A Taste of the Tropics…

As I write this, I am looking at the outside temperature on my phone..108ºF….then my eyes drift down the list of other cities, and then I see Maui, Hawaii at a breezy 72ºF…Ugh! While current restrictions keep me from flying to Maui, I can still dream I am there after a quick trip to my favorite cheese counter and their aisles of specialty foods.

 When one thinks of tropical islands, they may not immediately think of cheese (well, maybe a can of Tastee Cheese), but there are a few island producers, such as Naked Cow Dairy Farm & Creamery, as well as Hawaii Island Goat Dairy.

 I wish that I was reviewing one of these today, but they are hard to find, even in California.  

 Hopefully today’s cheese (and pairings) will help you re-think the taste of the tropics:

I stumbled across this one and was immediately fascinated:

Photo courtesy of Jean-Pierre Gabriel

 Pineapple – Fourme d’Ambert PDO – Fennel – Apple

Wow!...This one blew my mind. You rarely hear of pineapple paired with cheese…but then again, when you are a 2-star Michelin chef like Chef Sang-Hoon Degeimbre and owner of a beautiful restaurant called L’Air du Temps in Belgium, you see the food world slightly differently and like to explore and play around with different tastes and textures. 

After reading about this, it got me thinking more about this tropical fruit. Pineapples (Anannas comosus) is a tropical plant with an edible fruit. The word "pineapple" in English was first recorded in 1664 when European explorers coined the term when trying to describe this tropical fruit and noticed a resemblance to “pine cones” from conifer trees.

View fullsize

Aroma Wheel courtesy of Foodpairing®

When researching for this story, I came across the most stunningly beautiful website called Foodpairing®. The brainchild behind this website (and Facebook page) is Bernard Lahousse, a self-described “Scientist, food aficionado and Foodpairing® founder, Bernard applies his scientific approach to food innovation and extends his knowledge to chefs and bartenders all over the world.” 

  This website has some of the most beautiful food photography and simplistic graphics that give inspiration and insight of their flavor profiles and possible pairings….Can you tell I am a huge fan of this website? I immediately signed up for their classes, in which they have many different levels all the way from “Culinary Creative” up to “Expert Chef.”

 Inspired, I took a short break from writing to enjoy a simple Pineapple Cream Cheese Spread made from 8oz. of American Neufchatel Cheese (regular or low fat) and one 8 oz. can of Crushed Pineapple (drained). Simply mixed together and enjoyed on toast with a nice Island Mimosa (Guava/Passion fruit juice + Champagne). 

 Time for an afternoon Hi’olani (Nap or “To sleep, lie at ease, lounge, relax”) 

Refreshed, I decided to take a closer look at another island fruit: Coconuts.

 The coconut (Cocos nucifera) is actually not a nut at all. It is a seed (or fruit) of the Coconut tree. The name coconut (ancient: cocoanut) did not receive its name for a shade of cocoa, but rather the Spanish and Portuguese word coco, which means “head or skull” after the three indentations that resemble a face. Often referred to as the “Tree of Life” due to its many uses such as food, fuel, oil for cosmetics, folk medicine and building materials…so it’s no wonder that a cheese producer also too a closer look at it as an ingredient in their cheese.

Kokos™ Coconut Cheese is a Gouda-style cheese from the folks at Cheeseland. 

 Jan Kos, Owner and Founder of Cheeseland tells the story of his grandfather producing wheels of Gouda cheese in the early 1930’s and delivering them by bicycle. Today, their family owned and operated business is one of the largest privately held cheese companies in Holland.

 When producing Kokos™ Coconut Cheese, they do not just add coconut flavorings to the cheese, but they add fresh organic coconut cream with the pasteurized cow’s milk, so the flavor is completely natural and not overpowering. I admit that I was skeptical at first, but this creamy taste and texture goes so well together, that it is easy to understand why it was the Grand Prize winner at the 2015 SIAL Innovation Awards Ceremony. I thoroughly enjoyed this with a Maui Brewing Company Coconut Hiwa Porter. 

The final pairing that I wanted to share, I first learned from my friend Stefanie Mignolet…She was in charge of setting up our booths at different food shows around the country. She would also be in charge of what we were sampling at these food shows. Here is her pairing: 

Triple Crème Brie and Toasted Coconut Chips. 

This pairing works for the same reason that the Coconut works in the Gouda…it’s the creaminess of the cheese, with the subtle hint of the toasted coconut, just a sliver or two on a wedge of this cheese is all you need. 

So there you have it!...Four cheeses with an added island twist.

 Hopefully someday soon, I can enjoy these pairing in an island setting, and not and from my back deck. 

Until next week….Aloha!

Trevor