Happy Monday, everyone! I am THRILLED to bring to you this little cheese pairing session with Stock & Pantry from Seattle, Washington. I met founder Sasha Clark at the Fancy Food Show in January. Her condiments, inspired by her travels from around the world, love of good flavors, and natural ingredients, struck me! I fell in love with her British-style Proper Marmalade and the Cape Town, South Africa-inspired Peri Peri hot sauce immediately. For this tasting, however, we went with the Proper Marmalade and Stock & Pantry’s Original Hot Jam, a tantalizing jam including onions, peppers, vinegar, and of course, chili peppers. Having a stash of my trusty 34 Degrees Whole Grain Crisps on hand made everything come together just beautifully.
To gather my cheeses, I sauntered on over to my local cheese shop, jams in tow, and tasted through several cheeses with my cheesemonger. Here’s what worked best:
Proper Marmalade & Tomme de Chèvre Cendrée
On its own, the proper marmalade is really just as marmalade should be! I am not always a fan of marmalades; sometimes they are too bitter, too sweet, too gummy, too something. Stock & Pantry’s marmalade does magnificent work keeping everything well balanced and full of flavor.
The Tomme De Chèvre Cendrée, or ashen chèvre tomme, hails from the Loire Valley. The cheese boasts beautiful burnished hazelnut, forest, and mushroom flavors, as well as a thick, fudge texture. Heavenly.
Together, they complemented each other just beautifully. I love how the marmalade gave a little sweetness to the cheese, while the marmalade received a little bit more of an umami kick in return. That Seville orange finish to the pairing was exquisite. I often like to pair citrus with goat cheeses because of the tangy brightness often present in the cheeses. The Seville oranges have a deeper flavor as far as citrus goes, which was great for this fuller-flavored cheese. If you don’t have Tomme de Chèvre nearby, try it with another comparable cheese like Sofia from Capriole Goat Cheese, or even Valençay.
Original Hot Jam & Ameribella
This jam is so flavorful, I could imagine using it with steaks and grilled meats. The blend of onions, peppers, vinegar, and a hint of sweetness scream summer evenings and barbecue.
Ameribella, made by Jacobs & Brichford Farmstead Cheese in Indiana, is not for the delicate of palate—it packs a meaty WOW up front that gradually fades to a surprising sweetness. It is plush and creamy with a slight bite to the rind.
It took a few tries, but once my cheesemonger and I came across this pairing, I knew it was the one. Both the jam and the cheese were transformed. The jam retained its essence, but some of the vinegar-iness melted away, while the cheese seemed to find an onion and pepper bed on which to lay its velvety head. The next step is going to be to melt all of this over a burger. You, there, with the burger! Do it now!
If you don’t have Ameribella on hand, try this pairing with Taleggio or Red Hawk by Cowgirl Creamery.
If you’d like to get your hands on some Stock & Pantry goods, please visit their online store. If you would like to purchase 34 Degrees Crisps, you can find them at a store near you or buy them on Amazon.
Thank you, Sasha, for providing your condiments for this delightful tasting! And thank you, 34 Degrees, for providing your delicious crisps! Even though these companies provided product samples, all thoughts are my own! All cheeses were purchased on my own.
Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Youtube, & my mailing list!
Using these links to shop helps make sure I can keep content coming, and will show you what products I love! Support Miss Cheesemonger by shopping on Amazon! Get your beef jerky fix at Uncle Andy’s Jerky!
