Mini Pecorino-Crusted Grilled Cheese (with lemon herb dip) & Pecorino

How can you guarantee a good pairing? When the food and the wine have the same. name.

Apr 25, 2025

Pecorino Romano + Pecorino wine will forever and always be a favourite of mine, and it all started with this exact combination. When I first started posting recipe and wine pairings, I started a series called Wine & Grilled Cheese, and my 3-Cheese Pecorino Crusted Grilled Cheese paired with my favourite Pecorino was a HIT. For good reason. SO of course I had to recreate it, but mini!

I’m not kidding when I say this is your new favourite white wine! - Steph

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The pairing

Pair this happy lil’ appy with PECORINO! And I’m not talking about the cheese. Pecorino is an Italian wine (slash grape) that’s similar in many ways to Sauvignon Blanc. Dry, crisp (high acidity), and aromatic. In other words, the gorgeous fresh fruit, floral, and herbal aromas jump out of the glass at you before you even take a sip! My go-to is the Torre Poggio Salaia Zambra Pecorino from Abruzzo in Central Italy. It’s straight up delicious, and insane quality at a relatively reasonable price! I love gifting this wine and using it for wine tastings because it’s so unique, and everyone loves it. I’m not kidding when I say this is your new favourite white wine!

Why it works

This grilled cheese is creeeamy, cheesy, and crispy, and an absolute dream with this wine, and here’s why:

What grows together, goes together: We’ve talked about this one a few times, and this is a perfect example of it. When a food and wine come from the same place, they often share similar flavour and structural characteristics that help each other shine. On top of that, when a food and a wine have the same name, it’s basically a guaranteed perfect pairing! SO - Pecorino Romano cheese + Pecorino wine = magic. Both from central Italy, both tangy (i.e. both are acidic, and acidic + acidic just works), and both have subtle floral and earthy flavours that really drive this pairing home!
We can’t forget about the contrast: These grilled cheeses are salty and creamy, aka besties with a fresh and acidic white! Every sip cleanses the palate and gets you ready for that next bite!

RECIPE: Mini Pecorino-Crusted Grilled Cheese (With Lemon Herb Dip)

Printable Recipe Mini Pecorino Crusted Grilled Cheese

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Ingredients

For the grilled cheese

1 french baguette, 1/2 to 1 inch slices
2 cups mozzarella cheese, finely grated
1/2 cup cream cheese
1 1/2 cups Pecorino cheese (finely grated)
Juice from 1/2 lemon (approx. 1/2 tbsp)
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup butter, softened

For the dip

1 cup full fat sour cream (14-18 M.F. if you can find it)
1 lemon, juiced (2-2 1/2 tbsp)
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 serrano pepper (optional but recommended if you like a bit of spice)
1-2 tbsp fresh basil
1-2 tbsp fresh mint
1 tsp dijon mustard
1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 F.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add mozzarella, cream cheese, 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano, lemon juice, and black pepper. Mix well to combine.
Slice baguette into 1/2-1 inch slices and butter both sides of each. Scoop approximately 1-2 tbsp of cheese mixture onto half the slices, then top with the other half of the slices to make your mini sandwiches.
Grease a large sheet pan. Add little piles of about 1-2 tbsp of finely grated Pecorino Romano to the sheet pan (1 per sandwich). Making sure both sides are buttered, press one side down into a pile of cheese, then flip and press the other side down, leaving it in that position. This will make it so both sides have a Pecorino crust, but the bottom will be more of a cheese skirt.
Bake for around 10 minutes at 400 F, remove from the oven, flip, and bake for another 5-10 minutes (or until cheese on the inside is melted and the pecorino crust is crispy but not burnt).
While sandwiches are in the oven, make lemon herb dipping sauce. Add all ingredients to a food Prosecco and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust ingredients as needed.
Once mini grilled cheeses are ready, plate them around the dipping sauce and serve immediately with a chilled bottle of Pecorino!

Notes

The dip is optional, but dip is life so I highly recommend it! The herbal and lemon flavours work super well with the wine, and the overall freshness and hint of spice (if adding the Serrano pepper) is the perfect contrast to the salty lil sammies!