COCKTAILS + CHEESE

Wine and cheese is a well-known pairing, loved by many, but tasty dairy products can also be paired with cocktails to great effect.

Indeed, Molly Browne, a certified cheese sensory evaluator and education director with the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, has developed a program pairing the two ingredients.

To find the perfect companions, Browne always starts with the cheese, tasting it and evaluating it “and letting it reveal itself to me in layers,” she says. “I let the tasting notes evolve, then think about the next thing I want to put in my mouth.”

The general rule for pairing, Browne points out, is “you want to match intensities.” She suggests matching a light, fresh style of cheese, like burrata or ricotta, with a lighter, gin-based cocktail that's aromatic, “or those mild lactic flavors will get overwhelmed.”

A cheese like an aged cheddar or cave-aged gouda needs a robust drink. “If you pair that with something too light, that flavor is going to get lost,” she says. “You want a balance between both items that enhances both of them. The whole is better than the sum of both parts.”

Here are Browne’s favorite Wisconsin cheese and cocktail pairings:

Gran Canaria (from Carr Valley Cheese) + Mezcal

Negroni

The smoky notes of mezcal are a nice foil for this “meaty” cheese, says Browne, “and the aromatic and bitter notes imparted by the other cocktail ingredients heighten the experience.”

This cheese is made from a blend of sheep, goat and cow milks, creating “a deeply savory, umami-driven profile,” she says.

The Blue Jay (from Deer Creek Cheese) + Last Word (equal parts gin, maraschino liqueur, lime juice and Chartreuse)

“This drink is a bit lighter than you might think with a traditional blue cheese,” Browne says,“but this cheese is really creamy and pairs well with the juniper, while the lime juice cuts through the butter fat and keeps your palate fresh.”

Butterkäse (from Roth Cheese) + Amaretto Sour

The buttery sweetness of this cheese plays exceptionally well with the almond notes in this classic cocktail, says Browne. “You want to play with a lighter flavor in your cocktail to let the mild flavor of the cheese come through." The sour from the citrus raises the whole profile, she points out. “Acidity works like salt and amplifies flavors that are already there.”

15-Year Cheddar (from Hook's Cheese) + New York Sour

“Super-aged cheddars develop powerful flavors, so they need a big cocktail to match the intensity,” explains Browne. “This cocktail tops a basic whiskey sour with a red wine float, giving it depth of flavor that allows it to stand up to something robust.”

Gouda Foenegreek (from Marieke Gouda) + White Russian

Fenugreek adds a maple-like flavor to this young gouda, and these flavors “are rounded out by the coffee notes of the white Russian,” says Browne.

Classical

A classic paella , cooked outside on the grill, is a favorite of ACF Chef Robert Marilla, CEC, AAC, culinary arts department chair, Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, North Carolina, especially when vacationing during the summer along North Carolina’s beaches. “We’ll go down to the docks to get fresh seafood — red snapper, flounder, shrimp, clams,” he says. When preparing paella for the grill, it’s simple. Put everything, rice and all, in a paella pan, “stir it initially just to incorporate everything, then leave it alone for 20 to 22 minutes.” Back home, which is three and a half hours inland from the coast, he’ll often do a land-based version with chicken, rabbit and/or duck.

Modern

For a modern take on paella , Chef Marilla goes with a deconstructed approach, cooking the elements of the dish separately and elegantly plating them together. He cooks the Spanish Calasparra rice risotto-style with onions, adding stock a little at a time. Instead of just adding peas, he prepares a pea and green onion puree by simply boiling the vegetables in water and adding butter, salt and pepper. The “overnight tomato” is a halved Roma tomato seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic, parsley, thyme and olive oil and left in a gas oven overnight with just the pilot light on so it’s just gently dehydrated “without the forced air.” Clams and mussels are cooked together in white wine, garlic and shallots, and that liquid is later reduced into a sauce with some added butter and parsley. For the grand finale, soft-shell crab, which is in season in May, gets a light dusting of fine white cornmeal mixed with paprika and other herbs for a quick pan-fry.

For recipes, visit wearechefs.com