You see the picture. The headline is pretty direct. And yet, we feel the need to start out by saying: yes, that is a rum-infused cheese. It’s a thing that happened, but guess what? It’s delicious.
The idea comes courtesy of Rumen Dimitrov, the brains behind Toronto’s Rum Exchange. The man loves rum, entertaining, trying new things, and being slightly surprising, and all those qualities manifested in this little masterpiece.
“When I do something, I want to find a unique niche,” Dimitrov told us. When we asked how he did it, he told us: “It’s a secret. But not like Coca-Cola is a secret!” Then he told us what to do. Here you go:
You Will Need
One bottle of Brugal añejo
One wheel of crumbly yellow cheese, like Stilton
One very large serving plate with high sides
One auger, drill, or apple corer
Satay sticks or baking skewers
Directions
Place the wheel of cheese on the large serving plate. Clear a large space in your fridge; keep in mind, you need both a large shelf space for the plate but high clearance for the bottle. Measure twice.
Clear a hole in the centre of the cheese. Make sure it’s large enough to hold the bottle prior to moving on to the next step.
Now, puncture a hole in the top of the bottle of rum.
Turn the bottle upside-down and implant it in the cheese. Make sure it has a firm hold.
Using the satay sticks or skewers, make diagonal punctures in the cheese such that the rum will be able to escape the centre.
Allow the cheese at least eight hours, or up to a full day, outside the fridge so it can infuse at room temperature. Afterwards, refrigerate until you’re ready to entertain.
Place the cheese in the centre of the table, accompanied by toast, bread, or something else to scoop cheese.
Gorge.
