{"id":20299,"date":"2015-05-26T07:00:17","date_gmt":"2015-05-26T11:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/?p=20299"},"modified":"2015-05-05T15:10:19","modified_gmt":"2015-05-05T19:10:19","slug":"pairing-jalapeno-cheese","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/pairing-jalapeno-cheese\/","title":{"rendered":"Pairing Jalape\u00f1o and Cheese"},"content":{"rendered":"

The mighty jalape\u00f1o pepper is both feared and revered. For those who can\u2019t handle the heat, even the mere sight of these bad boys can set off a case of psychosomatic sweats. For chiliheads making pilgrimages up the Scoville scale, these peppers are old friends, always there to deliver a scorching slap in the face. What happens if you add cheese to the mix? Welcome to strange new territory.<\/p>\n

On one hand, cheese and jalape\u00f1os seem like a natural match\u2014think of jalape\u00f1o poppers; jalape\u00f1o cheddar\u2013cheeseburgers; nachos. Latin American cuisine features dozens of cheesy jalape\u00f1o dishes, many of which have infiltrated United States food culture with pleasing ubiquity.<\/p>\n

Yet on the other hand, jalape\u00f1os are an intense food. Just a few slivers can transform your steaming bowl of pho into a pool of hurts-so-good spice. Many creamy, mild cheeses are overwhelmed easily by the strongman jalape\u00f1o, and funky notes of certain pungent cheeses are masked by the peppery punch.<\/p>\n

The answer to the cheese jalape\u00f1o paradox lies in chemistry. One of the central active compounds in jalape\u00f1o peppers is capsaicin<\/em>. When capsaicin comes in contact with our mouth, nose, and skin, certain pain receptors translate that sensation as heat, and the body does its best to eliminate it\u2014excess saliva, runny nose, teary eyes. Some people love the sensation (thus, Tabasco); others do not.<\/p>\n

One of the most effective counter-thrusts to fiery capsaicin is casein<\/em>, a major building block of cheese. Casein proteins push aside capsaicin and bind to the same pain receptors, in some cases almost immediately cutting heat\u2014and perhaps creating interesting new flavors in the process.<\/p>\n

The trick to pairing cheese with jalape\u00f1os, then, isn\u2019t erasing the pain\u2014it\u2019s mitigating it just enough to let the flavors of both shine.<\/p>\n

Raw Jalape\u00f1os<\/h3>\n

Those looking for some serious spice, head here: Capsaicin is concentrated in the inner white flesh of the jalape\u00f1o (where seeds are), so slice the pepper raw for maximum intensity.<\/p>\n

Texture plays a key role\u2014crumbly cheeses pair well with raw jalape\u00f1os since they break down quickly on the palate. To mix things up beyond standard Mexican cotija, try fresh, mild feta. For something a little older, play around with a cheddar-style. Both will lock in step with the jalape\u00f1o\u2019s earthy, vegetal, spicy notes.<\/p>\n


\nCow\u2019s milk feta<\/a>
\n+<\/strong>
\nraw jalape\u00f1os<\/em>
\n<\/center>
\n

\nFiscalini Cheese San Joaquin Gold<\/a>
\n+<\/strong>
\nraw jalape\u00f1os<\/em>
\n<\/center><\/p>\n

Roasted Jalape\u00f1os<\/h3>\n

If raw peppers are too spicy for you, mellow those jalape\u00f1os in the oven or on the grill (broil or grill until skin is blackened, about 10 to 15 minutes). External charred bits add a whole new dimension of smokiness, while raw spiciness gives way to a wonderful, unexpected sweetness. A classic, milky Monterey Jack will taste almost like dessert in its delectable creaminess when eaten with the roasted peppers. For more depth, try Spring Brook Farm Reading, a raclette-style with wine-like flavors that intertwine with the jalape\u00f1o\u2019s charbroiled sweetness.<\/p>\n


\nCabot Monterey Jack<\/a>
\n+<\/strong>
\nroasted jalape\u00f1os<\/em>
\n<\/center>
\n

\nSpring Brook Farm Reading<\/a>
\n+<\/strong>
\nroasted jalape\u00f1os<\/em>
\n<\/center><\/p>\n

Pickled Jalape\u00f1os<\/h3>\n

Rounding out the jalape\u00f1o triumvirate are pickles, gracing nacho party platters for decades. But there\u2019s more to these jarred slices than meets the eye\u2014the heat takes one step back while tart vinegar leaps forward. Take this pairing in two directions: meet those pickled notes headon with strongly flavored cheese (for a fiesta in your mouth, try Sartori Salsa Asiago) or let nuanced vinegar balance out with a more subtle cheese (the rich butter-biscuit profile of Belgium\u2019s sheep\u2019s milk Beringse Gouda contrasts without overwhelming).<\/p>\n


\nSartori Salsa Asiago<\/a>
\n+<\/strong>
\npickled jalape\u00f1os<\/em>
\n<\/center>
\n

\nTerschelling Gouda<\/a>
\n+<\/strong>
\npickled jalape\u00f1os<\/em>
\n<\/center><\/p>\n
\n

This article originally appeared in our 2015 Cheese+ ultimate Pairings<\/a> issue. If you’d like to see all 26 amazing cheese pairings, purchase a copy today<\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Spice up your life… and your cheese pairings by teaming up jalape\u00f1o and cheese<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":20300,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[573],"coauthors":[66,583,628],"class_list":["post-20299","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cheese-pairings","tag-cheese-and-food-2"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPairing Jalape\u00f1o and Cheese - culture: the word on cheese<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Spice up your life... and your cheese pairings by teaming up jalape\u00f1o and cheese\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/pairing-jalapeno-cheese\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pairing Jalape\u00f1o and Cheese\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Spice up your life... and your cheese pairings by teaming up jalape\u00f1o and cheese\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/pairing-jalapeno-cheese\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"culture: the word on cheese\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/grantgbradley\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-05-26T11:00:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/CheesePlus15-Pairing-Jalape\u00f1o-750x368.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"750\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"368\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Grant Bradley, Photographer Evi Abeler, Stylist Laura Knoop\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Grant Bradley, Photographer Evi Abeler, Stylist Laura Knoop\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/pairing-jalapeno-cheese\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/pairing-jalapeno-cheese\/\",\"name\":\"Pairing Jalape\u00f1o and Cheese - 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