Perfect Pairings & Recipes for
Blue Cheese

Top flavour pairings and blue cheese recipes, revealed through the hidden methmatics of flavour.

Blue cheese instantly conjures the evocative embrace of mould and the kiss of butyric acid, but beneath its umami surface lies a nuanced symphony of subtle flavour notes: glutamate, protease, and even hints of lactic acid that contribute remarkable depth. The alchemy of the kitchen unfolds when we pair blue cheese with ingredients that let these nuances sing.

To chart these harmonies, we analysed thousands of ingredients, each deconstructed across 150 distinct flavour dimensions, pinpointing the notes that best complement this ingredient’s profile. Our findings reveal, for instance, how flat-leaf parsley's leafy tones can carry blue cheese, or how elderflower cordial's linalool notes create an unexpectedly harmonious bridge with the pungent aroma.

An ingredient's flavour profile is determined by its core characteristics (e.g. acidic, earthy, and carnal) enhanced by layers of subtle aroma notes (outer bars). When pairing ingredients, aim for a mix of core traits to build balance, and select complementary aroma notes to create harmony.

The Flavour Code

To understand how flavour notes harmonise, we analysed more than 50,000 popular ingredient combinations. By exploring these pairings, we identified specific flavour notes that frequently occur together, indicating they share a harmonious relationship.

The Flavours That Harmonise With Penicillium Notes

Our analysis shows that the flavour of mould is strongly associated with the flavour of elderflower. This suggests we should look for ingredients with a elder flavour, such as elderflower cordial, when pairing with the mouldy notes of blue cheese.

The recipe below provides inspiration for pairing blue cheese with elderflower cordial.

Harmonious Flavours Of Blue Cheese

Just as our analysis revealed that mould and pencil-lead flavours combine harmoniously, we can identify the full profile of flavours that harmonise with each of the flavour notes present in blue cheese. For instance, the butyric notes of blue cheese are strongly associated with vanillic and sugary notes.

The accents associated with the various notes of blue cheese can be seen highlighted in the pink bars below.

Matching Flavour Profiles

The flavour profile of flat-leaf parsley offers many of the accents complementary to blue cheese, including leafy and grassy aroma notes. Because the flavour profile of flat-leaf parsley has many of the of the features that are complementary to blue cheese, they are likely to pair very well together.

The chart above shows the unique profile of flat-leaf parsley across 150 dimensions of flavour, while the recipes below offer inspiration for bringing these flavours together with blue cheese.

Recipes That Pair Blue Cheese With Flat-leaf Parsley

Linked Flavour Notes

Looking at the aromas that are most strongly associated with the various flavours of blue cheese, we can identify other ingredients that are likely to pair well.

The left side of the chart above highlights the aroma notes of blue cheese, along with the complementary aromas associated with each note. While the right side shows some of the ingredients that share many of the accents complementary to blue cheese.

What To Drink With Blue Cheese

The graphite notes in californian cabernet sauvignon make it a perfect pairing with blue cheese. Likewise, the vanilla flavours in stellenbosch cabernet sauvignon create a match made in heaven. Explore a variety of ingredients below that beautifully complement the unique character of blue cheese below.

Which Fruit Go With Blue Cheese?

Choose fruit that anchor its savoryness or anchor its pungent aroma. Red bell pepper and green grape offer vibrant, clean counterpoints, their verdant freshness lifting the palate. Plum jam add a gentle, oniony brightness, while medjool date introduces a sophisticated, anise-tinged elegance.

Alternatively, embrace fruit that harmonise with blue cheese's pungency. The addition of agave nectar, with its subtle vanillic notes, can complement the butyric acid beautifully, while fig leaf lends a clean sweetness.

How Flavonomics Works

We've pioneered a unique, data-driven approach to decode the intricate art of flavour pairing. Our goal is to move beyond intuition and uncover the science of why certain ingredients harmonise beautifully. This rigorous methodology allows us to provide you with insightful and reliable pairing recommendations.

Our analysis begins with over 50,000 carefully selected recipes from acclaimed chefs like Galton Blackiston, Marcello Tully, and Pierre Lambinon. This premium dataset ensures our model distils genuine culinary excellence and creativity.

Each ingredient from these recipes is deconstructed across 150 distinct flavour dimensions, creating a unique numerical "flavour fingerprint." This quantification allows us to apply advanced analytical methods to identify complex patterns between flavour notes.

We identify popular ingredient combinations that frequently appear in our recipe database. Regression analysis is then performed on these pairings to statistically validate and pinpoint truly harmonious flavours.

These insights drive our predictive model, which allows us to take any ingredient (e.g., Blue cheese), analyse its detailed flavour profile, and accurately reveal its complementary flavours and perfect ingredient partners.