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I am not an official Cheesehead. I have never been to Wisconsin, but I am a cheese addict. If life were a choice between chocolate and cheese, I would rather be a cheesehead than a chocoholic.
Cooking with cheese seems simple. I mean, everyone except Chuck Schumer knows that you cook a burger and then put cheese on top.
There is much more to cheese than a topping for burgers or other food. Incorporating cheese into sauces is fairly easy but not without pitfalls. For cheese sauces, consider the marvel of Velveeta. The orange version has its simple, decadent charm for sandwiches, but the white Velveeta blanco is ready-made for melting into a creamy sauce with a little milk or cream. Add a more pungent cheese to it (perhaps white cheddar or gruyere) for a stronger flavor.
I finish many cheesy dishes with fontina cheese that has been embedded with banana peppers in it. It is soft, so you either thinly slice it or you partially freeze it and then grate it. Yum yum.
That banana pepper fontina cheese makes a cheese quesadilla that will knock your socks off. A soft tortilla, thinly sliced ham, caramelized onions and slices of banana pepper fontina cheese and then folded over and seared in a pan. Wow!
There are many flavored cheeses that can be grated over simple mashed potatoes, broccoli or pork chops to add pizzazz. Banana pepper fontina is my current favorite, but I will try others for sure.
Please add suggestions for other cheeseheads who may not know how to cook.
Discussion (49)
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I am a turophile and love cheese in all its forms. One of my favorite recipes:
Toast a slice of sourdough and rub it with raw garlic (the more left behind on the surface of the bread, the better).
Place a slice of beefsteak tomato on the toast.
Place a slice of mozzarella on the tomato.
Top with black pepper, a drizzle of olive oil, a few drops of balsamic glaze, and some chopped basil.
Repeat.
***** ETA a photo of the deliciousness properly prepared.
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Parmigiano Reggiano is the King of cheeses - a superfood. High in protein. And very tasty. Grate it on top of most any pasta or salad.
And I read something on X (so it must be true) that eating cheese while drinking will lessen hangover effects - so there you go. Double bonus.
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It's hard to beat a loaf of French bread torn by hand one piece at a time and smeared with brie. It's so very loaf of bread, jug of wine.
For provincial American food, there are White Trash Sliders. They are...ok, but they have their charm.
I'm big on fondue or at least I was before I had to give up bread and my wife had to give up wheat and dairy. It used to be the classic Gruyère/Edam/white wine held together with corn starch (many recipes say flour but I've not had good luck with it.
Cheddar is the most versatile cheese.
Best though is aged Gouda, and my recipe involves slicing it and eating it.
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Velveeta is not cheese.
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I like a Romaine-gorgonzola-and-pecan salad, but the cheese has not always been easy to find, in my local supermarket anyway. Bleu cheese however works! (And feta doesn't!) No need for a recipe, I hope, unless you're functioning at the level of Chuck Schumer. Be he as he may, it is indeed just Romaine lettuce, and wine vinegar and olive oil, those last two with some of the crumbled cheese whipped in with a fork, and after you pour that dressing over the greens, sprinkle the crushed nuts. Top if you wish with some black pepper. Then eat!
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