DELI BUSINESS

CHEESE CORNER
critically, he’d managed to “get some
crunch in there.”
Reilly’s foray into textural balance was
the most eye opening for me. After making
a nacho “chip” out of dried and puffed
cheese, he topped it with, of all things,
Mexican crema (his play on sour cream).
One would assume that cream atop
cheese would just be overkill. But the thick
palate coating texture of the crema actually
spread the chipotle-imbued flavors of
his crispy cheese chip.
Acid Is The New Sugar
“Cheese pairings get lost in the sweet/
salt balance. I didn’t want to play that
game so I relied on acidity (and spice).”
— Alex Ourieff, Vagabond Cheese Company,
L.A.
The most touted condiments for cheese
pairing — membrillo (quince paste), fig
jam, honey, fruit — rely on sugar. Sweetness
can be a great way to balance salt,
which is often a predominant flavor in
cheese. But acidity will balance flavor
and texture. Like a crisp white wine, an
element of acidity slices through the richness
that all cheeses share, regardless of
milk or style. To his Perfect Bite, Ourieff
added acidity in the form of a quick sugar/
champagne vinegar pickle for persimmons:
an essence of sweetness without cloying
intensity.
Patrick had the challenge of pairing a
dense, aged cheese that is a razor’s edge
away from cheese candy; what makes
Cypress Grove’s Midnight Moon (and
other aged goat Gouda styles) so compulsive
is the caramel note that lingers.
Tasting the cheese made Patrick think of
citrus: “It needed an acidity component.”
Reilly, who took home the grand prize
at the winter Invitational in San Francisco,
relied on tamarind to lighten his
Rogue Creamery chipotle-laced Pistol
Point Cheddar. And cooking down tamarind
wasn’t enough. He did that, diluting
it with water, and then added back the
scrapings of the tamarind pod. He wanted
to “accentuate the brightness,” and while
he was originally concerned the tart, sour
note would overwhelm his cheese, he
found he actually needed much more than
originally planned.
Miller, too, found acidity was the essential
element to his milky, meaty, eggy bite.
No breakfast sandwich would be complete
without ketchup. Instead, he made a bright,
mouth-puckering tomato jam and laced it
with the same proprietary dried chili jam
that garnished his Cowgirl Creamery Devil’s
Gulch.
Trust Your Experience
“It’s about what you like. Put the cheese
in your mouth, and see what happens.” —
Lana Patrick, Wheel House Cheese, L.A.
Another universal acknowledgment
among the mongers is that everyone is
intimidated by pairing. Most of us don’t
want to “mess it up.” But we all have a
lifetime of food memories that can inspire
and guide some really exceptional cheese
pairings. Miller’s textural association with
a Kraft Single made him think of an egg
sandwich. Patrick tasted Midnight Moon
and remembered “this moment when I had
a goat milk caramel. Aha that was fantastic!”
Reilly ate a flavored block of cheddar
and thought: “Nachos!”
This isn’t sophisticated or rarified food
recall; these are the fundamental tastes of
our childhood, or our first food discoveries.
We all eat cheese because it’s delicious. It
offers a seemingly infinite range of flavors
and textures, all from a few humble ingredients.
Pairing it should be fun, exploratory
and playful.
The producer of Cheesemonger Invitational,
Liz Thorpe is a 13-year industry
veteran, author and consultant.
She is currently writing a reference guide
to cheese to be published in fall 2016. DB
56 DELI BUSINESS OCT/NOV 2015