Chicken and Cheese?

i plan on roasting chicken breasts with prosciutto and cheese stuffed inside. what kind of cheese would be good? nothing too rich or creamy, just enough... thanks.

Parmesan seems like it would be a possibility. It's not rich and creamy, it melts, and it would work with the prosciutto.

Hammond

Fontina Val d'Aosta would be good.

Bill/SFNM

or a simple domestic asiago.

Provolone would be a good choice as well. I sometimes take boneless pork loin, butterfly, lightly layer with prosciutto and provolone, roll and tie. Rub with olive oil, rosemary, garlic, salt, pepper, then hot smoke/roast on my WSM. Recipe came from Ed Pawlowski, a BBQ guy in the Northeast.

Enjoy,
Gary

Since you are pairing the cheese with something with high salt content, you need one that is MILD and can counteract the saltiness, not overpower the prosciutto, and add another dimension (texture, depth, vehicle for salt and cure).

I agree with the following suggestions: provolone (domestic, not aged) and Fontina Val D'Aosta. Domestic Mozzarella (and even some lovely Mozz di Bufala, if you want to spend that kind of dough) or a very young Gouda or Edam will also work. Parm and domestic Asiago both tend to be salty, which will not provide a counterpoint to the prosciutto. Parm or Domestic Asiago would be nice on top of the chicken, grated, and browned just before you serve it. Any young, mild, cheese with a firm texture will work. Aged cheeses tend to have a higher salt content, as a cheese that has lost water will become naturally more concentrated in salts.

thanks for the responses. i've used provolone in the past b/c of it's light taste to balance w/ the prosciutto. i was just interested in trying a different cheese and might just stick w/ provolone. thanks again.

Queijo wrote: Aged cheeses tend to have a higher salt content, as a cheese that has lost water will become naturally more concentrated in salts.

Excellent point. I had not actually thought of it that way, but that's a good rule of thumb. The older, the saltier (certainly true in my case ).

Hammond

Just to throw in my two cents, I pretty much agree with Queijo and my own preference of cheeses he mentions would be a young Gouda (or an Edam). But I find the interaction of ham (of just about any sort) -- and if it's real prosciutto di parma, it shouldn't be all that salty -- and gruyere especially nice. Gruyere melts beautifully and mates well with other flavours.

Antonius

I use Fontina and a few fresh sage leaves. It works nicely with pork, too.

Choey wrote:It works nicely with pork, too.

Choey,

To drink, deglaze or both?

I just realized I read pork as port. Guess my brain is telling me it 5 o'clock somewhere.

Enjoy,
Gary

A well-aged Stilton, a bottle of 1977 Fonseca, and who the heck cares about chicken. I'm with you.