Tag Archives: pairings

How To Make a Halloween Cheeseboard


October is full of things we can’t resist, like pumpkin spice, Halloween candy, and October-inspired craft beer.  Now also on our list: cheese. Making a cheeseboard for Halloween parties, gatherings or dinner during your trick-or-treat duties is simple and fun. Just gather some cheeses, your favorite candy and try some new flavor pairings.

The Cheese
This cheeseboard features all of our favorite Halloween-inspired Roth cheeses, from Moody Blue to orange-hued Prairie Sunset, spicy Sriracha Gouda and Vintage Van Gogh Gouda with a dark rind.

The Candy
Whether you use mini candy bars, candy corn, or opt for fancier accompaniments, you really can’t go wrong pairing cheese and sweets. Here’s what we loved:

  • Caramel apples
  • Candy bars
  • Candy Corn
  • Dried Apricots
  • Caramel corn
  • Caramels
  • Pumpkin spice chocolate covered pretzels
  • Orange Marmelade

What would you put on a Halloween cheeseboard?

 

 

 

 

Our New Favorite Pairing: Havarti + Radish

Looking for an easy appetizer or new twist on your plain ol’ cheeseboard? Top a radish slice with a square slice of Roth Havarti cheese, then sprinkle the top with coarse sea salt. Try many Havarti flavors like dill (pictured), jalapeno or original.

What you’ll need:
1 package (6 or 8 ounce) Roth Havarti cheese
1 bunch fresh radishes
coarse sea salt, for topping

How to do it
1. Slice radishes into disks
2. Slice havarti into strips, then cut into squares
3. Top radish slices with havarti slices and sprinkle with sea salt. Or, place havarti squares and radishes on a cheeseboard for quests to assemble their own pairings.

Find more inspiration at rothcheese.com/ideas

How to Make a Spring Cheese Board

It’s finally spring! Whether you’re making a cheese board for a party, a shower, or just because, you might as well make it as lovely, tasty, and seasonal as possible. Here’s our latest inspiration:

STEP 1: Choose your cheese

  • We recommend starting with a creamy, flavored havartiRoth Horseradish Havarti has just enough kick without overpowering your palate. Plus, it pairs especially well with seasonal ham.
  • Next, add a nice, nutty alpine-style cheese. Alpine-style cheeses, like Roth Grand Cru®, have a rich, complex flavor and appeals to just about any party-goer. Plus, it pairs beautifully with nuts, fruits, and ham—which makes it a perfect partner for this spring board.
  • Add a pop of color with a mild cheddar or American Original cheese. Roth Prairie Sunset® is a perfect choice for spring. It is slightly sweet with a hint of butterscotch, and so approachable that it tastes great in just about any combination.

Step 2: Pair with Accompaniments

Have fun adding color to your cheese board with seasonal vegetables, fruit and nuts. Here’s some ideas:

  • Marcona almonds: These simple salted, slightly oily almonds provide a great crunch between bites.
  • Pickled spring onions: You can make these a few days in advance in the fridge by putting trimmed spring onions into a simple brine—a quick search for pickled spring onions or scallions will turn up dozens of tasty options.
  • Grapes: Pick your favorite variety—we love the color of red grapes against the color of the Prairie Sunset.
  • Rhubarb jam: Nothing says spring like rhubarb!
  • Beauty heart radishes: Peppery-sweet and oh-so-pretty, these radishes may look boring from the outside, but when you slice them, they’re show-stoppers. Great on a sliced baguette with ham and your choice of cheese.
  • Candied Meyer Lemon: Meyer lemons have a distinctive taste—less sour than regular lemons, with a slightly floral aroma. If you can’t find them candied, you can make your own! Martha Stewart’s version calls for simmering sliced lemons in a simple syrup for 30 minutes, letting them cool, then laying them out on a rack.

Step 3: Add a Base

Bulk up your cheese board with meats, crackers and bread. For spring, we love:

  • Country ham: Salty country ham is a great choice for a cheese board, but an unctuous liver pâté would be lovely, too.
  • Whole wheat crackers and sliced baguette: These serve as the perfect base for stacking up adventurous cheese board combos.

 

With these simple tips, you can make the perfect cheese board at home.
Check out more cheese board inspiration!

Valentine’s Day Wine and Cheese Pairing Guide

Wine & Cheese Pairings

Peanut butter and jelly, ketchup and mustard, milk and cookies. Out of the all-time great food pairings, one reigns supreme: wine and cheese.

Wine and cheese is practically a Valentine’s Day requirement. There’s nothing more romantic (or libido boosting!) than cuddling up with your love over a deliciously crafted spread of Roth cheese paired with wine. To make this February 14th extra special, we’ve recruited Jordan Egan, sommelier and beer director at New York City’s NoMad Hotel, to help us play cupid for some of our favorite Roth cheeses. Add in a few candles, comfy blankets and a toasty fire—you’ve got yourself the perfect Valentine’s Day celebration.

To start, try GranQueso® Reserve with a bottle of white. The hand rubbing of paprika and cinnamon on the rind lends this deeply intricate cheese to a more savory white wine, like a dry Albariño or white Burgundy. Rosé also works well, as do off-dry varieties of sherry, a fortified wine made from white grapes.

BEST: Albariño white, Rosé, White Burgundy, Oloroso or your favorite sherry

With Grand Cru® Reserve, we’re dealing with subtle flavors that require a delicate balance. This alpine-style cheese boasts light floral notes and nutty undertones, so finding a wine pairing that doesn’t overpower is key. White wines with a hint of sweetness hit the spot.

BEST: Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Southern Burgundy

Roth’s Private Reserve is bold, robust and the perfect coupling for an equally strong wine. Whites and reds both work here, like robust Chardonnays and lighter reds. If you’re looking to indulge in a glass of bubbly, go for a vintage-style champagne, which means 100% of the grapes used are from that vintage year.

BEST: Barbaresco, Brut Champagne, Chardonnay, Merlot

A classic table cheese, Prairie Sunset® is sweet and approachable, making it a versatile love match for an array of wines. With rich undertones of butterscotch, it’s sweetness is a fitting Valentine’s Day choice when paired with crisp, acidic reds and fresh styles of sherry.

BEST: Barbera red, Gamay from Beaujolais, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese from Chianti, Fino or Manzanilla sherry

 

Other Delicious Pairings:

Our Favorite Grand Cru Pairings

Cheese and Cocktail Party Pairing Ideas

Romancing the Cheese Board

There are plenty of ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Of course, our favorite is with cheese—that’s why we put together this little Valentine’s Day Cheese board for two.

To keep it light enough for two, we only used two cheeses: Roth Buttermilk Blue® and Roth Original Havarti.

Buttermilk Blue® is an exceptionally creamy blue cheese that traditionally pairs well with figs, pears, dates and dark chocolate.

Havarti is a crowd-pleasing, buttery cheese that pairs well with, well … just about everything.

For this cheese board, we dipped strawberries in dark chocolate—rich and sweet berries pair with either cheese. Honey, too, pairs well with both cheeses on water crackers, and the crunchy candied nuts make a perfect nibble.

The final touch on this board: Smoked oysters. Great with Havarti, and of course oysters are also a purported aphrodisiac.

And finally, of course, we chose a sparkling rosé to pair with our board. Make sure to look for a dry—or brut—version, as a sweeter wine doesn’t play well with the earthier flavors in this cozy cheese board.