Cheese and chocolate is one of the most luxurious and delightful pairings in the food world. It works in the same way as drinking wine and eating fruit with cheese. The chocolates cuts through the creaminess, evoking layers of flavour and when all is done and you are sitting back with a smile, the flavours hang together in perfect harmony.
I have put together this collection of chocolates together with Neal’s Yard Dairy. They have been the champion of British artisan cheesemakers for over 40 years, selecting and maturing cheeses from about 40 cheesemakers. We had an epic tasting to create the pairings. Here are the best of the best – our Eureka moments!
TASTING NOTES
For a real Cheese and Chocolate Extravaganza you can get these exact cheeses from www.nealsyarddairy.co.uk. Otherwise choose a cheese of a similar style and use these notes to help find your own pairings.
You want to have the chocolate and cheese in your mouth at the same time. We tended to have a few bites of the chocolate first, particularly for the creamier cheeses that coat your mouth.
Durrus. A smooth, soft, washed-rind cheese with a cocoa like aftertaste given by its rind.
Baron Bigod. A rich creamy, unpasteurised Brie, traditionally made on the Crickmore’s farm in Suffolk.
Lincolnshire Poacher. West Country Cheddar meets Comté in this utterly unique hard cow’s milk cheese with a smooth densely creamy texture.
Colston Bassett Stilton. Gentler, sweeter and more balanced than a ‘typical’ blue cheese. Creamy and buttery with a delicate blue veining.
MAGNIFICENT CREATIONS
Bramley Apple. Creamy white chocolate jewelled with Bramley Apples & Apricots. #41
This has been another labour of love. Mountains of apples, peeled, diced, rolled in lemon juice and dried to make the perfect jewels for our creamy white chocolate.
Raisins soaked in Port. Rio Maranon 70 dark chocolate with Raisins soaked in Port. #43
I have jars and jars of fruits soaking in alcohols and the plumy, dark fruit notes in the port are carried perfectly by their friends the raisins. This is one luxuriously fruity chocolate.
SEPTEMBER 2021
SIGNATURE TRUFFLES IN BEAUTIFUL CHRISTMAS GIFT SLEEVES