Tag: cheese pairings

  • Burrata: Bathing Beauty of the Cheese World

    Burrata: Bathing Beauty of the Cheese World

    Luscious, voluptuous, silky, oozy, creamy butteriness. If you aren’t already turned on to Burrata, you should be. Hailing from the region of Puglia, Italy, this gorgeous little cheese’s name means “butter.”[i] Burrata is a member of the pasta filata family of cheeses: those stretched-curd cheeses related to Mozzarella, Oaxaca, and Provolone. Yet in a twist,…

  • How to Pair Cheese & Chocolate for Valentine’s Day (or Any Day)

    How to Pair Cheese & Chocolate for Valentine’s Day (or Any Day)

    Cheese and chocolate pairings don’t always work. But when they do, the combination can be magical. I will admit that I haven’t always been a fan of putting cheese and chocolate together (in fact, I have admitted it before). But here I am, a person who co-teaches cheese and chocolate pairing classes at Theo Chocolate…

  • 8 Weeks of Celebration Cheeses: Week 8

    8 Weeks of Celebration Cheeses: Week 8

    We have made it to the end of my “8 Weeks of Celebration Cheeses” series—and subsequently to the end of 2018. If, like me, you are scratching your head and wondering where the time went, just know that it tends to fly when you are having fun—as you should be when cheese is a part…

  • The Truth About Pairing Cheese and Fruit

    The Truth About Pairing Cheese and Fruit

    One of the most common questions cheesemongers get from customers is a varietal of “what fruit goes with this cheese” or “what cheese goes with the [insert fruit here] that I just picked up?” A lot of people are only imagining fruit when they ask you for a good pairing for a certain cheese. Why,…

  • Up Your Dinner Game with These Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

    Up Your Dinner Game with These Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

    It’s not just decorative gourd season, it’s melty cheese season. And boy, is it ever. Last week, I extolled the merits of Switzerland’s tiniest mountain cheese, the mighty-smelling Tête de Moine. He’s just one of many cheeses waiting to grace your table in liquefied form with drippy deliciousness. There’s also Raclette, Morbier, Emmental, Gruyere, Comte,…

  • What Happens at Cheese Camp Doesn’t Stay at Cheese Camp

    What Happens at Cheese Camp Doesn’t Stay at Cheese Camp

    Yeah, I went there—with the bad “what happens at _______ stays at ________” reference in the title AND to cheese camp. You’re welcome.   [metaslider id=890]   So I went to Cheese Camp last week. And if you are wondering what that means, sit tight; I’m about to tell you all about it. For the…

  • Cookie Butter: A Sweet Pairing for Spring

    Cookie Butter: A Sweet Pairing for Spring

    A few weeks ago, I was kneeling on the floor, stocking 22-pound wheels of gouda into the depths of my knee-knocker cold case. Suddenly, a voice from somewhere above and behind me said, “Excuse me.” I peered upward, and there was nobody. It turns out, the voice came from around the corner of an aisle,…

  • Seven Pairings for Lovers and Friends

    Seven Pairings for Lovers and Friends

    Roses are Red, Violets are Blue, I am crazy about cheese, And I guess I love you, too.   Today is Valentine’s Day. Or, as you prefer it, Galentine’s Day or whatever. It’s kind of a last-minute holiday for many people. (Which is totally fine—it’s going to be OK, all right?) Regardless of what or…

  • Three Reasons Why Pepper Pairings are the Hottest

    Three Reasons Why Pepper Pairings are the Hottest

    Make no mistake: when I’m talking about “pepper pairings,” I mean hot peppers, chile peppers, spicy peppers! Whatever format they take, pairings involving hot pepper things are among my favorites. That’s not just because I live for food that makes my whole mouth go numb (although I’m not going to say I don’t enjoy foods…

  • Seven Spreads to Smear on Cheese

    Seven Spreads to Smear on Cheese

    Cheese is good by itself. Let’s face it: cheese is great by itself. I don’t even use a cracker or other edible cheese vehicle half the time; I just eat naked, tasty cheese. That’s the best way to really taste a cheese and isolate its notes from those of anything created by pairing the cheese…

  • Four Ways to Appreciate the Blues

    Four Ways to Appreciate the Blues

    Featured image from Jasper Hill Farm. Try everything; try it once. If you don’t like that thing, put something else in your mouth to erase the flavor, and then you never have to try that thing again. You can at least say you tried it. That’s my personal food motto. Don’t tell me you’re one…