These summer pairings are hot to go … to any picnic, that is!
Spice up your cheese board this summer with the latest and greatest accompaniments in the cheese world, from hot honeys to sea salt caramels so fancy, you’ll want to eat them with your pinky out. If you need to cool off, do it with a glass of iced green tea. Celebrate summer … starting now!
Hot honey prosciutto. Photo courtesy of La Quercia.
1. New this year, Hot Honey Prosciutto by La Quercia Cured Meats is a trendy addition to any summer cheese plate. It’s salty, snackable, and leaves a lingering heat on the palate, living up to its name. This prosciutto is perfectly paired with LaClare Creamery Fig & Honey Goat Cheese, which brings out its sweeter side.
Sabatino’s truffle-flavored crisps. Photo courtesy of Sabatino.
2. Sabatino’s Truffle Crisps offer a crunchy bite of luxury with notes of mushroom and rosemary, plus a salty finish. There’s a lot to like about these—the packages are full, the price point (hovering around $8) is great for what you get, and each crispy rectangle is flecked with flavor. They make for a perfect late-night snack on a warm evening with a bit of chilled Karoun Dairies Labne spooned on top.
Tay Tea’s Cool Hand Luke. Photo courtesy of Tay Tea.
3. Try Tay Tea’s Cool Hand Luke green tea blend with mozzarella. When iced, Cool Hand Luke’s refreshing, cucumber-forward profile lets the best qualities of mozzarella stand out on the tongue: fresh milk and a hint of brine. Not to mention, nothing else hits like an iced tea during the hottest part of the day. Tay Tea’s founder, Nini Ordoubadi, mentions on her website that Cool Hand Luke can easily be transformed into a mocktail by adding cucumber simple syrup, a squeeze of lime, and fresh muddled mint.
Caramels d’Isigny. Photo courtesy of Isigny Sainte-Mère.
4. Tasked with bringing a cheese board to a bridal shower? Add a handful of Caramels d’Isigny for a splash of brightly wrapped color. They’re produced by Isigny Sainte-Mère—known for French artisanal butters and cheeses such as mimolette and brie—and come in varieties such as Apple and Salted Butter. All caramels are made with the company’s signature PDO cream and butter, which yield a rich mouthfeel. The candies lend themselves to indoor-outdoor gatherings since they taste best when slightly warmed. Frankly, a butter company branching out into caramels is genius—Willy Wonka could never.
Caramel Honey + Cayenne by Primo. Photo courtesy of Primo.
5. Pair Primo’s Caramel Honey + Cayenne with Sequatchie Cove Shakerag Blue for a savory dessert. This honey has a rich, molasses-like texture, and its mild heat plays nicely with a peppery cracker like Inés Rosales’ Cocoa Cayenne Pepper Sweet Olive Oil Crackers. The honey’s light sea salt infusion plays well with Shakerag’s salty notes and enhances its fruity profile.
Alana Pedalino
Alana Pedalino serves as Managing Editor of culture. Her work has been featured in Bon Appétit, Chicken Soup for the Soul, and more. She loves to write, cook, and kayak. Find her bylines at alanapedalino.com.
