‘Tis the season for honey-baked ham, mashed potatoes, pecan pie, and all the other festive standbys. It’s also the season when all these delights take up valuable fridge real estate as leftovers in the days following your festivities.
The good news: Said leftovers will be less redundant and much more enticing if you simply add cheese. And, if you’re a tad strategic about it, you can unlock some flavor-matching magic to give an old dish new life. Just as it can with a glass of wine, a perfectly paired cheese has the power to transform.
Read on for the cheeses that will actually make you excited to revisit those leftovers, as well as what to drink with them.
Turkey With Washed-Rind Cheese
Transform drab leftover protein with cheese that’s meatier than the bird ever was. One of the most iconic washed-rind cheeses is Epoisses de Bourgogne, famously (and incorrectly) rumored to be banned on French subways due to its bodily stench. It does, admittedly, smell a little scary if you’re not used to this style of cheese, which is washed in booze or brine while ripening to bring out extra flavor, but its bark (smell) is worse than it’s bite (flavor). In fact, Epoisse’s flavor is all bacon custard. If you have clean slices of turkey, make yourself a little Epoisses wrap, or if your meat is more in chunks, make yourself a sandwich. If you can’t find Epoisses, something along the lines of Taleggio or Limburger will do. Drink with Burgundy for a lovely “what grows together goes together” situation.
Honey-baked Ham With a Sweet, Hard Cheese
Honey-baked ham is quintessential American holiday food, and it deserves an equally American cheese pairing. So, why not the most awarded cheese in American history? Pleasant Ridge Reserve from Uplands Cheese Company is made in Wisconsin by cheesemaker Andy Hatch exclusively during the summer, when his cows have access to fresh, lush pasture. The resulting cheese is, like honey-baked ham, a beautiful marriage of sweet and savory with a long finish. If you can’t find Pleasant Ridge, you could also use a sweeter cheddar. As with the turkey, you can make a quick roll-up as a snack, or put together a sandwich. Enjoy with a glass of crystalline dry Riesling to bring out the notes of honey in both delicacies.
Brussels Sprouts With a Savory Brie
We really recommend finding yourself a piece of Brie Fermier, which itself kind of tastes like brussels sprouts. Though Americans have a soft spot for mild, buttery Brie, France tends to prefer this style of cheese with big, vegetal flavors. Brie Fermier from uber-sustainable Ferme de la Tremblaye just outside of Paris is made to mimic those French-style Bries and packs a big, brassica-scented punch almost like broccoli cheese soup in wheel form. Melt the cheese directly over a serving of reheated brussels sprouts for an otherworldly umami-meets-umami moment. Drink with a cider from Normandy to bring the funk to the next level. If you can’t find Brie Fermier, a goat Brie would also be great.
Kale Salad With a Nutty, Semi-Hard Cheese
While most next-day salad is a wash, kale has a few solid days of shelf life. Young Gouda or Havarti would definitely stand up to the sturdy green, but we’d challenge you to find something new in a Tête de Moine. From the Jura Mountains, this raw cow milk cheese is traditionally and famously shaved in conical florettes using a tool called a girolle. It’s somehow fruity, meaty, and nutty all at once, and brings out the vegetal notes in kale. If your salad is in good shape, simply shave some Tête de Moine over it, or you can wilt the salad over rice and grate the cheese directly over that. Drink with an oxidative white wine from the Jura to bring out the cheese’s cashew-y notes.
Cranberry Sauce With Soft-Ripened Goat Cheese
For an extremely New England pairing, smear some cranberry sauce over a piece of Vermont Creamery Coupole, with its creamy, chalky texture and gentle funk reminiscent of preserved lemons. The tang of the cranberry sauce will further draw out the savory lemon character of the goat cheese and enhance its creaminess. If you can’t find Coupole, try Valencay or St. Maure. Drink with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc to further bring out the lip-smacking fruitiness of this pairing.
Mashed Potatoes With Grana-Style Cheese
It’s hard to go wrong with matching up cheese and potatoes of any sort, and the umami of Parmigiano Reggiano or American parmesans would be a great fit. But Piave Vecchio, Veneto region’s answer to Parmigiano Reggiano, tastes particularly great alongside a creamy mash, with its notes of chicken bouillon, bitter almond, and the slightest hint of grilled pineapple. Simply grate Parm or Piavo Vecchio over your reheated potatoes and enjoy the journey. A glass of fruity Prosecco, also native to the Veneto, will help balance out the creaminess and salt.
Rolls With a Soft Sheep-Milk Cheese
Can one tire of slathering a pillowy roll in butter? Perhaps it depends on exactly how pillowy the roll is, as well as the quality of said butter. Regardless, should you be interested in a dairy upgrade, look no further than Brebirousse d’Argental, a glorious Brie-style cheese from France made with sheep milk. The rind is dyed orange with annatto, a flavorless coloring agent that gives orange block cheddar its bright hue. The cheese inside is oozy, creamy, and mild, with the tiniest bit of barnyardy musk from the sheep milk. Smear it across the rolls, either as is or toasted, and enjoy with a glass of Crémant de Bourgogne, the orchard fruit notes of which will bring out the cheese’s hazelnut-y profile. Though it won’t be as flavorful, you could also use your go-to Brie-style cheese in this pairing.
Corn With Gjetost or Brunost
Does bland leftover creamed corn await you? Give it a second life with a bit of gjetost, the cheese world’s savory answer to caramel. This genius Norwegian cheese is made by caramelizing leftover whey from the cheesemaking process, then adding some cream for extra richness both in flavor and texture. Grate a bit of Gjetost into the corn before heating it up and stir until it’s incorporated, or slice the Gjetost thinly over toasted bread and top it with the creamed corn. If you can’t find Gjetost, anything in the Norwegian brown cheese family (a.k.a. Brunost) would be great, too. Enjoy with a dark beer to bring out the caramel flavors in the cheese.
Pecan Pie With Comté
Apple pie with a side of cheddar gets a lot of hype, and rightfully so, but pecan pie with Comté might just be a better pairing. The buttery, caramelly flavors of a younger Comté in the eight- to 12-month range will enhance the nuttiness of pecan pie and help balance its sweetness, as well as bring out the browned buttery flavors in the crust. If you can’t find Comte, an aged Gouda would play a similar role. To bring out extra nutty depth, pour yourself a glass of your favorite bourbon.
