Cheese Admiration and Celebration

mtaratoot

One of our long-time members lives in Alaska. She made "caviar" from some salmon that they caught and brought it along with a wheel of Brie.

I have never eaten salmon roe on brie. I can tell you that it's good. I went back for more!

acpgee

I have been making tomato feta dip lately as a very easy vegetarian starter. Plenty of recipes online to google but what I have been doing is based on the first recipe I read. Put a piece of feta in the middle of a small oven proof dish. Halve enough cherry tomatoes to surround the cheese. Mix the tomatoes with minced garlic and capers before surrounding the feta. Drizzle both cheese and tomatoes with olive oil and bake or air fry for 30 minutes at 180C. Stir in some torn basil leaves and smear onto toast or crackers.

brandi_84

I just started a keto diet program recently and I decided it was definitely something a I could adapt to because I can still eat Cheese 🧀. When I grocery shop I buy a special cheese to snack on through the week. It is better than candy.
I get excited when I go into a store that has giant wheels of cheese. I would never buy that much, but I can dream.

acpgee

What would you do with a wedge of gruyere?

I bought some for grating onto croutons topped with rouille to go into a Normandy fish stew made for a dinner party, but we got too rushed with other last minute stuff serving up the fish stew that we skipped the cheese.

I like gruyere and can eat it plain but are there other ideas on what to do with it? I am thinking a grilled cheese sandwich with thin slices of apple in it. I do make cheese souffle on a regular basis, so that would be good with a green salad.

AnnPT77

acpgee wrote: »

What would you do with a wedge of gruyere?

I bought some for grating onto croutons topped with rouille to go into a Normandy fish stew made for a dinner party, but we got too rushed with other last minute stuff serving up the fish stew that we skipped the cheese.

I like gruyere and can eat it plain but are there other ideas on what to do with it? I am thinking a grilled cheese sandwich with thin slices of apple in it. I do make cheese souffle on a regular basis, so that would be good with a green salad.

I'm not going to be helpful here, because I'm big on "just eat it" for good cheese. It would be good with apples or pears for sure, though. Savory bread pudding or strata? Gougères? Gratin?

brandi_84

acpgee wrote: »

What would you do with a wedge of gruyere?

I bought some for grating onto croutons topped with rouille to go into a Normandy fish stew made for a dinner party, but we got too rushed with other last minute stuff serving up the fish stew that we skipped the cheese.

I like gruyere and can eat it plain but are there other ideas on what to do with it? I am thinking a grilled cheese sandwich with thin slices of apple in it. I do make cheese souffle on a regular basis, so that would be good with a green salad.

I think gruyere is the best cheese to put on omlettes.

springlering62

Well, I hate to bring this thread downmarket, but how about cheap Swiss slices?

I found a two pound bag in the fridge that was overlooked when husband packed up groceries for an event.

I’d like to eat it up soon. I’ve scheduled chicken with Dijon, rolled up with a slice of Swiss and dredged in seasoned crumbs. And a Philly cheesesteak knock-off of chopped beef, onion seasoning and Swiss on a crusty roll.

Otherwise I’m out of ideas and must have 15 slices left to use up. Either that, or see if the dog likes rather bland Swiss.

All grocery store slices are bland these days, though, am I right? 😢

ldaltonbishop

@springlering62
I see a number of hot Swiss cheese dip recipes (Google search). Most of them have mayonnaise, but one is just, roughly, 2 parts cream cheese to 1 part Swiss, chopped green onions, and dashes of nutmeg and pepper, baked together until melty, then topped with sliced almonds (https://easyrecipesfromhome.com/hot-swiss-dip/). That sounds pretty good, maybe on top of a broccoli vegetable mix or to make cauliflower palatable.

Or you could just freeze some, separated by parchment paper. If you're going to cook with it later, the texture difference wouldn't matter so much.

Also, of course, French onion soup. But I think you'd rather have a good Swiss for that.

acpgee

@springlering62

Chicken Kiev and chicken cordon bleu are pretty similar to the chicken idea you’ve already done.

I would find them convenient for layering in a vegetable lasagna which freezes pretty well uncooked. I would probably add the cheese slices to a recipe that sautees some leafy veg, or grated hard veg and layers that with either bechamel or cottage cheese between uncooked pasta sheets. Keep in mind you want something moist in contact with both sides the dry pasta when layering.

westrich20940

Recently discovered halloumi and 'bread cheese'. Very tasty. Probably maybe too salty for some people but I really love them. And I love salt. XD

Domineaux530

I love this thread so much! I have a deep adoration for most cheeses, and once a week I'll make it a treat to try something new--and this thread has easily doubled my list for new cheeses to try!
If I were on a desert island and could only pick one cheese it would be Beechers Flagship cheddar. It's punchy enough to shine through in recipes without being overpowering and is delightful to snack on with a tiny spot of fruit preserves.

ruqayyahsmum

I live a good quality red Leicester but at Christmas I like brie and cranberry sauce on Jacobs crackers

Before I realised I was pregnant with my son I got my daughter out of bed 30 minutes before the supermarket closed just to go buy cheese

Goats cheese with caramelized onions served on pastry squares was made while I snacked on all the other cheese I bought 😂

Sadly he doesn't like cheese (or most other food) I'm not sure he's really mine

history_grrrl

What a great thread. Have people found good options for reduced-fat cheese? My local groceries only seem to carry part-skim mozzarella, which is okay, but more variety would be nice. There are some great Italian groceries in my neighbourhood, but as you might imagine, low-fat is not exactly on the agenda.

AnnPT77

history_grrrl wrote: »

What a great thread. Have people found good options for reduced-fat cheese? My local groceries only seem to carry part-skim mozzarella, which is okay, but more variety would be nice. There are some great Italian groceries in my neighbourhood, but as you might imagine, low-fat is not exactly on the agenda.

To me, it really matters how I'm going to use the cheese. The reduced fat has implications for melting qualities, mouth feel, and more - but how much that matters depends on which cheese style and how used.

In the US, Cabot has a "Lite50" cheddar I like for some uses. I like "Lite" Jarlsberg, and assume that may be more available internationally.

Chevre is relatively lower calorie, and the are some tasty ones. Tomme is (usually) a reduced fat hard goat cheese that - when well made - is IMO tasty, but calories vary.

I find real parmesan reasonably calorie efficient: It's somewhat lower fat, with a pronounced rich flavor, so a fine grated 14g/half-ounce has impact for around 60 calories/5g protein.

Babybel Light is a nice snack, or 2% milk string cheese.

Queso fresco has a few more calories, ditto feta, but not so many as some other cheeses.

history_grrrl

AnnPT77 wrote: »

history_grrrl wrote: »

What a great thread. Have people found good options for reduced-fat cheese? My local groceries only seem to carry part-skim mozzarella, which is okay, but more variety would be nice. There are some great Italian groceries in my neighbourhood, but as you might imagine, low-fat is not exactly on the agenda.

To me, it really matters how I'm going to use the cheese. The reduced fat has implications for melting qualities, mouth feel, and more - but how much that matters depends on which cheese style and how used.

In the US, Cabot has a "Lite50" cheddar I like for some uses. I like "Lite" Jarlsberg, and assume that may be more available internationally.

Chevre is relatively lower calorie, and the are some tasty ones. Tomme is (usually) a reduced fat hard goat cheese that - when well made - is IMO tasty, but calories vary.

I find real parmesan reasonably calorie efficient: It's somewhat lower fat, with a pronounced rich flavor, so a fine grated 14g/half-ounce has impact for around 60 calories/5g protein.

Babybel Light is a nice snack, or 2% milk string cheese.

Queso fresco has a few more calories, ditto feta, but not so many as some other cheeses.

I appreciate the reminder about the purpose. I prefer provolone, mozzarella, or gouda for sandwiches or snacking, and tend to use cheddar in recipes (enchiladas, Moosewood's cauliflower-cheese pie) though it can easily be substituted for something else. Great suggestions for other low-cal options to watch for; thanks. I'm in Ontario, Canada, close to the border, so we get much of what's available in the States.

acpgee

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1024459-baked-feta-dip-with-spicy-tomatoes-and-honey
I left out the herbs, red onion and honey but added spring onion and leftover Cambodian lime and pepper sauce. Easy and tasty.
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1024459-baked-feta-dip-with-spicy-tomatoes-and-honey

acpgee

Whoops. Meant to attach photo.

ldaltonbishop

Alas. I hit a paywall for the New York Times cooking site.

acpgee

ldaltonbishop wrote: »

Alas. I hit a paywall for the New York Times cooking site.

In a small casserole dish put a slab of feta surrounded by halved cherry tomatoes. Before adding the tomatoes, mix with some minced garlic, capers, red onion, dried oregano. Drizzle everything with olive oil and bake or air fry 30 minutes at 200C. Give the tomatoes a stir half way to avoid overbrowning and burnt garlic. The NYT original recipe skips the oregano but adds fresh basil for the last few minutes and drizzles with honey.

AnnPT77

Way back early in this threads someone (sadly, don't recall who) enthusiastically recommended Black Label Cambozola. I'd previously been able to find the blue label, but not black. Not until now. It's . . . indulgent. Yum.