Welsh Rabbit - May 16th, '06
Okay. We have too much cheese. I need to find a better way to get rid of this stuff besides nibbles now and then, or feeding it to the cat. Time to start up the recipes.
Welsh rabbit, macaroni and cheese, various risottos, cheese souffles, enchiladas, pizzas, fondue, ...... ??
I bought the only cheese related cookbook I could find at Amazon.com, but it was a bit skimpy on things that used more than a tidbit of cheese. I need recipes that say something like, "Next, grate 1/2 pound of Red Leicester."
Bonus points for recipes that also include enough roughage to help the large mass of coagulated protein pass through my colon.
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Comments:
Or...can you say, "CHEESE PARTY!!!!"?
Just think, this could be a great opportunity to add impromptu reviews to your cheese blog (and give us cheese junkies our latest fix!)
Man, I gotta go out and buy some cheese now!
I'm on the way to the airport now. How much cheese shall I bring? Blue Vinney? Stinking Bishop? Cheddar from Cheddar?
Paula Lambert, owner of the Mozzarella Company in Dallas, and author of the wonderful Cheese Lover’s Cookbook and Guide, says you can freeze your fresh farmer’s cheese and some others, as well. Either freeze fresh, soft cheeses, such as mozzarella and goat cheese, in their original packaging, or wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and put that in a zipper-type storage bag before tossing it in the freezer. She says they should be eaten within about two months, and should be thawed in the refrigerator.
Ricotta cheese cannot be frozen very successfully. Mascarpone can be frozen, Lambert says, but it may separate or shatter when defrosted. It can be re-emulsified, though, by whipping it vigorously with a wire whisk while it is still very cold.
Soft-ripened cheeses, she says, such as Brie and Camembert, should not be frozen. Semi-soft cheeses, like Monterey Jack, Munster, Havarti, and Gorgonzola, tend to become crumbly after freezing. And hard aged cheeses, such as Cheddar, Colby, Gruyère, Asiago, and Manchego, will simply benefit from continuing their aging process in your refrigerator, and thus, should not be frozen.
The best candidates for freezing are firm cheese like Cheddar and Swiss and hard cheeses like Parmesan. If you do have to freeze cheese, keep the following facts in mind:
-Freeze in pieces of one pound or less.
-Overwrap cheese to be airtight and moisture-proof.
-Freeze quickly and store at 0°F.
-Label and date the package.
-Thaw cheese in the refrigerator.
-Use within a few days after thawing.
Freezing changes the texture of cheese, making semi-soft and hard cheeses more crumbly and causing soft cheese to separate slightly. This is due to the water, protein, and milkfat portions of the cheese freezing and thawing at different rates. Thawed cheese is best used in cooked dishes.
*sigh*
*wanders off to soak skull in bucket of hot water*
*makes point of foregoing cheese with dinner*
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