Retro Cookbook » Cheese

Grilled Cheddar Cheese Sandwiches Recipe

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:15:04 +0000

There’s nothing like the simple goodness of a grilled cheese sandwich, especially when you ad some mayo to it! This recipe comes from A Festival of Cheese Recipes, and even a non-cook can make this easy recipe.

Spread one slice of bread with mayonnaise. Heap on grated Miss Wisconsin Medium Aged Cheddar and top with another slice of bread. Grill on both sides in butter until slightly browned. Serve hot, garnished with pickle fans.

Cheese Chart

admin — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 14:02:19 +0000

From the 1967 Betty Crocker’s Hostess Cookbook. If you are a cheese lover like me, this chart will come in handy for describing some of the more common cheeses. I highly recommend finding a really good cheese shop who will let you try different varieties before buying. Then again, it is fun to just buy cheese based on a whim to see if you like it. I’ve found many great cheeses that way.

Soft Cheeses

Brie – Creamy ripened cheese with an edible thin brown rind and white crust. Mild to strong flavor.

Camembert – Soft, ripened cheese with a creamy yellow interior and edible crust. Pleasantly pungent.

Cream – White, smooth, mild; unripened type. Available plain and as pimento, pineapple, and other varieties. Also comes whipped–plain and flavored. An unripened cheese, serve slightly chilled.

Liederkranz – Soft, creamy yellow. Pungent in flavor, similar to a mild limburger.

Neufchatel – Soft, white, mild. Similar to cream cheese. An unripened cheese; server slightly chilled.

Semisoft Cheeses

Bel Paese – Light yellow Italian cheese; mild and smooth.

Blue – Blue veined, white and crumbly; robust flavor. A first cousin to Roquefort.

Brick – Mild Flavor; creamy yellow with tiny holes.

Gorgonzola – Italian blue-veined cheese, sharp flavor.

Gruyere – Nutlike flavor; light yellow color. Similar to Swiss cheese but with smaller “eyes” and sharper flavor.

Port du Salut – Mild flavor; creamy yellow. Cheese made by Trappist monks in France.

Roquefort - French blue-veined cheese; sharp flavor.

Stilton – English blue-veined cheese; sharp flavor.

Hard Cheeses

Cheddar - Mild to very sharp flavor

Edam or Gouda – Firm, mild, red-coated rounds; a colorful addition to the cheese tray.

Fontina - Round Italian cheese with mellow flavor

Swiss - Mild, nutliek flavor and distinctive holes or “eyes”.

In the photo, from left to right…

Top row: Cream, Neufchatel, Camembert, Brie, Liederkranz.
Second row: Roquefort, Port du Salut, Blue, Brick, Gorgonzola.
Third row: Stilton, Fontina, Bel Paese, Gruyere, Swiss.
Bottom row: Gouda, Cheddar, Edam

Swiss Tarte a L'Oignon Recipe

admin — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:03:32 +0000

This recipe is from the James Beard’s Menus for Entertaining, and is part of An Easy Luncheon or Sunday Night Supper for 4.

Cream cheese pastry or rich pastry (recipe here)
3 tablespoons butter
3 onions, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper
Nutmeg
1 cup Gruyere, or Emmenthal, grated
5 egg yolks
1 cup cream

Line a 9-inch tin with pastry. Place foil over the pastry, and fill with dried bean. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove beans (reserve for future use) and the foil.

Melt butter in heavy sauce pan over medium heat. Add onions and seasoning. Cover, and steam until onions are just tender. Remove to pastry shell, and mix gently with the grated cheese. Blend eggs and cream, and pour over the onion cheese mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes or until custard is just set.

Note: the pastry shell may be made in advance and frozen, either baked or unbaked.