Cheese And Salad: The Perfect Pairing

Adding cheese to a salad can elevate it from a simple side dish to a more satisfying and exciting meal. The best cheese for a salad depends on the other ingredients and your personal taste. For example, a soft and creamy cheese like Brie is often too soft and buttery, so you may want to choose a cheese that can be crumbled, shredded, or cubed, adding substance and texture to the salad. Popular cheeses for salads include feta, goat cheese, cheddar, Swiss cheese, and Parmesan.

Feta, a Greek classic

Feta is a Greek cheese with a salty flavour that pairs well with many different salad ingredients. It is one of the most successful and best-known salad cheeses, defining the Greek salad. Its salty, tangy flavour is a perfect match for extra-virgin olive oil.

Feta is a versatile cheese that can be used in a variety of salads. It is a popular choice for a Mediterranean-style Greek salad, with tomatoes, cucumbers, black olives, red onion, green pepper, seasoning, red wine vinegar, and olive oil. The cheese is usually cut into squares and added on top. However, feta can also be crumbled or cubed to add texture to a salad. Its salty flavour can be balanced with sweeter ingredients like roasted beets or berries.

Feta is typically made with sheep's milk in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, giving it a tangier taste than cow's milk cheese. It is aged and has a crumbly texture, making it ideal for sprinkling over salads.

For a simple vinaigrette dressing, feta can be used on its own without any additional dressing, especially if it is a flavoured variety. It can also be paired with a variety of nuts, such as walnuts, to add extra flavour and texture to a salad.

When choosing feta for your salad, opt for a slightly firmer cheese that can be crumbled. This will add substance and a contrasting texture to the greens, elevating your salad experience.

Goat's cheese, a French bistro favourite

Goat's cheese salad is a classic French bistro dish that is simple to make. The salad combines fresh, tender lettuce with warmed goat's cheese rounds. The cheese is rolled in panko (or breadcrumbs) and then heated to form an outer crunchy layer, creating goat cheese croutes. It's often topped off with a mustard vinaigrette dressing—the kick from the mustard provides a contrast to the creamy tang of the goat cheese.

The right cheese for a French goat's cheese salad is typically a ripened goat's cheese with a rind and a creamy centre that melts when heated. The cheese usually comes in small discs or a log/barrel form that can be sliced into medallions. This is because the rind encases each slice, preventing the cheese from running when pan-fried.

Some popular and traditional cheeses used for French goat's cheese salad include:

• Crottin de Chavignol: an unpasteurised goat's cheese produced in the village of Chavignol in the Loire Valley. It bears the French AOC designation, recognised as a mark of excellence.
• Crottin des Deux-Sèvres: similar to Crottin de Chavignol but not an AOC cheese.
• Crottin de Champcol: the pasteurised version of Crottin de Chavignol.
• Picandou and Pico Affine: ideal as they come in the perfect size to pan-fry.
• Chabichou du Poitou: another cheese from the Loire Valley.
• Le Chabichou d'Antan: available at Le Petit Marché in Sydney.
• Holy Goat La Luna: an Australian ripened goat's cheese.
• Pélardon and Rocamadour: French ripened goat's cheeses that may be tough to find outside of France.

Preparing the goat's cheese croutes can be done in the oven or on the stove. The oven method is more hands-off, while the stove method requires careful attention as the goat cheese croutes cook in a frying pan.

To make the croutes, cut the goat cheese into discs and press them into panko or breadcrumbs. Set the coated cheese aside to chill before cooking. For the oven method, bake the goat cheese rounds until browned. For the stove method, fry the cheese rounds in a pan with butter until golden brown on both sides.

The salad typically includes fresh leaf vegetables like oak lettuce, lamb's lettuce, cos/romaine lettuce, or even iceberg lettuce. Tomatoes, walnuts, pine nuts, and bacon are also common additions. Toasting the nuts in an oven or skillet before adding them to the salad brings out their flavour.

The dressing for a French goat's cheese salad typically includes a combination of balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. It's drizzled over the salad just before serving, along with the hot, pan-fried goat cheese croutes.

This French bistro favourite is a chic and scrumptious starter or lunch option, offering a contrast between cooling, juicy salad vegetables and warm, molten-centred goat's cheese.

Blue cheese, a strong flavour

Blue cheese is a classic addition to a salad. It is a strong-flavoured, creamy cheese that works well with simple greens, and is a nice complement to sweet elements such as apples, pears, or berries. Blue cheese is also delicious with bacon, which is why it is often included in a steakhouse wedge salad or a classic Cobb salad.

When choosing a blue cheese for your salad, opt for a good-quality variety that you can crumble yourself. This will ensure that the cheese is creamy and full of flavour. Some popular options include Roquefort, which is usually made with sheep's milk, or Gorgonzola.

If you're looking for a salad with blue cheese, a great option is a chicken salad with fresh grilled chicken strips over a bed of greens, topped with nonfat yogurt, tarragon, and crumbled blue cheese. The strong flavour of the blue cheese will complement the simple flavours of the chicken and yogurt. Blue cheese also pairs well with aged cheddar or Swiss cheese, so feel free to experiment with different combinations.

For a simple blue cheese salad, start with a base of mixed greens, such as lettuce, spinach, or arugula. Add in some sliced apples, pears, or berries for a touch of sweetness. You can also include other vegetables such as cucumbers, carrots, or tomatoes. Top it off with your crumbled blue cheese and a simple vinaigrette dressing. If you want to make it a heartier meal, add some grilled chicken or steak.

Cheddar, a surprising choice

Cheddar is a versatile cheese that can be used in a variety of dishes, from grilled cheese sandwiches to macaroni, and even as a topping for your favourite snack. But did you know that it can also be a delightful addition to your salad?

While it may not be the first cheese that comes to mind when crafting a salad, Cheddar has a rich, buttery flavour that pairs excellently with salad greens. Grated or cubed, it can add a satisfying texture and a savoury kick to your bowl of greens.

In the Midwest, Cheddar is a popular ingredient in picnic macaroni salads. It is also a key component in the English pea salad, a spring classic. A few chunks or handfuls of grated Cheddar can turn a light salad into a more filling meal. The sharpness of Cheddar also makes it a great pairing with sweet elements such as apples, pears or berries.

For a different take on a traditional Caesar salad, try adding some shredded Cheddar along with the Parmesan. Or, for a simple green salad, combine grated Cheddar with shredded Swiss cheese for a nice flavour combination.

So, the next time you're looking to add some variety to your salad, consider giving Cheddar a chance to shine. Its unexpected flavour and texture might just be the surprise ingredient your salad needs.

Parmesan, a nutty, salty flavour

Parmesan is a salty, nutty Italian cheese that is most often grated over pasta, but it's also delicious grated or shaved over a salad. For example, a classic Caesar salad is elevated to a new level with shredded Parmesan, and even a simple chop salad can be enhanced with this cheese. Parmesan is a commonly used topping, and its nutty, salty flavour makes it a good choice for a salad.

When choosing a cheese for your salad, it's important to consider a cheese that has substance and can be crumbled, shredded or cubed. This adds interesting, contrasting texture to the greens and richness to the dish. Parmesan is a great choice as it can be easily shredded or grated. Its salty, nutty flavour also adds an interesting contrast to the greens and a rich, rounded counterpoint to the acidity of the dressing.

A simple green salad made with mixed lettuces, tomato, and cucumber can be topped with grated Parmesan. You can also experiment with combinations of cheeses to add variety. For example, a mix of shredded Swiss cheese and shredded Parmesan makes a nice pairing. Depending on the type of dressing you use, you may want to try another cheese, such as feta with a simple vinaigrette.

A three-cheese salad can be made with Swiss cheese, feta cheese, and Parmesan cheese, along with pecans and a white balsamic vinegar dressing. Parmesan can also be combined with other cheeses such as feta or cheddar, which has a rich, buttery flavour. Adding cheese to a salad makes it more satisfying, exciting, and worthy of consideration as a complete meal.

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