Cheese Admiration and Celebration
Replies
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Now that @BarbaraHelen2013 mentions cheese-stuffed things, a finger food I sometimes make for potlucks is dates stuffed with cream cheese or neufchatel possibly lightened (texturally not calorically) with ricotta or whipped cream, flavored with orange oil or extract and orange liqueur, and topped with a toasted almond or two.
Dried apricots softened in orange liqueur and sweet spices, similarly stuffed, are also good.
Then there's baked apples stuffed with blue cheese and walnuts . . . .3 -
Getting back to cheese, do people have favourite cheese recipes?
I used to make something I called "Fried Cheese" from time to time. Often it was when I was done cooking something in a cast iron pan. When the cooking is done, the pan might still be hot. It may almost be smoking. Why waste that heat? A few chunks of sharp cheddar will bring the pan temperature down. Then just let them sit. They will start bubbling, and eventually the bottom gets crispy.
Flip the chunks over to crisp the second side.
Crispy cheddar bits. Tasty treats.
Wipe out the cast iron, and it's ready to store for the next time you cook.
Another would be some version of Macaroni and Cheese. In addition to the cheese going in to the white sauce that gets mixed with the pasta, a chunk of cheese in the middle of the casserole dish.... it's good. It will still be gooey, but it also will migrate around and make everything cheesier. If you are brave, once the casserole dish is assembled and ready to bake, put some tomato sauce/paste (or -- catsup) on top and top with more grated cheese.
Yeah. I don't eat that kind of thing anymore. So sad.
Well damn. I read breathlessly to the end because I thought you’d found a low cal way to make mac and cheese.
I have discovered the German version of cottage cheese this week: frischkäse. Even the cheap stuff is awesome. It has a dry curd and is very filling and great “mouth feel”- only need half my usual serving with my frozen blueberries. Which is good, since I’ve been adding muesli instead of the usual grapenuts. Good grief, muesli is a calorie bomb.2 -
Lunch is often a salad consisting of a bed of greens, a bunch of chopped veggies (the usual carrot, celery, zucchini, bell pepper, tomato etc.), topped with either chicken or tuna and crumbled feta. Shredded sharp cheddar in a pinch. Bonus that right now most of the greens & veggies are from my garden 😋
And I found an "Italian quesedilla" recipe on IG made up of sauteed onion, garlic and pre-cooked chicken, wilted chard, and sliced sundried tomatoes on a whole wheat tortilla with shredded Emmental. Well... the recipe actually called for fontina but the store I was at didn't have any, so I substituted. Sooo good!!2 -
@mtaratoot
This is a little poncy, but maybe a way to enjoy a smaller portion of your fried cheese. Parmesan tuiles can be made by sprinkling freshly grated parmesan in a thin lacy circle onto a hot non stick pan. Sprinkle on some black pepper. When melted and bubbly remove pan from heat and let cool a minute before removing tuile with a palette knife. Used in fancy restaurants for garnishing bowls of risotto.2 -
@springlering62
Mac and cheese is never going to be low calorie but here are some experiments in reducing calories a little bit that I didn't find detrimental to taste.
1. Replace 25% of the maccaroni with diced courgette.
2. To skip the flour and butter in white sauce, blitz low fat cottage cheese or low fat ricotta in the food processor until smooth. Thin with milk if needed and stir in your grated hard cheese.1 -
@mtaratoot
This is a little poncy, but maybe a way to enjoy a smaller portion of your fried cheese. Parmesan tuiles can be made by sprinkling freshly grated parmesan in a thin lacy circle onto a hot non stick pan. Sprinkle on some black pepper. When melted and bubbly remove pan from heat and let cool a minute before removing tuile with a palette knife. Used in fancy restaurants for garnishing bowls of risotto.
A similar thing can be done in a microwave on a plate. Depending on the plate, it might require the very slightest skim of oil on the plate before the cheese, so it will release cleanly. My very smooth cheap white porcelain plates don't require oil.@springlering62
Mac and cheese is never going to be low calorie but here are some experiments in reducing calories a little bit that I didn't find detrimental to taste.
1. Replace 25% of the maccaroni with diced courgette.
2. To skip the flour and butter in white sauce, blitz low fat cottage cheese or low fat ricotta in the food processor until smooth. Thin with milk if needed and stir in your grated hard cheese.
I've also added a small amount of Greek yogurt. Too much, and it will visibly break. I've used egg to stabilize a bit - with more yogurt and the right cheese, it's fine.
In the range of veggies to lighten it (or make it more filling/ nutrient dense), I'd mention cauliflower, pureed white beans, and/or mashed roasted Winter squash.
Admittedly, I don't prefer super ooey-gooey white sauce mac'n'cheese in the first place, though. Since I do like red lentil pasta, I can make a higher-protein mac'n'cheese variant that makes me pretty happy, fits in my day well. Others' mileage may vary.3 -
@mtaratoot
This is a little poncy, but maybe a way to enjoy a smaller portion of your fried cheese. Parmesan tuiles can be made by sprinkling freshly grated parmesan in a thin lacy circle onto a hot non stick pan. Sprinkle on some black pepper. When melted and bubbly remove pan from heat and let cool a minute before removing tuile with a palette knife. Used in fancy restaurants for garnishing bowls of risotto.
I bet that would work great, too. I bet you can do it with any kind of cheese. Sharp cheddar gets nice and crispy and releases some of its oil. Does that make it healthier? Or does the heating create trans fats? I don't know. I haven't fried cheese in a long time. I bet it would work in cast iron; I don't have any non-stick pans.@mtaratoot
This is a little poncy, but maybe a way to enjoy a smaller portion of your fried cheese. Parmesan tuiles can be made by sprinkling freshly grated parmesan in a thin lacy circle onto a hot non stick pan. Sprinkle on some black pepper. When melted and bubbly remove pan from heat and let cool a minute before removing tuile with a palette knife. Used in fancy restaurants for garnishing bowls of risotto.
A similar thing can be done in a microwave on a plate. Depending on the plate, it might require the very slightest skim of oil on the plate before the cheese, so it will release cleanly. My very smooth cheap white porcelain plates don't require oil.
Depending on the cheese, you might not need oil. The cheese releases some of the oil, although I don't know if it would release from under the cheese in a microwave. I haven't had one of those things in 25 years, but I do remember that using it to make bubbly cheese melt can turn the cheese more rubbery than crispy like it gets in cast iron.
Maybe I should go get some cheese.... I bet a firm blue cheese would be good too.3 -
@mtaratoot
This is a little poncy, but maybe a way to enjoy a smaller portion of your fried cheese. Parmesan tuiles can be made by sprinkling freshly grated parmesan in a thin lacy circle onto a hot non stick pan. Sprinkle on some black pepper. When melted and bubbly remove pan from heat and let cool a minute before removing tuile with a palette knife. Used in fancy restaurants for garnishing bowls of risotto.
I bet that would work great, too. I bet you can do it with any kind of cheese. Sharp cheddar gets nice and crispy and releases some of its oil. Does that make it healthier? Or does the heating create trans fats? I don't know. I haven't fried cheese in a long time. I bet it would work in cast iron; I don't have any non-stick pans.@mtaratoot
This is a little poncy, but maybe a way to enjoy a smaller portion of your fried cheese. Parmesan tuiles can be made by sprinkling freshly grated parmesan in a thin lacy circle onto a hot non stick pan. Sprinkle on some black pepper. When melted and bubbly remove pan from heat and let cool a minute before removing tuile with a palette knife. Used in fancy restaurants for garnishing bowls of risotto.
A similar thing can be done in a microwave on a plate. Depending on the plate, it might require the very slightest skim of oil on the plate before the cheese, so it will release cleanly. My very smooth cheap white porcelain plates don't require oil.
Depending on the cheese, you might not need oil. The cheese releases some of the oil, although I don't know if it would release from under the cheese in a microwave. I haven't had one of those things in 25 years, but I do remember that using it to make bubbly cheese melt can turn the cheese more rubbery than crispy like it gets in cast iron.
Maybe I should go get some cheese.... I bet a firm blue cheese would be good too.
Yeah, sometimes need oil, sometimes not. With parmesan & the smooth plates, I don't need oil, because the released oil is enough. (When the oil releases might vary with cheese type and matter, too - dunno.) I was speaking to parmesan specifically in response to acpgee's post, but didn't make that clear.3 -
Y'all got me thinking about mac'n'cheese-inspired meals. This was the result, pretty caloric (659) but reasonably high protein (56g). Tasted good to me . . . .
If the background looks odd, it's maybe because it's in a clear baking dish sitting on a gas stove burner grid.)5 -
@springlering62
Do you know if German frischekase the same thing as kwark or quark in the Netherlands? I need help from the dutch spelling nazi.0 -
@springlering62
Do you know if German frischekase the same thing as kwark or quark in the Netherlands? I need help from the dutch spelling nazi.
😆 Translating dairy products is so so tricky with all those regional product variaties. But no, not precisely the same thing. Dutch kwark is (Speise)quark in German. But apparently Quark is part of the Frischkäse family: https://www.lebensmittellexikon.de/f0000180.php1 -
They sell it a few slots over from the quark in the cooler case so I don’t think it’s the same thing.@springlering62
Do you know if German frischekase the same thing as kwark or quark in the Netherlands? I need help from the dutch spelling nazi.
Btw, quarkbaällchen or quarkini…..:😱😱😱 think the tenderest, moistest mini doughnuts you can imagine. This morning I had krapfen, which seems to be quarkini with chopped apples. Holy moly. It’s a wonder all Germans don’t blow up like the blueberry girl in Willie Wonka.
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A favourite thing to do with blue cheese near it's sell-by date is stilton butter. Mash up with butter, roll into a little log in baking paper, pop into a ziplock and freeze. Slice slightly softened stilton butter into coins as a topping for steak or other grilled meats.
I also use the stilton butter to make stilton croutons for soups or salads. For two people snip a slice of bread into cubes (I use scissors), and melt a tablespoon of stilton butter in the microwave in a bowl large enough to hold the bread cubes. Toss the bread around to coat, and then toast for a few minutes in the air fryer or oven.4 -
I am going to attempt cheese souffle in the air fryer tomorrow night for the first time. Any tips welcome. If I can't find cream of tartar in our small local supermarket will substitute lemon juice.3
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That reminds me of something I used to do when I still ate cheese. I mixed Roquefort, one of my favourites, or any other blue cheese with cream after heating them up in the microwave. It was heavenly.A favourite thing to do with blue cheese near it's sell-by date is stilton butter. Mash up with butter, roll into a little log in baking paper, pop into a ziplock and freeze. Slice slightly softened stilton butter into coins as a topping for steak or other grilled meats.
I also use the stilton butter to make stilton croutons for soups or salads. For two people snip a slice of bread into cubes (I use scissors), and melt a tablespoon of stilton butter in the microwave in a bowl large enough to hold the bread cubes. Toss the bread around to coat, and then toast for a few minutes in the air fryer or oven.
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This afternoon I cooked with a girlfriend doing huge batches of bolognese sauce and sausage ragu so she could have some homemade ready meals in the freezer for week nights. In the evening we used some of the bolognese to make lasagna cupcakes with her daughter. It used cottage cheese instead of bechamel in the body, and red leicester instead of parmesan as a final topping.
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I'm sure this has been mentioned somewhere in this thread, but I just picked up some Chateau De Bourgogne. I forgot how delicious this cheese from Burgundy is.
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First attempt at cheese souffle not an unqualified success but still pretty good. I didn't trust my recipe after making the bechamel as it seemed too stiff and diluted with extra milk because I thought the batter would be too difficult to handle but probably shouldn't have as the texture loosened once I added in the egg yolks. Also I struggled with separating eggs so instead of two yolks in the bechamel mixture it was one yolk and one whole egg. I forgot to season with salt and pepper. Nonetheless really tasty and light. Another confusing thing was that different recipes online recommended cooking times between 12 and 30 minutes. This one went for 25 but I think next time will air fry for 20. Using the air fryer despite aggressive fan was not a detriment to rising.
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Rule of thumb I’ve always used for cheese soufflé is to halve the liquid you’d use to make a standard béchamel. So…25g butter, 25g flour would normally make a béchamel with 250ml milk. Use 25g butter and flour for just 125ml milk. Beat in the egg yolks and cheese. Whisk egg whites until stiff, stir about a third of the whites into béchamel to loosen then carefully fold in rest of whites.
Point being, the béchamel is very thick before you start the rest of the process.
Oh and I reckon 20-25 minutes in a hot (200°C) oven. Never done it in the airfryer but I’d start with 18 minutes I think. 🤷♀️2 -
@BarbaraHelen2013
Thanks for the tips. Will implement them when I try again at the end of the week.
There was leftover souffle batter for another portion (you can see it in the background of original post) and I tried popping it in the fridge overnight and baking in the air fryer in the morning. Although the aggressive fan was not detrimental when I had two souffles in the machine, with only the one lone souffle inside it rose but the fan blew off part of the top. Baking for 20 minutes instead of 25 indeed gave an improved moister texture.
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