Yes! Add Cheese to Your Thanksgiving Table
Thanksgiving spread
Thanksgiving dinner is full of traditions. Maybe your mom always brings along her famous cornbread, while your uncle always tries his hand at a fried turkey (and your aunt ensures there's a fire extinguisher). But every so often, you can switch things up. That doesn't mean taking away from the dishes you love most. Instead, try adding a twist, with cheese. A welcome drink and charcuterie board is always a welcome sight, but what about cheese pairings for every classic dish?
Cheesemongers Kellie Freemire and Alex Armstrong
We spoke to cheese mongers Kellie Freemire, of Beautiful Rind in Chicago and Alex Armstrong of New York-based cheese importer Maker to Monger, about how they'd integrate cheese into each part of the Thanksgiving meal. Below are their pairing ideas for classic Thanksgiving dishes, from turkey to stuffing. Bonus: Even if you don’t add cheese to your Thanksgiving meal, these cheeses add new life to Thanksgiving leftovers!
Turkey + Shadow Blossom
Turkey and Shadow blossom
Both Freemire and Armstrong agree that cheese pairings with turkey should fill in the gaps of what turkey lacks. Sure, it brings a savory, meaty flavor to the plate — but it could use fat, acidity, and even sweetness to bring it up a notch.
Armstrong recommends turkey with Shadow Blossom, a raw cow's milk cheese made in collaboration by Hofkaserei Kraus and Michelin-starred Restaurant Schattbuch in Germany, which is encrusted with five different peppercorns, as well as cardamom. "It's designed not to just add heat but citrus, floral and warm spice," Armstrong says. "The richness of the cheese adds much needed fat to the turkey while the popping texture and bright aromas of the peppercorns harmonize the two into a fully composed pairing."
Cranberry sauce + Challerhocker
Cranberry sauce and Challerhocker
You can't eat cranberry sauce by itself. How about with a slice of cheese? Armstrong recommends Challerhocker, a raw cow's milk, alpine-style cheese made by Walter Räss at Kaserei Tufertschwil in Switzerland. "Challerhocker has a decadent brothy, malty and caramelized onion profile that is the perfect foil to a tangy, zesty cranberry sauce," says Armstrong. "The added sweetness of the sauce compliments the intensity of the cheese while helping to bring out the sweeter, nuttier flavors in the cheese." Freemire prefers to lead with richness rather than intensity, advising pairing soft-ripened cheeses like Blakesville Creamery's Shabby Shoe or Brillat Savarin, as "both cheeses have a richness that will counterbalance the tanginess of the cranberry," she says.
Gravy + Meadow Creek Mountaineer
Gravy and Meadow Creek Mountaineer
Gravy brings rich umami to the Thanksgiving table. Both mongers recommend leaning into its rich, savory profile with cheese. Armstrong finds that the crème fraiche and fresh porcini notes of Monti Porcini, a raw cow's milk, Appenzellar style cheese from Güntensperger Käse in Switzerland helps to cut through some of the richness of the gravy and add even more complexity and earthy undertones to the bite. Freemire agrees that Alpine-style cheeses are the way to go here, calling out both Meadow Creek Dairy Mountaineer and Le Gruyère d'Alpage AOP as great options to lean into the fatty, savory flavors of gravy.
Sweet potatoes + Menonita
Sweet potatoes and Menonita
Sweet potatoes can present as sweet or savory depending on what you serve with it. Freemire loves to grate Menonita by Quesos Navarro, a semi-firm cheese that's salty and nutty, on top of her sweet potatoes, while Armstrong prefers a slice of Wrångebäck, which is a raw cows milk Tomme made by Almnäs Bruk in Sweden. Armstrong notes that Wrangeback's dense but fudgy texture, which is rich with flavors of brown butter and fermented grass, helps bring out the sweet and caramelized notes of the sweet potato.
Stuffing + Jumi Smoked Raclette
Stuffing and Jumi Smoked Raclette
Stuffing, similarly to sweet potatoes, lends itself to cheese — so much so that cheese can easily be added to your family's stuffing recipe. You just need to choose the right one. Armstrong argues that Jumi Smoked Raclette, a traditional raw milk cheese from the Emmental Valley in Switzerland, adds a layer of complexity to the stuffing, making it taste as if you made it over an open fire. In contrast, Freemire thinks an aged Italian sheep or goat's milk like Calabrian Sfizio Pecorino Crotonese would be easily shaved into the stuffing mix and would complement its herbal flavors well, without overshadowing them.
Green bean casserole + Belper Knolle
Green bean casserole and Belper Knolle
For this pairing, Armstrong went the seasoning route, using cheese in lieu of certain spices. "If you would put salt and pepper on your green bean casserole, just put Belper instead," he says. "Belper Knolle is a raw milk shaving cheese studded with garlic and black pepper made by Jumi in Switzerland. Light shavings of this cheese give a lactic feel to the casserole while the garlic and black pepper help to brighten up the overall pairing."
And if you'd rather use your green beans for dipping, Freemire recommends Sequatchie Cove Creamery's Ebenezer or Uplands Cheese Rush Creek Reserve, both seasonal cheeses made from rich winter milk and secured with spruce bark. All you need to do is cut off the top of the cheese and you have a dippable side for your beans, if you are forgoing the classic casserole treatment.
Apple pie + Shelburne Farms 2 Year Cheddar
Apple Pie and Shelburne Farms 2 Year Cheddar
Apple pie may be the most famous American pie out there. For Freemire's pairing, she leans on another American tradition hailing from Vermont: serving Apple pie with cheddar cheese. Her top picks are Shelburne Farms 2-Year Cheddar or Urbandstead Street Ched, which both bring a sharp tanginess meant to offset the pie's sweetness. Armstrong, rather, defies tradition, and reaches for OG Kristal, a Belgian Gouda style made by Kaasboerderij T’Groendal in collaboration with Kassaffineurs Van Tricht. "OGK is caramelized and lightly fruity, making it the perfect dessert cheese to accentuate any pie. Microplane this over some apple pie and you have a crazy good take on the American classic," he says. "Get some vanilla ice cream in there and you have yourself a truly decadent dessert," he adds.
Thanksgiving isn't known for its cheesy dishes, but that doesn't mean playful cheese pairings can't be a part of your meal. This year, skip the cheese board and add your favorite cheeses alongside or cooked into classic dishes from green bean casserole to stuffing. It may be the start of an entirely new tradition.