Written By Hayley Pingree
Citrus season is HERE, and we could not be more ready! Here at Brie Here Now we wait all year long for the season of tart, juicy citrus to come around. Whether it’s finding clementines in our stockings or eating grapefruit for breakfast every morning, and everything in between, we love the refreshing sweetness of all citrus throughout the holiday season.
It might seem counterintuitive to pair citrus with cheese, of all things, but there are some pretty spectacular ways to medley the two. Below we’ve listed our favorite ways to incorporate citrus into your holiday cheese consumption, although be warned: sometimes straight citrus with cheese can have a bitter effect, so we do recommend doctoring up your citrus slightly. Keep reading to find out how!
Fresh, sweet chèvre with lemon curd: Citrus and goat cheese are a match made in heaven. Both slightly tart and refreshing, the two compliment each other so well. We love Nettle Meadow Farm’s seasonal Fig + Honey Fromage Frais paired with a smooth and refreshing lemon curd. That concoction (or another honeyed fresh chèvre) on baguette or your favorite cracker, topped with a fresh sprig of thyme is GOLD.
Buttery brie with citrus brûlée: Refreshing pairings work perfectly with creamy, buttery bloomy rinds like Brie du Pommier, a mushroomy brie aged by the famous Herve Mons, because bright flavors help to lift the creaminess of the cheese off the palate. We paired our Brie du Pommier with grapefruit and cara cara slices sweetened with a brown sugar brûlée.
Palate-coating aged cheddar with spice-stewed mandarins: One of our favorite pairings to date, we love taking a nutty, slightly sharp aged cheddar like Beecher’s Flagship and adding holiday spices to the mix. We stewed golden mandarins in water, a little sugar, vanilla, whole cloves, whole allspice and ground cinnamon and nutmeg for an explosion of holiday flavors. The combination of creamy, dense cheddar with smooth, sweet and spiced citrus is complex and other-worldly!
Creamy blue with chocolate covered orange peels: The star of the show, in our humble opinion, is pairing chocolate, well anything, but especially these chocolate-covered orange peels with creamy blue. We bought pre-candied orange peels and dipped them in dark chocolate to create an easy treat or holiday gift, but also the perfect pairing. We added buttery, gooey, Saint Agur, a double creme blue and our minds were blown.
