Getting A Little Cheesy

By Brenda Brady, CRI Communications Specialist

June is, of course, Dairy Month. This year I wanted to celebrate by focusing on cheese. I do, after all, live in Wisconsin! In fact, cheese is served alone, in or on most of my meals (Just trying to make Dairy Carrie proud!). After being with our family for less than a week our exchange student even made a comment about how much cheese we eat.

But I didn’t want this celebration to be any ordinary Dairy Month cheese-fest; I was feeling adventurous. A quick stop at the specialty cheese section in my local grocery store gave me the idea. I decided to pick new cheeses I had never cooked with before, find recipes and share the results.

Gruyére

My first selection was a Swiss Le Gruyére. I found a recipe for croque madame with crispy ham and went with it. 

While my photo didn't turn out as well as the one on the recipe site (Food photographers are amazing!), it was a good, cheesy breakfast sandwich. I'm not sure I would make it again though, as it made a lot of dishes, and we are not big on washing dishes at our house!

Manchego

I recently learned latin-type cheeses are the fastest growing segment of the cheese market in the U.S., and I've seen Food Network's Aarón Sanchez advertising for this brand, so I picked it up. After looking at the Cacique website, I determined Manchego would be great for quesadillas. Mmmmmm, it was a whole lot of melty goodness. My five year old said it was, "delish." I guess that means this one stays in my meal repertoire!  

MontAmoré

Working off of the success of my kid-friendly quesadilla, I tried a MontAmoré macaroni and cheese recipe. The label says, "Like a new romance, this sweet, creamy and fruity cheese finishes with a playful bite. Prepare to fall in love." While I didn't fall in love, I thought it had a great flavor and was a nice addition to the basic mild cheddar flavor of my regular recipe. 

Plus, with the exception of half and half, the recipe used things I always have on hand.

I would say it, too, was a winner with my kids (and husband).

Gorgonzola

Then I decided to get a little crazy and tried a Gorgonzola pasta recipe. While it didn't turn out as bad as I had thought, it wasn't my favorite flavor in the world. The acidic aftertaste was a little too refined for my palate. I went off of a Taste of Home recipe and added a few halved grape tomatoes (I have to sneak the veggies in where I can.) as well. 

Queso Blanco

I have to confess, I cheated a little with my last cheese choice. This is not one I have never cooked with before, and it is not really a recipe. It is just pure cheese goodness that I had to share. If you have never tried fried cheese, it's time you got out that oil and indulged a little.

Here's how you make this super easy appetizer. Start out with any flavor of Queso Blanco cheese (My favorite is with Jalapenos). Cut it into one inch cubes. Submerge the cubes in oil that has been heated to about 350° F. Cook them until they are golden brown. Don't try this with just any cheese though! Queso Blanco has a high melting point and can take the hot oil. Most other cheeses will just leave you with a gooey mess. 

What cheeses do you like to cook with? Do you have any recipes you would like to share? Leave a message in the comments section below.

Happy Dairy Month – make it a cheesy one!