10 Surprising Cheese Pairings to Try

Photo Courtesy of Kendall Antonelli.JPG

There I was, minding everyone else’s business on Instagram, when I was arrested by cheese imagery so intriguing as to bring an abrupt halt to the continuous, mindless scroll. The image was an alluring spread of a creamy cheese delicately adorned with herbs—enough unto itself to pause for—but then this elegant dairy display was paired with...a rice krispie treat? What strange alchemy had I stumbled upon?

The cheese was Purple Haze, a chèvre from Cypress Grove, flavored with wild fennel and lavender pollen. It’s companion was, well...crispy rice cereal coagulated with butter and marshmallows.

If you’re at all familiar with the most prominent #cheestagram sites, then you won’t be surprised to learn that the mad genius behind this mashup was Erika Kubick, founder of Cheese Sex Death, and high priestess of Chicago’s Cheese Church tasting experience. Kubick’s content is continually both irreverent and intelligent, including cheese-sensual imagery designed for maximum drool. 

Pairings with cheese, wine, or any other edible or imbibable thing are built around similarities and variances between the partners. Flavors and textures can match and mirror each other, or they can contrast and balance each other out. Kubik’s surprising pairing works because it does both: you get the subtle sweetness from the cheese echoed in the treat, with the cheese bringing tang and a little herbal complexity and the other bringing toasty notes and crunch.

I was inspired by this to seek out other unusual cheese pairings, both among Kubik’s content, and also enlisting the help of other cheese personalities. Many of those discovered fall within a highbrow/lowbrow framework: harmonious marriages between artisanal cheeses and beloved junk food. Also cheese and sweets are a theme: if you grew up in a place where apple pie is inextricably linked with cheddar, then you may not be that surprised between the easy friendship between them, except perhaps given the dankness of some of the cheeses found next to desserts here. And then there are some true, wet and wild surprises...

Feta and Watermelon

“One of my favorite combinations is watermelon and feta with a bit of balsamic vinegar drizzled on top,” offers Emily Delaney, known to the social mediaverse as the Cheese Board Queen. “The sweet juices of the watermelon marinate the salty feta for the perfect sweet/salty combination, and the balsamic adds a zippy touch of acid to bring it all together.” Watermelon functions here almost like a juicier, sweeter tomato for a pairing that walks the line between savory salad and fruit salad. “This simple combination is only made better with a few sprigs of fresh mint and a pinch of Maldon salt.” 

Brabander Goat Gouda and Thin Mints

Austin-based cheesemonger Antonelli’s offered a pre-pandemic tasting of cheeses paired with none other than Girl Scout Cookies. I checked in with Kendall Antonelli, co-founder of the store, to see what could possibly pair with America’s most popular cookie, the ubiquitous Thin Mint, seemingly unlikely to be an obvious companion for cheese. Antonelli recommended Brabander Goat Gouda from Fromagerie L’Amuse, and also invited a little raspberry champagne jelly into the mix to tie them together. “This is the perfect bite of everything,” says Antonelli. “A little sweet and tangy from the goat gouda with the warmth of mint, chocolate undertones, and fruity jam...tastes like a frozen daiquiri with mint garnish!” 

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Blue Cheese and Fudge Brownies

Chocolate is certainly no stranger to even conservative cheese plates, but blue cheese is hardly the first thing one thinks of as something to swirl into a brownie recipe. The intricate sweet and salty balance here is key, utilizing a creamy and mild blue like St. Agur to bring just a slight sting to the situation. (You get plenty of wild in the visual alone.) Furthermore, it was Caveman Blue that had the honor of being Samoa’s dance partner in Antonelli’s Girl Scout Cookie pairing extravaganza, so this chocolate and blue thing might be a THING. 

Aged Goat Cheese and Absinthe

“I learned this over the course of writing three cocktail books and testing recipes that called for an absinthe wash,” says Tenaya Darlington, author of Di Brino Bros. House of Cheese, among others. “I accrued a lot of absinthe, so I started playing with absinthe and cheese—as one does! The blast of herbaceous brightness in absinthe works beautifully with a French-style goat tomme. I'm partial to Linden Dale Tomme from Lancaster County, PA which is earthy and herbaceous. Incidentally, absinthe is also great with Gorgonzola.” 

Buttermilk Gorgonzola and Frito’s Honey Barbecue Twists 

Speaking of Gorgonzola, here’s another from cheese mistress Kubik’s collection. Buttermilk Blue from Wisconsin cheesemaker Roth is heralded as “the gateway blue.” Bold yet approachable, with sweet, tangy, and peppery notes, with a snack pairing that could be described in much the same way, might just lead to a blue cheese conversion experience for the yet uninitiated. 

Creamy Washed Rind Cheeses and Potato Chips/Tater Tots

This is apparently a nearly unanimous opinion among the cheese-conscious, because not one, not two, but three independently polled, certified Cheese People called it out. Who needs chip dip when you can get that umami, oniony creaminess in a perfectly ripened, funky cheese? 

Marisa Mullen, the mastermind behind Cheese by Numbers, agrees: “I am a huge fan of potato chips and creamy cow's milk cheese like Upland’s Rush Creek Reserve. The salty and crunchy flavor of the chip is a delicious complement to the rich and savory complexities of the cheese. This cheese also has subtle notes of sour cream, which obviously is a dream pairing for a potato chip!” 

“Do yourself a ‘flavor’ and get some classic Lays and a ripe Jasper Hill Harbison,” concurs Michele Molier, an instructor with New York City’s Murray’s Cheese. “You can also go with Greensward, and experiment with other smooth, runny cheeses like that. The creamy dip-like decadence is looking for a little crispy and greasy kick. It’s magic.”

Prairie Breeze Cheddar and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos

These two are a study in opposites who seemingly have nothing in common: not flavor, not texture, not pedigree, not even color. She’s a sweet girl from Iowa and he’s a bad boy who has literally been around everyone’s block. She’s a little nutty; he’s almost too hot to handle. And yet, as the opposite-attract trope continues to play itself out among human and cheese beings alike, they kind of belong together: the richness and sweetness being just what the crunch and spice needs to feel loved.

Comté and an Old Fashioned

Another from Philadelphia-based Madame Fromage, Tenaya Darlington: “I like pairing cocktails with cheese,” she explains, “and one of my favorite combinations is an Old Fashioned with a waxy Alpine cheese, like Comté or Gruyère. The first time I tried it was with Pleasant Ridge Reserve, a great Alpine-style cheese from Wisconsin. All these cheeses share flavor notes of nuts, fruit, herbs, and caramel. Those notes work beautifully with a bourbon old fashioned containing plenty of bitters and a thick swath of orange peel for garnish.” 

Delice de Bourgogne and Buckwheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Not your everyday cookies and cream. If frosting were a cheese, it would definitely be a gooey, French triple creme. In that spirit, buttery crispness of cookies, meet the buttery creaminess of Delice de Bourgogne. A hint of buckwheat in the cookie gives just enough of an edge to the proceedings so that the delicate earthiness in the cheese has something to wink at.

Manchego and Spent Juice Pulp

Yes, you read that right. “Finding new ways to eliminate waste and not to contribute to our increasing carbon footprint, my husband and I have been using the pulp from our daily juicing to make crackers or tortillas mixed with maize flour,” says Jason Hopple of Prestige-LeDroit. “A three-to-four month aged Manchego in a fresh tortilla makes an amazing and bright quesadilla.” Bright in color, as in flavor, the mystery mix of whatever you’re juicing brings herbaceous, vegetal, citrus, and even spicy notes to mingle with the rich, tangy, and even fruity Manchego. 

PairingsPamela VachonGoat, Cow, Sheep, American, French, Spanish, Greek