I found a great article from the California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) offering guidelines for chocolate and cheese pairings. 

With all my pairings, I consider matching flavor profiles from the chocolate’s perspective...

Since dark chocolates offer a complex set of flavors, it makes sense that the best matches would be complex, aged cheeses.

And, since milk chocolates are sweet, and have many dairy flavor components, it is recommended you choose buttery, soft cheeses for the best pairing results.

Here are some more detailed recommended pairings from the article:

1. Pair 80% or higher dark chocolate with Blue cheese
2. Enjoy chocolate caramels with a beer-washed cheese
3. Savor dark chocolates and chili peppers with aged Gouda
4. Combine dark chocolates and almonds with aged Jack
5. Going against the aged rule-of-thumb, experiment with 60% - 70% dark chocolate and fresh cream cheese
6. Try milk chocolates with Ricotta or Brie
     and, finally...
7. You can unite dark chocolates and dried fruits with Asiago or Fontina

I admit that I haven’t tried all these combinations, but I’ll have fun crossing them off my to-do list!

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Bryn Kirk

Course Facilitator at Chocolate University Online

Bryn worked for nearly 10 years in a research and product development for Ambrosia Chocolate Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Now she develops all of the CUO lessons and coaches the members of the Primal Chocolate Club.

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