Cheese, Say Cheese, Cheese Please !

Hope you are going to aim at eating lots of CHEESE today... today is National Cheese Day, ofcourse that is in america! The good people of AMUL Co-operative are you listeneing ? We need a cheese day !!! I'll be marking June 4th on my calendar to celebrate properly next year with one (or ten) of these cheesy recipes.

You know these diamond ads kind of make you want to analyse your relationships !! I am not a diamond kind of a girl, but i do measure up Kunal's love for me. He who loves his cheese more than anything else especially when its slightly char/ burnt and is flaking from the top of his lasagne, he who keeps it on the side and savours it in his last bite, offered me his best part and let me have the whole thing !!! I had my AWWWW moment... nothing like a tear in those diamond adverts but something that lets me sleep with a smile on my face :)

Mignon Kitchen Cheese Bags
Coeur de Neufchatel Heart-Shaped Cheese
Kitchen Papers By Cake Cheese Markers
Quitokeeto / Jacob May Black Walnut Cheese Board


Ofcourse, watch this space tomorrow to learn how to make your own mozzarella! I am on a cheese-pedition !!

13 Cheeses Everyone Should Know

It's only too Silly to even think about CHEESE right now. But When I came across the Directory for Cheese Lovers I had to jump at the oppurtunity to atleast take a sneak peak - just to Brush my knowledge you know. And little did i know its going to send me into a Cheesy-Dream quite literally.

you maybe have to know 13 cheeses -- but since this is my blog - I'm going to give you a low down on the cheeses you have to know for mysake !!!

Camembert

Country of Origin: France (Normandy)
Type of milk: Cow
Aging: At least three weeks
Best Uses: Eaten as is, on sandwiches, baked in a crust, breaded and deep-fried (giddy-up!)



Chèvre

Country of Origin: France
Type of milk: Goat
Aging: Varies
Best Uses: Crumbled in salads, breaded and fried, in sandwiches, in macaroni and cheese.



Feta

Country of Origin: Greece
Type of milk: Sheep and goat
Aging: About 3 months
Best Uses: Broiled with olive oil. Crumbled in salads. Sandwiches. Use in place of Cotija in tacos and other Mexican dishes.



Mozzarella

Country of Origin: Italy (Campania)
Type of milk: Cow or Water Buffalo
Aging: None
Best Uses: Fresh with a drizzle of olive oil, coarse salt and pepper. With tomatoes in a sandwich. Pizza!

Cheddar

Country of Origin: England
Type of milk: Cow
Best Uses: As is, in sandwiches, grilled cheese, casseroles.









Monterey Jack

Country of Origin: United States of America (California)
Type of milk: Cow
Aging: About one month
Best Uses: Melted in casseroles, grilled cheese, over chili, cheese dip, any time you want a good melting cheese.

A Rustic Cheese Hut in France

Imagine living in this cozy idyllic 300-year old stone hut in the Cantal mountains of France. Exploring the hillside. Milking cows. Quiet evenings by the fire, munching homemade cheese.

Up until the 1940's, there used to be many of these types of rustic abodes scattered around the area where shepherds would stay during the summers to make fromage. Today, they're all in poor condition except for this one, the Buron of Niercombe, beautifully restored by an Austrian in 2004.

And lucky for us, the hut is now available as a vacation rental. It even comes with a basket of traditional local foods for two days of breakfasts, lunches and dinners. Wouldn't you love to experience this?

Melt-in-your-mouth Homemade Cheese Crackers!

Cheese Crackers
(Adapted from a recipe on smittenkitchen.com, which was credited to a recipe in The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook)
Makes about 70 1-inch square crackers

1½ cups (6 oz) grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces
¾ cup (90 g) flour, plus more for dusting
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon milk
A little over 6 ounces of cheese – close enough!

1. Preheat oven to 350˚.

2. Put everything except the milk in a food processor. Pulse the processor, 5 seconds at a time, for about 5 or 6 times, until the dough is in coarse crumbs.

3. Add the milk and process until the dough gathers together in a ball.

4. Roll the dough out on a floured board with a rolling pin that has been floured until it is about 1/8 inch thick. (Deb suggested an 8×10 rectangle.)

I don’t know why I couldn’t roll my dough into a neat 8×10 rectangle. It still worked.

5. Cut the dough into 1-inch squares with a sharp knife or pizza cutter. You can put a bit of flour on the blade of the knife to keep it from sticking.Use the flat end of a wooden skewer to poke a hole in the center of each cracker.

6. Place the crackers at least ¼ inch apart on parchment paper on a baking sheet.


7. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes until the edges are just starting to brown. (Mine took 13 minutes.)

8. Put the baking sheet on a rack and let the crackers cool completely.

9. Eat! Or store in a covered container to eat within a day or two.

House Party Essential

Are you having a house party ?? Perfect stands to avoid spilling drinks and using tons of paper plates ... You can customize them and also add name tags to them... isnt it just fun ??

Baked Artichokes with Gorgonzola & Herbs

Ingredients
Salt
4 artichokes
3 lemons, plus 1 lemon
10 ounces mild Gorgonzola cheese, room temperature
2 tablespoons cream
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley leaves, plus 1 tablespoon
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons bread crumbs
1 tablespoon olive oil
Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Trim the artichokes by cutting off the top 1-inch or so. Cut the stem close to the base of the artichoke so the artichoke can sit up straight, and remove some of the bottom leaves. Using kitchen shears, trim the sharp points off of any remaining outer leaves. Add the artichokes to the boiling water. Halve the lemons and squeeze the juice into the boiling water. Toss in the lemons. Cook the artichokes until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain the artichokes and let cool.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl stir together the Gorgonzola, cream, thyme, 2 teaspoons parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper. In another small bowl stir together the bread crumbs and remaining 1 tablespoon of parsley.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Remove the center choke of the artichokes using a small spoon. Stuff the cheese mixture into the center of the artichokes. Place the artichokes into a baking dish. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the top of the artichokes. Drizzle the tops of the artichokes with olive oil. Bake until the artichokes are heated through, the cheese is melted, and the bread crumbs are crisp and golden, about 25 minutes. Transfer the artichokes to a serving dish and serve.