We love a delicious cheese board— from the creating, arranging, serving and the best part—eating. We love the cheese of course, but the accoutrements and accompaniments take the board from good to outstanding. We’ve put together a list of our perfect pairings from our many sessions of cheeseboard creations.
Ricotta Salata + Apricot Jam
Ricotta Salata— a classic Sicilian sheep milk cheese made from salting (salata), pressing, and aging fresh ricotta. It can be enjoyed in many stages of its aging. My favorite for a cheeseboard would be a lesser aged cheese. The more aged variety is wonderful for grating on pasta.
Apricot— we love to serve the fresher style ricotta salata with sweet our confettura di albicocca — organic apricot jam. The sweet and slightly salty pairing works beautifully with the stone fruit jam.
Aged Cheddar + Sweet Wine Gelèe
Aged Cheddar— I know not exactly Sicilian, but this creamy, nutty and sharp cows milk cheese can be a perfect canvas for your palette. Gelatina di Vino Zibibbo IGP Terre Sicilane— a fortified sweet wine gelèe made from the ancient muscat Zibibbo grape varietal. It's sweet yet bright candied citrus undertone reminiscentof marsala wine, makes it a perfect counterpoint to the aged cheddar. Perfect as a dessert as well— truly one of our favorites.
Kunik + Fig Jam
Kunik— a New York State produced cheese that is a triple creme cheese made with cow and goats milk that is creamy, buttery and delicious with a slight tang. This cheese is surely amazing on its own but we love to pair it with something Sicilian, of course.
Confettura di Fico Nero– Black Fig Jam. We love this very fresh berry-like fig jam. It’s subtle and works as a beautiful compliment to the Kunik.
Goat Cheese + Wild Blackberry Jam
Goat— this earthy cheese can range from a more pungent flavor to subtler and creamy. To create a not only delicious addition but a visually stunning one include a flower and herb rolled goat cheese —beautiful for Spring and Summer!
Confettura di Mora Selvatica— organically grown wild blackberry jam. Picked at their ripest, this concentrated and smaller berry create a sweet and slightly tart jam. A perfect match with the tart goat cheese. Think—wild blackberry cheesecake.