Tag Archives: cheddar

Shells and Cheese

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Nothing says comfort food than macaroni cheese to me. It’s always nice to have some on a rainy day.

In this version, sage and buttery onions flavor the cream sauce and coat the al dente pasta shells. The buttery bread crumb topping and layer of cheese creates a crust and provides an extra element of flavor and texture.

Adapted from Alton Brown and My Father’s Daughter

  • 1/2 pound pasta shells or rice shells (gluten-free)
  • 2 tablespoons gf flour
  • 2 cups soy milk
  • 1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
  • a few sage leaves
  • 16 ounces extra sharp cheddar, shredded
  • coarse salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup panko or gf bread crumbs
  • 2 tablespoons butter or Earth Balance

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and turn it on to the convection setting if that’s a possibility.

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than indicated on the package. Meanwhile, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it’s free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion and sage leaf. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the sage leaves.

Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the shells into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.

Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the shells with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.

Milk, butter and sage sauce (L) Butter, flour and onion roux (R)

Whisking in cheddar cheese

Panko or gluten-free bread crumbs with melted butter

Layer cheese and bread crumb mixture onto macaroni and sauce

Soy Cheddar and Salsa Omelette

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Adapted from Canadian Living

Makes 2 omelettes

  • 4 egg whites
  • 1/2 pinch salt
  • 1/2 pinch pepper
  • 2 tsp butter or Earth Balance
  • 1/4 cup shredded soy cheddar cheese

Salsa

  • 3/4 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
  • 1/8 cup  chopped onion
  • 1 tsp chopped fresh coriander or fresh parsley
  • 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1/2 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp pepper

In bowl, combine tomatoes, onion, coriander, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper; set aside.

In bowl, whisk together eggs, 1 tbsp water, salt and pepper just until blended but not frothy.

In 8-inch  nonstick skillet, melt 1/2 tsp  of the butter over medium heat. Pour half of the egg mixture into skillet; cook until almost set, gently lifting edge with spatula to allow any uncooked eggs to flow underneath, about 3 minutes.

Sprinkle 2 tbsp of the cheese over salsa and spoon 1/4 cup of the salsa onto half of the omelette. Fold uncovered half over top; cook for 2 minutes. Slide onto plate. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Serve with remaining salsa.

Spinach and Garlic Cheese Curd Strata

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I have been waiting for the perfect opportunity to make a spinach and cheese strata. I first tasted the strata at the Harvard Common Press and Boston Brunchers event and knew I would recreate this unbelievable cheese and quiche-like bread pudding.

A strata is very forgiving and is flexible, allowing one to use various amounts of cheeses, onion, spinach and other vegetables. I chose to double the amount of onion and spinach for more flavor. In terms of results, the strata was well received and seconds were devoured.

Adapted from Gourmet, February 2003

Serves 6 to 8

  • 2 (10 ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed, squeeze of all excess liquid, and chopped
  • 2 cups finely chopped onion (2 large)
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 8 cups cubed French or Italian bread in 1-inch cubes (1/2 lb)
  • 6 ounces (2 cups)coarsely garlic cheese curds, sharp cheddar or Gruyère (We used garlic cheese curds)
  • 2 ounces (1 cup) finely grated parmesan (We used extra sharp cheddar)
  • 2 3/4 cups milk
  • 9 large eggs

Sauté onion in butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and nutmeg and continue cooking for one minute. Stir in spinach, remove from heat and set aside.

Spread one third of the bread cubes in a well-buttered 3-quart gratin dish or other ceramic baking dish. Top with one-third of bread cubes,one-third of spinach mixture and one-third of each cheese. Repeat layering twice with remaining bread, spinach and cheese.

Whisk eggs, milk, mustard and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper together in a large bowl and pour evenly over strata. Cover with plastic wrap and chill strata for eat least 8 hours or up to a day.

The next day, let it stand at room temperature for 30 minutes while preheating the oven to 350°F. Bake strata, uncovered, in middle of oven until puffed, golden brown, and cooked through, 45 to 55 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Broccoli Casserole

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Inspired by Sweet Cheek‘s broccoli casserole, we made a version omitting the cream mushroom soup and replacing it with sour cream. The sharp cheddar cheese, bits of broccoli, melty onion and the texture of butter panko crumb is a great side dish or even a quick brunch item.

Adapted from Paula Deen and AllRecipes

  • 1 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 cup grated sharp cheddar
  • 1/2 cup of sour cream
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 2 cups crushed crackers (Town or Ritz)
  • 1/2 cup panko breadcrumb
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup onions, chopped
  • dash of paprika

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 by 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Place frozen broccoli into a very large mixing bowl. Break up the frozen broccoli. Dice onion. Using a rubber spatula, scrape sour cream and  mayonnaise, chopped onion, egg crushed crackers mixture on top of broccoli, and mix well. Sprinkle in cheese, and mix well. Season with paprika.

Spread mixture into prepared baking dish and smooth top of casserole. Melt butter and combine with panko bread crumb. Sprinkle additional cheese to the casserole and sprinkle melted butter and panko mixture. Bake for 35 minutes or until set and browned.

Cheddar Scallion Scones

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After two unreal scone experiences at Cha-An and Le Pain Quotidien, we were moved to make cheddar scallion scones at home. The additional cornmeal provided a great crunch and texture on the exterior and the interior had a nice crumb.

What I loved the most about this recipe was as the cheddar scallion scones were baking in the oven, the aroma that permeated the room reminded us of the smell of Chinese scallion pancakes.

We wanted to test half the recipe with scallions and the other half with chives. So we used 1/4 cup scallions and for the other half of the batch 1/8 cup freeze dried chives and 1/8 cup chives.

After taste testing both, we highly suggest using scallions in the entire recipe versus chives. Scallions provide a more savory, fuller flavor. The chives are more delicate.

Adapted from Flour Bakery and Gourmet

Makes 8 scones

  • 1 and 3/4 cup ap flour
  • 1/2 cup cornmeal (we used corn grits)
  • 1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 5 ounces extra sharp white cheddar cheese (approximately 3/4 cups)
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh scallions (we did half the recipe 1/4 scallions and the other batch a combination of 1/4 cup freeze dried and fresh chives)
  • 1/2 cup  (1 stick) unsalted butter cut into 4 pieces
  • 3/4 cup of heavy cream
  • 1 cold egg

* If do not have buttermilk or creme fraiche use under a 1 cup heavy cream or whole milk

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, and salt and butter. Add chives and cheddar, tossing to combine. Stir in cream with a fork until a sticky dough forms.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead 8 times with floured hands. Halve dough and form each half into a 7-inch round. Brush tops of rounds with additional cream and cut each into 4 wedges.

Arrange wedges about 1/2 inch apart on an ungreased large baking sheet and bake in middle of oven until golden brown, about 40 to 50 minutes. Cool on a rack for 30 minutes and cut into prescored wedges (the cuts will be visible but will have baked together) and serve.