Pairing meat and cheese seems easy but it requires a bit of work. It helps to have a plan. First choose what to put on the table: meats, nuts, fruits and chocolate.
Include tastes that complete or contrast, pairings from same region and a mix of textures
How to Pair Meats and Cheeses
Key principle is compatible pairing, when alike flavors, for instance mild cheese with tender meats, meet perfectly. Other good way is local pairing. Cheeses and meats from same area give authentic profiles.
Alpine cheese with dried meat of same area work well, because the tastes of milk and meat of animals that feed here match naturally.
Soppressata, dry salami, go well with nutty and buttery Havarti. The creaminess brings out the aromas of the salmai. Nutty sharp cheddar goes surprisingly well with various pork meats, especially hot capicola.
Nutty Manchego, semi-hard, perfectly match all hams, especially nice smoked ham. Tart goat cheese with creamy texture goes really well with pork Coppa. Salami is usually dry and seasoned, so it goes with rich cheeses like Brie.
Pepper Jack with subtle heat contrasts the fat capicola. Stuffing pickled cherry peppers together with a cube of Pepper Jack and bit of capicola makes a delicious addition to any board. Vermont Sharp adds sweet taste and buttery tang, that goes well with smoked, garlicky pepperoni.
Speck, lightly smoked whole muscle meat from Alto Adige in Italy, finds perfect match in Piave, cheese like Parmesan in texture, but with entirely other taste. Swiss cheese wrap in prosciutto for meat-and-cheese roll-ups. Even so prosciutto best match with sharper cheeses.
Gouda has nutty, caramel taste, that matches the rich pork meat. Cheddar goes with roast beef, because both have strong aromas that complement each other. Muenster go with almost all meats.
Roast beef with horseradish cheddar is also reliable pair.
Building board, plan two to three ounces of meat and cheese for every guest. For best taste, leave it rest fifteen minutes in room temperature. Balance with at least three cheeses and most five or six.
Add little knives, forks and spreaders for easy serving. Label items by means of signs or cards to avoid confusion forguests.