Food Pairings: Fresh Herbs and Artisanal Cheese

Enlarge Image Image Gallery Sharp, pungent or mild, there’s an herb for every cheese. iStockphoto.com/Kelly Cline

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Recipes:

• Tarragon Gruyère Soufflé
• Mint Feta Salad with Fennel 
• Rosemary and Blue Cheese Puff
• Herbed Goat Cheese Pasta
• Sage, Apple and Cheddar Cheese Pancakes 

Imagine a warm crouton topped with goat cheese laced with thyme and lavender … or a salad of fresh tomatoes and fresh mozzarella layered with spicy basil leaves. Or, how about a towering soufflé accented with sharp cheddar and dill?

Herbs and cheeses are natural partners in the kitchen. Just as the variety of fresh herbs available to American cooks has grown dramatically in recent years, so has the selection on our cheese board. Not only do we have access to a huge variety of cheeses from all over the world, but now that the artisan cheese movement in North America is flourishing, we also have superb local cheeses that can compete with the finest European wheels.

Sharp, pungent or mild, there’s an herb for every cheese. The fun comes in discovering the most winning combinations and trying them out in the endless number of dishes that have cheese as an ingredient. 

Matchmaking Made Easy

When you start to experiment with herb and cheese pairings, begin with the familiar. The next time you grill a cheese sandwich, toss a bit of chopped dill or chives on the cheddar or Swiss. Making homey macaroni and cheese? Try adding a few tablespoons of chopped fresh marjoram or tarragon. And your Greek salad of feta, tomato and olive will get raves if you toss in some torn mint or basil leaves.

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