Best Jams and Savory Spreads For Cheese Pairings
We've tried and tested dozens of savory jam recipes to come up with the best jams, savory spreads and chutneys to pair with a variety of cheese plates. After years in the making, we've developed a line of cheese pairing jams and award winning spreads that we can absolutely guarantee will take your charcuterie and cheese plates to the next level.
From a sharp aged cheddar to a rich and creamy stilton, each of our jams and spreads are designed to not only pair with a variety of cheese but to brilliantly compliment the cheese by adding a complex sweet and savory addition. Our spreads and jams are made with a combination of fresh fruits and aromatic spices, slowly simmered and handcrafted entirely by us with no artificial ingredients or added preservatives.
Wozz! Savory Spreads and Jams For Cheese Pairings
Savory Spreads and Jams For Cheese ~ Wozz! Perfect Pairings
1. Triple Ale Onion Savory Jam Spread
A slow cooked caramelized onion jam made with fresh roasted garlic, brown sugar and a combination of 3 artisan ales. Winner of the NYC Fancy Food Show for best condiment in it's class, this savory onion spread pairs well with:
Blue Cheese - this sweet sticky onion jam with it's hoppy kick is right at home paired with a blue cheese. Try on a crostini with fresh rosemary or as a pizza base with gorgonzola, walnuts and thyme. Favorite pairings for your next cheese plate include Jasper Cellars Bayley Hazen Blue, Colston Bassett Stilton and Point Reyes Bay Blue.
Aged Cheddar - who doesn't like a full flavored aged cheddar with an onion spread made with craft beer? This is a delicious pairing and great for both a laid back style cheese plate and a sophisticated one as well. Pair with charcuterie for an appetizer that is simple and a crowd favorite. Our favorite pairings include: Cabot clothbound cheddar, Grafton Village reserve cheddar and Harmans cheddar.
Washed Rind - the savory flavors of this onion jam complement the pungent punchy flavors of a traditional washed rind cheese and of course, the addition of ale is a complimentary pairing. Favorite pairing: Jasper Cellars Willoughby.
Goats Cheese - balances the zesty flavor of goats cheese with a savory caramelized onion bite. Delicious on crostini, flat bread or paired together in mini tart shells and topped with fresh herbs.
Charcuterie - perfect for a cheese and charcuterie board! Pair with cured meats including sausage and salami and with terrine or paté.
Pictured Below: Wozz! Triple Ale Onion Jam Spread Paired with Aged Cheddar and Salami
Pictured Below: Wozz! Triple Ale Onion Spread paired with Colston Bassett Stilton Blue Cheese
2. Balsamic Fig Mostarda Spread
Sweet figs and fresh hand cut pears simmered in a balsamic reduction with the traditional finish of mustard spice. Winner of the NYC Fancy Food Show Sofi award for outstanding condiment, this balsamic fig mostarda spread is our signature cheese pairing accompaniment. Rich with layered flavors, this savory fig jam pairs with almost any cheese including:
goats cheese - pair this rich and savory fig jam with either fresh chèvre on crostini for a crowd pleasing appetizer or serve alongside an aged goats cheese.blue cheese - by slowly simmering figs and fresh pears in a balsamic reduction sauce, our Balsamic Fig Mostarda Spread is a classic accompaniment to blue cheese, perfectly on par with the cheese's bold flavors.
soft bloomy rind cheese including brie and camembert - baked brie with fig jam, another classic holiday favorite. Try pairing our Balsamic Fig Mostarda Spread with Jasper Cellars Harbison - a soft bloomy rind cheese similar to brie with grassy mustard notes. It's the perfect cheese pairing alongside a loaf of crusty bread.
Pictured Below: Crostini with Balsamic Fig Spread, Gorgonzola and Prosciutto
Wozz! Fig Jam and Brie Mini Tarts:
3. Sour Cherry Spiced Wine Fruit Compote
A sour cherry compote jam made with whole sour cherries slowly simmered in a red wine reduction sauce with aromatic winter mulling spices and cracked black pepper. Our Sour Cherry Spread with Spiced Wine Fruit Compote is a beautiful cheese pairing spread, especially during the fall, winter and holiday season.
Our favorite cheese and sour cherry jam pairings include:
Stilton - this intense rich and full of fruit cherry spread enhanced with warm aromatic spices and bold red wine is a perfect match for a medium to strong blue including stilton and Roquefort. A personal favorite pairing is with Vermont's Blue Ledge Farm Middlebury Blue.
Triple Cream Brie - our Sour Cherry Spread is decadent and gorgeous on top of a baked triple cream brie cheese. Full of juicy whole sour cherries, this makes a holiday statement that compliments the woody earthiness of brie.
Goats Cheese - Rich cherries and warm spices lends itself to a beautiful pairing with tangy creamy goats cheese. Favorite pairings include goats cheese spread onto crostini with our sour cherry jam. Vermont Creamery's Coupole and Bonne Bouche are delicious choices.
Mascarpone - A brilliant match for dessert, try a dessert style cheese pairings with mascarpone, sour cherry spread and cocoa cakes or grahams.
4. Sticky Date Candied Orange Chutney
Dates are a classic traditional cheese pairing accompaniment. Travel the world and you'll find most cheese pairings and wine tastings will come with dried dates to compliment the flavor. We have taken this classic traditional cheese pairing to the next level by slow cooking dates with the addition of pears, hand candied oranges, cider vinegar and a medley of spices.
Aged Gouda - who doesn't love the nutty caramel deliciousness of an aged gouda? It's just perfection in my eyes and our sticky date candied orange chutney is a delicious match. The orange marmalade accent in this chutney is a great enhancement for the cheese.
Cheddar - this savory date chutney is bursting with character and just delicious with an aged cheddar or smoked cheddar, our favorite pick is Harman's cheese smoked cheddar. Don't forget to add charcuterie to your cheese pairing on this one.
Alpine Style Cheese - our sticky date and orange chutney pairs well with this nutty buttery style cheese. Our favorite cheese pairings include Cabot Alpine Cheddar and Jasper Cellars Alpha Tolman.
Hard Cheese - Our sticky date candied orange chutney is a delightful treat when paired with a sharp nutty aged Manchego or parmesan.
Wozz! Sticky Date Candied Orange Chutney with Alpine Style Cheese Pairing
5. Cranberry Orange Cognac Chutney
New England cranberries infused with fresh orange, cinnamon, clove, cognac orange liquor, apples and raisins for a rich fruit forward chutney. Well suited for a variety of cheese, our favorite cheese and cranberry chutney pairings include:
Soft Bloomy Rind Cheese - Top a wheel of baked brie or camembert with cranberry chutney and walnuts for a beautiful and delicious Thanksgiving appetizer. Don't forget to add our Cranberry Orange Chutney to your leftover turkey and brie sandwich!
Cheddar - Simple and delicious, you can pair our cranberry orange chutney simply alongside cheddar on a cheese plate or use with melted cheddar in puff pastry for a deliciously gooey warm appetizer.
Pictured Below: Cranberry Chutney and Brie Cheese Puff Pastry Appetizer
6. Thai Hot Pepper Jelly
Our Thai Hot Pepper Jelly is a combination of roasted red peppers, sweet chili heat, fresh ginger, fresh garlic and it's full of flavor! This hot pepper jelly is not too spicy (about a 5/10 on the heat scale) so you can pair this with cheese without overpowering it. Traditionally hot pepper jelly is served with cream cheese and crackers for a no fail, simple, delicious and easy appetizer but you can also serve it with a simple sharp cheddar or goats cheese.
If you are looking for simple entertaining ideas, remember that all of our savory cheese pairing jams and spreads can be folded through cream cheese or a creamy goats cheese and served with crackers.
Entertaining Made Easy! Thai Hot Pepper Jelly with Cream Cheese Appetizer:
7. Wild Blueberry Maple Walnut Fruit Compote
This wild blueberry jam compote is made with Wild Maine Blueberries steeped in Balsamic with Fresh Rosemary, Toasted Walnuts and 100% Pure Maple Syrup. Pairs well with an aged goats cheese and creamy baked brie.
Recipe: Baked Brie with Wild Blueberry Maple Walnut Fruit Compote
8. Winter Spiced Fruits and Honey Confit
A sweet pickled dried fruit confit with aromatic winter spices, fresh rosemary, candied oranges and honey. Glistening colorful cherries, apricots, cranberries and golden sultanas dress up all your favorite festive cheese plates and charcuterie boards. Try our fruit and honey confit on:
Baked Brie - Spoon our Winter Spiced Fruits and Honey Confit over a baked brie for a gorgeous addition to your holiday spread.
Goats Cheese - Spoon atop goats cheese for an easy, festive and fun holiday appetizer.
Blue Cheese - This dried fruit chutney with honey pairs well with a sharp blue cheese and is delicious atop toasted crostini or crackers.
Cheese and Jam Pairing Sets
Wozz! Cheese Pairing Essentials ~ A Set of 4 Savory Spreads and Jams For Classic Cheese Plate Pairings.
We also have two gift sets designed for perfect cheese pairings, our classic cheese pairing gift set and our gourmet spreads for cheese set. Our cheese pairing gift boxes come in a silver Wozz! gift box with eco friendly packaging, pairing cards and a personalized note from you.
You can also choose your own assortment of our sweet and savory cheese pairing condiments.
Classic Cheese Pairings Gift Set
Send one of our thoughtfully crafted cheese pairing gift sets to your cheese obsessed friend or send one to yourself and share the joy of cheese and jam pairings with your family, co-workers and loved ones. Perfect for the holidays, birthdays and Mother's Day.
Quick Cheese Overview:
Blue Cheese - This class of cheese has had the mold Penicillin added to them, leading to their blue veined appearance. Usually creamy and crumbly, blue cheeses tend to be pungent, salty and sharp although a Colston Basset Stilton can be buttery fudgy and elegantly sweet. Their are a number of varieties, some milder than others, including Danish Blue, Gorgonzola, Stilton and Roquefort. Italian Gorgonzola and Cambozola (a blue brie blend) tend to be milder in flavor whereas a French Roquefort tends to be spicy and pungent.
Cheddar - Originated in the town of Somerset, England, cheddar, is a relatively firm cheese that can taste mellow in flavor or slightly strong and earthy depending on the variety. A vintage cheddar which tends to be rich and earthy is aged greater than 15 months. Cheddar is one of the most popular styles of cheese here in the US, coming in second after Mozzarella. Varieties include: Sharp, Extra Sharp, Farmhouse, Irish, Aged Cheddar, Smoked Cheddar
Soft Bloomy Rind Cheese - or ripened soft cheese (which also includes goats cheese as mentioned above) and also includes some of our favorite cheese plate offerings: Brie and Camembert. Both of these have the bloomy rind which is a rind that is soft, velvety and fluffy in texture and yes, edible and a soft creamy buttery interior that oozes at the peak of ripeness.
-
Brie is a soft cows milk cheese that originated in Brie France, it's flavor profile varies but can be described as earthy, mushroomy, grassy and nutty. Cream is added to Brie and types can include "double-créme" brie and "triple-créme" brie which is directly related to the amount of butter fat in the cheese (60-75% for a double créme and greater than 75% for a triple créme).
- Camembert is also a soft ripened bloomy rind cheese made from cows milk and originated in Camembert, Normandy France. It is very similar to brie but tends to have a bit of a more intense earthy flavor. It's ripened usually in smaller wheels and does tend to become creamier than brie when warmed.
Goats Cheese - or what most call "chévre" which is French for goat is typically a soft cheese, tart and earthy in flavor. Varieties can be un-ripened or ripened and range in texture from moist and soft to semi firm and hard. Un-ripened goats cheese (fresh goats cheese) is typically what we pick up in the grocery store, it's creamy and tangy. Ripened goats cheese or aged goats cheese, typically have a soft velvety outer white mold casing and a creamy interior with a bit more complexity from the aging process.
Washed Rind Cheese - Commonly referred to as "stinky cheese". Washed rind cheeses are plump and moist with pungent aromas and intense flavors. These more savory punchy cheese varieties get their name and strong aroma from having their rinds washed with different types of alcohol from cider to beer to brandy. The flavors of washed rind cheese can't be judged by their initial distinctive aroma, they actually taste different and milder than the smell of the rind.
Semi Hard or Hard Cheese - Hard cheeses have a lower moisture content than your soft cheeses and are typically packed in molds under greater pressure and aged for longer periods of time. Flavors are usually sharper, sometimes salty, sweet nutty and rich. Varieties include cheddar (as mentioned above), aged gouda, parmesan, pecorino, Manchego and alpine style cheese.
The Do's and Don'ts of Cheese and Jam Pairings
1. For most cheese pairings, especially when you are serving a more sophisticated cheese, do not pour the jam over the cheese. Serve it alongside the cheese on a cheese board and let your guests pair as they choose. An exception to this is with cream cheese. It's simple and casual and can be served mixed in, on the side or poured over top. For most other cheese plates, serve as an accompaniment to let the cheese shine.
2. This is my opinion, but not every jam should be served with cheese. Jams and spreads made with dried fruit such as fig or date or with fruits such as pear, cherries, apple and quince are traditional and classic pairings. Their are just some jams that don't pair particularly well with cheese. Grapefruit marmalade and strawberry kiwi jam are better options for toast.
3. Serve your cheese at room temperature. Take it out of the fridge an hour before serving.
4. Use a separate knife for each cheese so the stronger more pungent cheeses don't taint the others.
5. Serve accompaniments that enhance the cheese plate but don't over do it. Simple is best and make sure you choose accompaniments that compliment each other. Accompaniments include a variety of crackers and breads, charcuterie such as salami or pate, pickles, nuts, honeycomb, fresh fruit such as grapes and sliced pear and of course 1 or 2 savory jams and spreads that compliment a variety of cheese.
6. If you have more than a couple guests, make sure you do a big enough spread. You don't want all your cheese and accompaniments on a small board with guests having to wait to get in on the action.
7. Choose a variety of cheese but not too many - a mix of 4 cheeses is a good amount. You can choose between varying textures and styles of cheese: In example, a blue cheese, an aged cheddar, a washed rind and a soft bloomy rind cheese. Another great recommendation is choosing cheese based on different milk sources - a mixture of sheep, cow's, goats milk cheeses.
8. Serve complimentary wines and beer that also add to the cheese tasting experience.
Shop The Total Collection of Wozz! Cheese Pairing Spreads