What cheese pairs well with strawberries?

[Rilke]

This weekend I ordered a cheese plate at a local brewery and discovered I love strawberries and cheese together. I have eaten grapes with cheese and apples with cheese and figs with cheese, but never berries with cheese. Now I am hooked.

Can anyone suggest a good cheese or two to pick up to go with the freshly picked strawberries I will be bringing in starting next week? I have access to Trader Joe's and Whole Foods.

[sillyeatinggirl]

hands down my favorite pairing with juicy ripe strawberries is a triple cream like Brillat Savarian or Delice de Bourbougne or Delice D'Argental or St AGur. But the trick is that they need to be very ripe and only to use the paste - not the rind. If your piece is not the texture of stiff whipped cream, then leave out in a serving dish (cutting off the rind) at room temperature for a day or two. If you have more time - ripening in the fridge works too.

[Ruth Lafler]

My preferences as well.

[benbenberi]

I agree!

Alternatively, strawberries go very well with a soft fresh cheese (like a fromage frais or ricotta).

[HillJ]

Honey sweetened ricotta is my fav with berries. A very gentle dust of fresh ground black pepper on top.

[alwayshungrygal]

I like to make a salad with spinach, sliced strawberries, red onion and feta cheese. Toss on some pine nuts, add a balsamic dressing and you're done. Myh favorite summer lunch for summer.

[FoodPopulist]

It's probably not what you're going for, but some cheeses traditionally used with strawberries are cream cheese, ricotta, and mascarpone. (Strawberry cheesecake, duh.) Strawberries, perhaps macerated in red wine, served with a creamy white cheese seems to be one of the standard ways to serve strawberries with cheese. There are options for flavoring the cheese. Black pepper and ricotta seems to be a relatively common way to flavor cheese to be served with strawberries.

[BigSal]

Strawberry and Mozzarella salad. I discovered this recipe after L.Nightshade reported on it during last year's COTM (Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table). It is a surprisingly delicious salad that I will make again once strawberries are in season here. http://www.onetribegourmet.com/2010/1...

[wonderwoman]

when the native strawberries are available here in massachusetts (a few glorious weeks in late june/early july often cut short by torrential rains), my favorite treat is to top the berries with some artisan ricotta flavored with a little vanilla, and sprinkle with chopped toasted hazelnuts and shaved bittersweet chocolate.

[Rilke]

Lovely. I may sub walnuts, but . . . still, lovely.

[Sue in Mt P]

That sounds GREAT. wonderwoman, strawberries are in down here right now. I'll make up the spare room for you.

I like Port Salut with strawberries.

[wonderwoman]

on my way:)

thanks!

[velochic]

I'm sure the experts will come along at some point, but I love really sweet fruit like strawberry and cantaloupe with sharp blue cheeses. Whether or not that is the appropriate pairing, it's my personal favorite. Picante gorgonzola is my favorite with these. Add a drop of reduced balsamic and it's heaven.

[jpc8015]

If you enjoy it then it is appropriate.

[Harters]

I'll be interested to see how this thread goes as, to my taste, I just cannot envisage strawberries working with any cheese.

[magiesmom]

not even mascarpone? Heavenly.

[pinehurst]

+1. Heck yeah!

[RockDoveFarm]

What are you talking about? Cheese and strawberries are really friendly: virtually any cheese (not herbed ones) will work fantastically with strawberries. The problem is going to be finding good strawberries in January in the northern hemisphere.
I particularly like an aged goat cheese (like those from Capriole or Cypruss Grove) with good strawberry preserves or, even better, whole strawberries from the mid-season glut (I grow a small commercial patch) stored in sweetened brandy or bourban.

[pine time]

Parmesan, fontina or gruyere. Tonight's salad is baby spinach with sliced strawberries, cheese and toasted pine nuts with Asian sesame dressing.

[Rilke]

Oooh, fontina sounds perfect.

[Chinon00]

Goat cheese

[plasticanimal]

+1