Our latest package for Cheese of the Month was just right for the month of March: Irish cheeses! Our four cheeses were Dubliner, Erin Gold, Aged Cheddar, and Cahill Porter.
Kerrygold Dubliner is a regular in our house: I was first introduced to it as a sample at Trader Joe’s, and I fell in love. It’s a hard cow’s cheese, kind of buttery and kind of sharp all at once. It’s great as a snack if you eat it plain, but it was even better with our horseradish beet mustard.
Erin Gold is another nice, buttery cow cheese. While buttery, it’s mild enough to match with pretty much anything, which led to a lot of ‘OMG pair it with THAT’ moments while we were eating.
The vintage cheddar was another Kerrygold product. This one is a little stronger than the Dubliner (aged a year longer), and SUPER creamy. We found that this one paired well with honey and jelly, with the sweeter dippies enhancing the creaminess.
Finally, we finished with the Cahill’s Irish Porter Cheddar. This cow cheese is infused with porter beer from Guinness, which gives it the marbled appearance. The flavor on this was kind of nutty and chocolatey, a little stronger than the other cheeses this month. This was the hardest one to pair, although the sweeter dips and fruit seemed to work best.
The Irish cheeses (with the exception of the porter) were quite versatile and easy-snacking. Pretty much any of them would be a good option if you need a flavorful cheese to keep on hand for a snack (ounce of cheese, slice of bread, and some olive oil, even!). The porter was a little odd, but if you’re a beer drinker, I think you’ll enjoy it.
Feel free to share with your favorite leprechaun! š
I get two kinds of Kerrygold cheese at ALDI, seasonally, unfortunately. They don’t carry them all year long, so I stock up for a couple of month’s worth when they’re there. Mmmm.