at Rob & Karen Lawler's cheese shop, The Truffle, one of the tour guests and I eyed the last beautiful piece of the pinkish prosciutto laying by itself on the stark white plate. I picked it up and handed it to my newest foodie friend. She was too kind and said, let's split it. It would have been rude of me to decline, so, like two school girls, we shared.

I offered, before we tasted this lonely piece of Italian cured ham, that we should close our eyes and then enjoy the salty flavors of what was to come. I wish I could repeat what she said because it cemented our food fodder friendship forever. Suffice it to say you need to go to The Truffle and buy the Prosciutto di Parma.

I would love to have in season cantaloupe to wrap the prosciutto around. I would probably also get some manchego cheese thinly sliced and wrap this yummy ham and cheese around some prawns and grill those as I enjoyed the sweetness of the melon and the saltiness of the ham - excuse me, I need to catch a flight to the southern hemisphere.

The selection of cheeses at The Truffle are fantastic as well. Rob and company do a great job of selecting interesting cheeses from not only Europe but in our own backyard. I loved the selection of cheeses we tasted from creamy brie's to stinky blues to wonderful goat cheeses.

Rob was amazing with the information he had to offer about his little stores treasures, infusing stories about how the cheeses were made, the people who make them and what makes them special.

The Truffle is a great cheese store with owners and employees who know what they are talking about, just ask them. They'll help you pair cheese with wine, dinner, dessert; they have the knowledge and more importantly, they have the Prosciutto!