Pairing Cheese and Fruit Jam for the Perfect Cheese Platter
The pairing of cheese with fruit is heavenly but must be made with a criterion. You have to consider the type of milk and the consistency of the cheese. Here are the best combinations of cheese with fruit.
What's better than a good cheese and fruit tray? "Don't let the farmer not know how good the cheese with pears is" says an old Italian adage. As a matter of fact, the pairing of cheese with fruit is absolutely heavenly.
However, combinations must be made with criterion. Some fruit jams combine with some cheeses more than others. The reason is purely chemical: cheeses are practically free of sugars and jams are the perfect complementary food, creating the right balance in taste.
Fruit and cheese pairing, how to choose
First of all, to choose the most appropriate combination of fruit and cheese you must consider the type of milk used: cow, goat, sheep, and then you look at the consistency of the cheese: soft, ripened, semi-hard, semi-mature...
Soft and and sweet cheese will marry bitter jams. In contrast, strong and aged cheeses will match with sweet fruit jams and compotes.
Here are the best combinations of cheese with fruit.
Cheese Appetizer
Pairing Cheese and Fruit
CHEESE | FRUIT JAM / COMPOTE / MUSTARD |
|---|---|
| Aged Asiago | Radish jams, green tomato or celery |
| Bitto | |
| Bra | Grape mustard |
| Fig, apple or pear jam | |
Caciocavallo | Red or white onion jam, red tomato or mustard zucchini |
Onion chutney | |
| Fiore Sardo | Quince and ginger jam |
Goat cheese | Blackberries, blueberries, strawberry, orange, mandarin or cherries |
Aged cheese | Green tomato jam and plum jam |
Pasture Cheeses | Rosemary and lemon marmalade |
Medium aged and blue cheeses | Pear, figs, pineapple, red onion, citrus fruit, peppers jam |
Gorgonzola | Onion jam, celery, fennel, citrus marmalades |
| Quince | |
| Green tomato mustard, fresh fruit (apples and pears) | |
Seasoned Paglierina | Grape juice, blueberry or orange jam |
| Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano | Jams and chutney of pears, green tomatoes and fig jam |
| Rosehips, pumpkin, figs and pine nuts or pear jam; fresh beans | |
Fresh Pecorino | Jam or compote of fig, peppers, green tomatoes |
Pecorino di Pienza | Fig jam |
Aged Pecorino | Cheese citrus marmalade, pepper mustard or jam, pear jam |
Aged Piave cheese | Figs (and mortadella!) |
Puzzone Moena | Blueberry jam |
Ricotta | Apple, citrus, pear and cocoa, peach and cocoa, banana jam |
| Fig or pear compote | |
| Piedmont Toma | Tangerine or orange marmalade, onion, mustard and green tomato jam |
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