Goat Cheese

About

Goat cheese ranges from light and citric to strong and pronounced, and its sharpness pairs well with sweet, dense foods like beets, butternut squash, bread and honey. Feta and halloumi, traditionally made from sheep's milk or a sheep-goat blend, are grouped here for their similar flavor profile. As with most cheeses, flavor is strongly shaped by the animal's diet: in one 2001 sensory study, tasters correctly identified pasture-fed versus hay-fed goat cheese most of the time at one day old, and with complete accuracy at twenty days.

Pairs well with goat cheese

• CiLemonMany goat cheeses have an inherent citric tang -- award-winning examples like Cerney and Innes Button are noted for flavors running from…
• SuGarlicA goat cheese and garlic pizza has stayed on the menu at London's Orso for decades -- roasted garlic's sweetness softens the cheese's…
• RoChocolateChocolate and cheese pairings work on similar logic to chocolate and cream, since fruity, spicy, or caramel notes in good chocolate…
• EaMushroomThe common button mushroom, when allowed to mature fully into a large, open-capped portobella, develops a much deeper flavor that pairs…
• BeMintHalloumi, traditionally made from a mix of goat's and sheep's milk, sometimes has mint added during salting, giving a faint minty note…
• GrAniseFennel pollen, prized for a honeyed intensification of fennel's anise flavor, pairs especially well with goat cheese, chef Mario Batali…
• GrChiliSpain's fondness for heat extends to the Canary Islands, where one version of Majorero, a firm goat's-milk cheese similar in texture to…
• MeLambGoat cheese and lamb share a strong flavor affinity despite the richness of combining two intense ingredients -- together in flatbread…
• RoCoffeeNorwegian ekte gjetost, made by cooking whey left over from cheesemaking until its lactose caramelizes and then setting it into blocks,…
• WoWalnutAt Persian restaurants, a block of salty white cheese similar to feta is often scattered with toasted walnuts and served alongside sabzi…
• GrCilantroCilantro's bright, citrusy flavor cuts through rich cheese in Mexican dishes like enchiladas and quesadillas.
• BrOliveA Greek salad pairs salty, tangy feta with meaty kalamata olives, cured in red wine vinegar and brine for a vinous edge that cuts through…
• BeRosemaryGoat cheese and rosemary share the same affinity that links goat cheese to lamb.
• GrCucumberA simple French bistro starter, thin cucumber slices topped with goat cheese and parsley, shows the pairing at its best: cucumber's…
• EaBeetTangy goat cheese balances beet's sweetness, a pairing that became especially popular in recent years, appearing in soufflés, tarts, panna…
• FrPearGrazalema, a Spanish goat's (or sheep's) cheese from Cadiz, has natural notes of ripe pear and nectarine, according to The Murray's Cheese…
• BeThymeCheese naturally flavored with thyme dates back to Roman times, a byproduct of goats grazing on thyme-covered scrubland -- Roves des…
• CrApricotStuffing a dried apricot with mildly pungent goat cheese produces a surprisingly meaty flavor, reminiscent of lamb; both goat cheese and…
• MuCaperCapric acid, a compound largely responsible for caper's flavor after pickling, is also a significant contributor to goat cheese's flavor,…
• SpBasilBasil can read as light and sweet, as in a tomato and mozzarella salad, or more intense and savory when made into pesto -- in the latter…
• WoButternut SquashSweet, caramelized roasted squash pairs as well with tangy goat cheese as beets classically do.
• FfFigA simple preparation splits ripe figs, fills each with a teaspoon of goat cheese, presses them closed, and bakes them at 350°F for 10-15…
• FfRaspberryYoung goat cheese, still milky and lightly citrusy, pairs naturally with raspberries -- as in a fool, where soft goat cheese whisked with…
• MuWatercressWatercress's bitterness sharpens goat cheese's edge, and both share a similar mineral quality.
• FrCherrySweet cherries and young, fresh, grassy goat cheese are a natural summer pairing, simple enough to pack for a picnic alongside bread - the…
• FfCoriander SeedThe egg-shaped coriander seed common in India is sweeter and creamier than the spicier round seed typical of Europe and Morocco, but both…
• BeBlackberryBanon, a French goat cheese dipped in brandy and wrapped in chestnut leaves, develops rich, fruity, woody notes with additional aging that…