Irish Cheddar Pairings

And a note on being spontaneous.

Mar 15, 2025

Hello and happy weekend! I’m gearing up for twelve days in NYC starting next week. I haven’t been back much since moving upstate—partly because I needed a break, but also because I somehow convinced myself it was so0o far away (it’s 1.5 hours… lol).

A few weeks ago, I grabbed drinks with a new friend and we realized we have a mutual friend in the city. Turns out, we were both invited to the same art show, but I declined thinking it was too much travel. Meanwhile, she was planning to head down for the evening to come right back. For some reason that felt like an impossible concept to me, like I physically couldn’t enter NYC for less than 24 hours. But I decided to tag along this past Thursday and it was exactly what I needed. We drove into the city around 4pm, spent an hour or so at the art show, grabbed a drink nearby, and then had an insane 15-course omakase dinner (I miss sushi… definitely one thing that upstate lacks). By 11pm, I was back in my own bed. The whole experience made me realize that sometimes I get stuck in an “all or nothing” mentality (aka, I’m either in the woods or in the city, no in-between) when in reality, it’s easy to be flexible and spontaneous.

PS You MUST check out Lauren Edelstein's art. She makes massive portraits using only emojis, truly unreal. Her show Ticket Face is running until March 16th!

So long story short, I’m returning next week for my COOKBOOK SHOOT!!! Even though I’ve already published two cookbooks, I’ve never done a proper studio shoot with a full team. I’ve told this story a million times (sorry for the redundancy), but for my previous books I grocery shopped, prepped, food-styled, and photographed everything in my tiny apartment… with my iPhone. So, this is a major upgrade.

I have no idea what the rules are around sharing behind-the-scenes content before pre-orders are announced, but you all are my people, so I’ll definitely be sharing the process with you. I also finally launched a broadcast channel on Instagram (after somehow not having access to one for two years?) so I’ll be posting fun BTS content there too. The shoot is eight days long and I’m working with one of my favorite photographers, an insanely talented food stylist and prop stylist. I am giddy. More to come!

St. Patrick’s Day Inspo

St. Patrick’s Day is on Monday (aka, my dad’s favorite holiday) and I have some fun ideas for you to celebrate. Cheddar is a rich and tangy cow’s milk cheese, identified by its signature curds and sharp bite. Ireland has one of the longest continuous traditions of cheesemaking in the world dating back over 6,000 years, if you don’t believe me you can fact check that here. Wild! Here are some of my favorite pairings.

CHEDDAR PAIRINGS

PORTER CHEDDAR + CORNED BEEF + GRAINY MUSTARD: Irish Cheddar is blended with Guinness Porter and hand-pressed into a wheel. The resulting cheese is visually stunning, featuring a pale yellow base with brown porter marbling throughout. This flavor is rich, roasted and malty. I paired this with a salty corned beef to complement the cheese, while adding a grainy mustard to brighten up the bite.
MILD CHEDDAR + GREEN APPLES + HONEY: You can’t go wrong with this classic pairing. The tang from the apple cuts through the richness of the cheddar, providing a slightly sweet and acidic taste and crunchy texture. The honey also adds an extra bit of sweetness to the bite.
VINTAGE CHEDDAR + ROASTED SWEET POTATOES + SPICY HONEY: The texture of aged cheddars become more nutty, crumbly, and sharp over time. It also develops a slightly tangier finish, earthy notes, and hard crystals that add a slight crunch to each bite. The zing from the cheddar is balanced out by the sweet potato, while the spicy honey adds a smooth layer of heat.
SHARP CHEDDAR + IRISH SODA BREAD + APRICOT JAM: This is a great breakfast pairing! The apricot jam brings out the fruity undertones of the cheddar, while the Irish soda bread adds a sweet and scone-like texture element. So good.

ST. PATRICK’S DAY PLATE

I have seen my fair share of St. Patrick’s Day plates over the years, and many of them include rainbow candy galore, four-leaf clover cut-outs and leprechauns. As much I do love to lean into the kitschy creations, I wanted to simplify with this one, keeping with the orange and green Irish flag theme but focusing on the pairings itself!

The star of the show is obviously the aged Irish Cheddar, adding a creamy and tangy bite to the plate. But let’s not miss the bourbon maple roasted carrots. Pair those two together for a decadent sweet and salty bite. The sweet and smoky notes of the bourbon maple syrup blend beautifully with the sweetness of the carrots, creating a caramelized glaze in the oven. See below for the supplies, pairings and a step-by-step!

CHEESE: Aged Irish Cheddar (Kerrygold), Triple Creme Brie (Mt Tam), Aged Gouda (Beemster)

PRODUCE: Cucumbers - Sliced with this knife, Green Olives, pitted, Maple Bourbon Rosted Carrots (Toss sliced carrots in maple syrup, olive oil, salt and pepper and bake at 400F for about 15-20 minutes)

CRUNCH: Fruit and Nut Crackers, Chili Lime Cashews

DIP: Honeycomb, Fig Jam

GARNISH: Fresh Dill