Anything and everything Cheese.

I still prefer some Brie cheese on a crispy cheese biscuit, washed down with a glass or three of Port !!!

 

Yep we must do French cheeses. I HATE CAMEMBERT!

 

Love it, CandyGal...it's cute! Also, leave it to Sierra to post a bevy of babes, although I'm wondering what they had to do with cheese...? ;-)

South of me is a market held weekly that has a couple of local vendors hawking their own cheeses. Some made from cow milk, and some made from goats. I love the goat cheese, as it usually fairly soft and spreadable. I sometimes mix some ground or chopped jalepenos in with it to enhance the flavor with chips or crackers. Mmmmmm.....
Hard cheeses, like swiss or cheddar I tend to slice off and eat in chunks. I like all of these, but the goat cheese is the only one that doesn't get even with me next morning.

 

Oh, Goats cheese is yummy.

 

One wheel of cheese on the cheese board, a Mammoth Cheddar, weighed in at 2,064 pounds on its own. Over 600 varieties, types and styles of cheese are made in Wisconsin; that's two times more than any other state.

 

I love that movie

 

Me too.

 

Ok as promised. Sorry it took so long @Candy Gal

My balsamic steak macaroni and cheese recipe

INGRIDIENTS
Half yellow onion julienned
1/4 cup of butter
1/4 cup of flour
5oz finely grated parmesan
1 pint of heavy cream
1lb of ziti
1oz fresh thyme
1/3 cup of mozzarella
1 tenderloin steak
Gorgonzola crumbles
Balsamic vinegar
Panko
Paprika
Salt
Pepper
Nutmeg

Step 1: Melt some butter in a pan on low heat and toss with the onions. Once the onions are coated in the butter, leave on low heat for about an hour. The secret to caramelizing onions is to go slow and low.


Step 2: Once your onions are done you can start on your cheese sauce. We will start by making a classic French béchamel sauce. Combine the butter and flour into a sauce pan while whisking vigorously. If you let it sit the flour will clump and you'll have a lumpy roux. Once your roux comes together it should be thick and creamy and be able to stick to a spoon.

Once your roux has come together slowly drip in your cream, whisking constantly. Once your cream has been incorporated into the sauce add in your parmesan and stir until it melts and becomes incorporated too. Add salt and pepper to taste and a dash of nutmeg (a little goes a long way). Once your sauce is seasoned to your liking, let it simmer on low heat, stirring occasionally. It will thicken when it cooks but don't be alarmed. We will thin it out later. Add in your caramelized onions.

Step 3: Fill a stock pot with water and salt it liberally. It should taste like seawater. Bring the water to a boil and add your macaroni. I prefer using ziti to make mac and cheese because it has more bite to it. It's a bigger noodle, but you can use whichever pasta you like. Ziti cooks al dente in about 8 minutes, but I take it off the heat after about 7 minutes because we are going to finish the macaroni in our sauce.


Take a ladle and add some of the water your just boiled your pasta in to your sauce. It will give it a salty and starchy taste and thin out your sauce. Once your pasta is drained (do not rinse) it is time to combine it to our cheese sauce!

Step 4: Dump your pasta into your sauce and mix it around to coat evenly. Once your pasta is sufficiently cheesy add a layer to a glass baking dish.


I like to add in some mozzarella too because it has such a great melty property. It is important to use real mozzarella though. No pre shredded, low moisture part skim mozzarella. It just doesn't melt the same. So I add some pasta and cheese, sprinkle in some mozzarella and fresh thyme (fresh... don't use the dried stuff) in layers almost like making a lasagna. Once I get to the top of the baking sheet, I will top it with more grated parmesan and panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) so that we get a nice crispy crust when it bakes in the oven. Then I just with paprika and more thyme because, pretty colors

This is what it should look like before going into the oven at 350 for 45 minutes.



If you don't like a crunchy crust you can omit the breadcrumbs on top and cover with foil.

Step 5: Steak is kind of personal and everyone does it their own way. You can cook it how you like but what I do is start with a nice tenderloin. I salt it on both sides wrap it in a paper towel and let it sit on the counter till it comes up to room temperature. It brines it decent enough.



I use a sear and baste method. Grilling steak is so overrated. I'll put a little oil in a cast iron skillet and get it screamin' hot. Then I'll drop my steak in with some thyme and butter. As the butter melts, I spoon it onto the cooking steak. Gets it nice and juicy and flavorful. I go rare/medium rare with my steaks. I don't like to over cook it. Depending on thickness I may only cook it a minute and a half on each side. Once the steak is done let it rest for about 10 minutes before cutting into it or all the juices will run out.

Take your macaroni out of the oven and let it cool.

Step 6: Plate your macaroni in a shallow bowl and garnish with more fresh thyme. Cut your steak against the grain in this slices (you're going for bite size here. You don't want to have to use a knife with this meal). Fan out the steak over the macaroni and drizzle it with balsamic vinegar and top with the gorgonzola crumbles. Pair it with a nice low tannin red wine like a malbec or pinot noir and enjoy!



Itadakimasu!

 

Thanks BAGEL XXXXX

 

Not so keen on Gouda myself.

 

Love gouda cheese.

But I love coles 3 light and tasty cheese better.
It's great in a salada cracker sandwich.

 

Danish Cheeses

 

Looks good.

 

I'm sorry but this chick doesn't eat any pizza. She weights like 75-80 pounds.

 

I grew up in yellow cheddar cheesehead country, Eastern Wisconsin…miss all the small cheese factories that dotted the landscape. Kraft and the like bought them all out.

 

Such a shame. x

 

I would eat any kind of cheese every single day.

 

I like mozzarella, havarti, and pepper jack cheeses most, but I love cheeses.