News

At his new Vancouver restaurant, FigMint (604-875-3312), chef Lee Humphries couldn't bear to send out a run-of-the-mill cheese plate. So he devised a 12-cheese menu, with wine, scotch or beer pairings.

Wine, of course. Scotch, maybe. But beer?

"It's something that's not done," he says. "But beer and cheese is a great combination because they're so different. A lot of cheese has a grainy, salty content to it. The beer helps bring that out. I'm trying to keep cheese interesting."

For the four cheese-beer pairings on his menu, he looked to the cheeses of his native United Kingdom. "I wanted a story, a flavour spectrum. So I started at the southwest corner right up through to Scotland."

At the heady, Scottish end of the spectrum is Thomas Hoe Stilton paired with a honeycomb and Guinness.

"The only reason you can call it Stilton, which usually comes from England, is because Thomas Hoe is actually the guy who invented Stilton," he says. "You've got the salty, intensity of the blue, paired with the honeycomb for extra sweetness, and the Guinness is a rich, full-bodied beer. It's a full experience."

At the gentler end is Cornish Yarg, a softer semi-firm white cheese.

"I wanted something crisper to go with it so I paired it with Stella [Artois]. . . . My favourite beer is Stella."

The Ontario Craft Brewers are also pushing the idea of beer and cheese getting cozy. They suggest fruit beers such as Amsterdam Framboise with blue cheese, amber lagers such as Brick's JR Brickman Amber with brie, and fuller beers such as Scotch Irish Sergeant Major's IPA with Jarlsberg.

Humphries says the home chef can take advantage of the no-rules nature of the trend.

"Enjoy it. Try as many combinations as you can. And when you perfect it, get all your buddies around and have a great night. Everybody's palate's different."

Still, he suggests a few guidelines.

First, don't forget the role of the garnish, which should progress from "clean" to "intense" -- i.e. don't overpower a young cheese with strong pickles or let a strong cheese bash a poor, unadulterated grape over the head.

And unless you want a wild night, pints are not the way to go. He likes to serve about an ounce each of cheese, garnish and beer with a selection of breads and homemade crackers.

"The beer is meant to be sipped on and appreciated. Or, you could do it as a shot."

Here are the FigMint pairings:

Cornish Yarg with Carnation grapes and Stella Artois;

Strong Lancaster with Branston pickle and 1516 Lager;

Caerphilly with piccalilli and Russell Cream Ale;

Thomas Hoe Stilton with truffle honeycomb and Guinness Irish Stout.