The Type Of Cheese That's Even Better When Paired With Caramel
You may have enjoyed tucking into a creamy slice of cheesecake topped with drizzles of caramel, but have you considered eating pieces of cheese dipped into caramel? That's exactly what Fairfield and Greenwich Cheese Company's partner Matthew Rose encourages us to do, and he's given us helpful tips on the best way to go about matching buttery, savory morsels with a sweet sauce commonly associated with dessert recipes.
"My favorite cheeses to pair with caramel are definitely the mountain-style or alpine-style cheeses," Rose offered. This family of cheese is known for being made from cow's milk and tends to offer buttery, creamy bites that are ideal to melt for fondue and cheese sandwiches. But, as Rose further explained, texture is just one of the reasons why these cheeses are so special. "These cheeses are gently warmed in the cheesemaking process that bring out nutty and roasty flavors in the matured wheels," he advised. This warm, earthy flavor is one that can play well once you invite caramel onto the culinary scene.
The sweetest tasting experiments
Matthew Rose advises that you'll get something akin to a dessert when matching nuttier kinds of mountain- and alpine-style cheeses with caramel. To Rose, this savory-and-sweet pairing reminds him of pecan pie and almond croissants. In short, if you're looking for the perfect punctuation to end a meal, cheese and caramel could very well be it.
Also take note that when it comes to mountain- and alpine-style cheese, the varying methods of cheese production means that they can have varying textures and flavors. Rose recommends trying your choice of cheese with a tangy goat's milk caramel sauce, such as the one sold by Fat Toad Farm. You can also try making your own salted caramel sauce at home. You can definitely experiment while mixing and matching cheese chunks dipped into dishes of caramel. To that end, you may want to have a shallow plate covered with flaky sea salt on hand so you can turn up the punch of flavor, should your palate call for added zing.