Cheeses and jams: the perfect cutting board

Cheeses and jams: they seem so distant from each other and yet so compatible for the palate! It is now more and more common to savor this apparently bizarre combination and be amazed every time by the perfect amalgamation of flavors.

At Sale we asked ourselves why but, above all, how to best serve our proposals on the subject. And we found that, like any good feeling, it’s a question of chemistry.

You know the ancient proverb “Don’t let the peasant know how good the cheese with pears is”? We, on the other hand, want to reveal everything to you! Why are cheeses and jams combined?

Cheeses and jams are in fact complementary foods. The first courses are sugar-free and the balance is restored by combining them with the sweetness of jams, marmalades or honey. Precisely on this “chemical” basis it will go.

For an even more surprising and complete cutting board, also combine cured meats.

There is a basic rule, easy enough to follow, to guide you in your choices or in presenting your cutting board to guests. Fresh cheeses, soft and tending to sweet, should be accompanied by jams or sour marmalades, such as that of mandarins, oranges or lemons. Seasoned and more savory cheeses, they go with sweeter accompaniments, from honey to pear, apricot or strawberry jam.

Let’s take some examples.

Goat cheeses go well with both honey and red fruit jams, such as raspberries and blackberries.

The berry jam is versatile: it goes as well with fresh cheeses (ricotta or robiole) as with hard and savory cheeses.

Ricotta, Camembert, Mascarpone or fresh robiole also go well with citrus jams.

Cheeses with an intense flavor such as pecorino or gorgonzola, or spicy or blue, go well with jams such as peaches, apples or pears. The most recommended accompaniment for Parmigiano Reggiano is, however, pear jam.

Advice on how to serve a perfect cutting board

Your selection of cheeses should be varied: choose different cheeses in terms of seasoning and flavor, as well as by type of milk. To maximize their flavor, they should be served at room temperature: do not take them out of the fridge at the last minute, but dedicate yourself to your preparation a couple of hours in advance.

Advise your guests to start the tasting starting with the most delicate cheese, in an escalation towards the seasoned ones (with the right jams that, at this point, you will be able to suggest) that will also serve as a guide in their arrangement on the serving plate. Last suggestion, do not miss the bread, preferring in the choice of homemade bread.

Our cutting board

With a variety of cheeses as wide as that which can be found in Sicily, together with that of cured meats, we could not fail to include cutting boards in our proposals.

A triptych of Sicilian-flavored appetizers: from panelle to Sicilian minis, to a platter of local cured meats and cheeses.

Vastedda del Belice, Piacentinu Ennese, Peppery Primo Sale, Fresh Tuma are the absolute protagonists of the course, accompanied by acacia honey, onion jam and citrus jam to allow you to with the combinations.

And the bread that, on the Salt table, never fails. And to drink? You can accompany a cutting board with both classic wine and a well-chosen craft beer, which you can find both in our cellar.

Get advice from the dining room staff for the glass (or mug!) That best suits your tastes and dish. Do you want to try one of our cutting boards right away? Come and visit us in via Santa Filomena 10 and let your cutting board be the forerunner of a dinner with excellent dishes or a fragrant pizza. Reserve your table by calling all A triptych of Sicilian-flavored appetizers: from panelle to Sicilian minis, to a platter of local cured meats and cheeses. Vastedda del Belice, Piacentinu Ennese, Peppery Primo Sale, Fresh Tuma are the absolute protagonists of the course, accompanied by acacia honey, onion jam and citrus jam to allow you to with the combinations. And the bread that, on the Salt table, never fails. And to drink? You can accompany a cutting board with both classic wine and a well-chosen craft beer, which you can find both in our cellar. Get advice from the dining room staff for the glass (or mug!) That best suits your tastes and dish. Do you want to try one of our cutting boards right away? Come and visit us in via Santa Filomena 10 and let your cutting board be the forerunner of a dinner with excellent dishes or a fragrant pizza. Reserve your table by calling all 095 316 888.