Last Call
Cheddar
Good Cheddar cheese defies conventional description…its flavor profile is simultaneously fruity and beefy, farmy and wild. It is complex, rich, nutty, and tangy. Neal’s Yard Dairy in England describes its delightful Montgomery’s Cheddar as “Sometimes reminiscent of the carmelised edge of a Sunday roast.” Cheddar is one evocative cheese!
This complex cheese picks up its sharpness through aging. The longer Cheddar is aged, the sharper the flavor. Sharp cheddar is typically aged 6 – 9 months, while extra sharp is aged 9 – 18 months. A cows milk cheese, Cheddar is naturally white or slightly cream colored (like the cow’s milk). Orange coloring is added mostly for marketing purposes and comes from annatto, an all-natural plant extract. The orange color doesn’t change the flavor; it’s just what many Americans are used to looking for on the grocery shelf. Typically east coast cheddars are white and midwestern cheddars are orange.
Cheddar melts well so it is a common cheese sauce ingredient. Here’s a recipe that capitalizes on that sharp flavor and ‘meltability.’ Enjoy!
Fluffy Cheese Poofs
- 1 large loaf French bread, trimmed of crust and cut into 1-inch squares
- 8 oz. package cream cheese
- 8 oz. grated extra sharp Cheddar cheese
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
- 4 egg whites, beaten to stiff peaks
Melt the cream cheese and Cheddar with the butter in the top of a double boiler. Remove from the heat and gently fold in the stiffly-beaten egg whites. Dip the bread squares into the cheese mixture until well-coated. Placed the dipped bread squares on greased cookie sheets and refrigerate overnight. When ready to serve, preheat oven to 400F. Bake poofs 12-15 minutes or until “poofy” and browned.
Recipe courtesy of Sally Calvin, Marche du Jour Market. Widgeonwood: Finally the Cookbook, 2004.
4 Facts
- A typical wheel of Cheddar weighs 60-75 lbs
- serving size = 1 oz.
- Mozzarella recently edged out Cheddar as the most popular cheese in America
- Americans eat 33 lbs. of cheese per person every year
Blue Cheese Balls
- ¾ lb. red or green seedless grapes, washed and patted dry
- 2/3 c. walnuts
- 1/3 c. fresh Italian flat leaf parsley, washed, dried and chopped
- 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
- ½ lb. Stilton, crumbled fine
Pulse the walnuts in a food processor until finely ground. Add the parsley to the walnuts and pulse a few more times to combine. Place this mixture in a low, flat dish or plate. In a small mixing bowl, combine the softened cream cheese and crumbled blue cheese. Take a small spoonful of the cheese mixture and cover each grape with it by rolling it in the palm of your hand. Place each grape on a tray. Chill the grapes for at least 30 minutes. Roll the chilled grapes in the walnut/parsley mixture to coat and then chill again until firm. Makes @ 100 grapes. Recipe courtesy of Sally Calvin, Marche du Jour Market. Widgeonwood: Finally the Cookbook, 2004.
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