Happenings

The right cheese for the right dish

Cheese has nearly as many flavors as it has textures and colors. Here’s a quick guide to what types of dishes your favorite cheeses can help enhance – and some combinations that you should avoid.

Cheeses for turkey and chicken

The perfect cheeses for poultry tend to come in whites and off-whites. While delicious, lean meats tend to not be terrible strong in flavor. You want a cheese that’s also mild as well.

That’s why mozzarella and swiss cheeses tend to work best on turkey burgers and chicken sandwiches. Sharper cheeses such as cheddar are likely to overwhelm the lean meat and be the only real flavor you taste.

Cheeses on salads

Similar to poultry, you don’t want to overwhelm a salad with a strong-tasting cheese. Depending on the salad, it will already have a taste all its own – or have a mild, stable taste. If it’s a Southwest salad or Asian chicken salad, they are already very flavorful and any type of cheese can do the trick. But if it’s a fruit or side salad, then only the mildest cheeses will work.

Cheeses on pasta

Cheese and pasta were meant for one another. If the main ingredient other than pasta is cheese or sauce, then the strongest cheese flavors work best. You wouldn’t have a swiss mac and cheese dish, after all.

A key differentiator is if seafood is in the mix. A select few cheeses work best with seafood, or not at all. If it’s a lobster bisque, a lighter cheese and cream work wonders, as well as parmesan cheeses.

Check out more of our dishes

You can always see our menus on our website. Ask your waiter or waitress for guidance on what cheese to select for dishes that have it as an option.