THE COMPLETE BOOK OF CHEESE

Bob Brown

The Food Network New York, New York

2015

Copyright © 2015 by Robert Carlton BrownAll rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher

except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Printed in the United States of America

First Printing, 2015

ISBN 0-9000000-0-0

The Food Network1234 SW Broadway

New York, New York

www.thefoodnetwork.com

ContentsBrunch

Cottage Cheese Pancakes 5Cheese Waffles 5Napkin Dumpling 6Newfoundland Toasted

Cheese Sandwich 6Blintzes 7

Soup & SaladsApple and Cheese Salad 9Gorgonzola and Banana Salad 9Cheese and Pea Salad 10Onion Soup au Gratin 10Chicken Cheese Soup 11

Main DishFondues

Neufchâtel Style 13Tomato Fondue 14Corn and Cheese Fondue 14Sapsago Swiss Fondue 15Cheese and Rice Fondue 16Cheddar Dunk Bowl 16

RabbitsNo. 1 (with beer) 17No. 2 (with milk) 17The Stieff Recipe (Basic Milk Rabbit) 18Border-hopping Bunny,

or Frijole Rabbit 19Tomato Rabbit 19

PastasNeapolitan Baked Lasagne,

or Stuffed Noodles 20Little Hats, Cappelletti 21

DessertsPineapple Cheese Cake 23Cheese Custard 24Open-faced Cheese Pie 24The Apple-pie Affinity 25Traditional Apple Pie 26

BrunchCottage Cheese Pancakes 6

Cheese Waffles 6

Napkin Dumpling 7

Newfoundland Toasted Cheese Sandwich 7

Blintzes 8

6

Cheese WafflesINGREDIENTS2 cups prepared waffle flour3 egg yolks, lightly beaten¼ cup melted butter¾ cup grated sharp Cheddar3 egg whites, beaten stiff

DIRECTIONSStir up a smooth waffle batter of the first 4 ingredients and fold in egg whites last.

Today you can get imported canned Holland cheese waffles to heat quickly and serve.

Cottage Cheese PancakesINGREDIENTS1 cup prepared pancake4 tablespoons top milk or light cream1 teaspoon salt4 eggs, well beaten1 tablespoon sugar2 cups cottage cheese, put through

ricer

DIRECTIONSMix batter and stir in cheese last until smooth.

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Newfoundland Toasted Cheese SandwichINGREDIENTS1 pound grated Cheddar1 egg, well beaten½ cup milk1 tablespoon butter

DIRECTIONSHeat together and pour over well-buttered toast.

Napkin Dumpling INGREDIENTS1 pound cottage cheese⅛ pound butter, softened3 eggs, beaten¾ cup Farina½ teaspoon saltCinnamon and brown sugar

DIRECTIONSMix together all ingredients (except the cinnamon and sugar) to form a ball. Moisten a linen napkin with cold water and tie the ball of dough in it. Simmer 40 to 50 minutes in salted boiling wa-ter, remove from napkin, sprinkle well with cinnamon and brown sugar, and serve. This is on the style of Hungarian potato and other succulent dumplings and may be served with goulash or as a meal in itself.

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BlintzesThis snow white member of the crêpes suzette sorority is the most popular deb in New York's fancy cheese dishes set. Almost unknown here a decade or two ago, it has joined blinis, kreplach and cheeseburgers as a quick and sustaining lunch for office workers.

INGREDIENTS2 eggs1 cup water1 cup sifted flourSaltCooking oil½ pound cottage cheese2 tablespoons butter2 cups sour cream

DIRECTIONSBeat 1 egg light and make a batter with the water, flour and salt to taste. Heat a well-greased small frying pan and make little pancakes with 2 tablespoons of batter each. Cook the cakes over low heat and on one side only. Slide each cake off on a white cloth, with the cooked side down. While these are cooling make the blintz-filling by beating together

the second egg, cottage cheese and butter. Spread each pancake thickly with the mixture and roll or make into little pockets or envelopes with the end tucked in to hold the filling. Cook in foil till golden-brown and serve at once with sufficient sour cream to smother them.

Soups & SaladsApple & Cheese Salad 10

Gorgonzola & Banana Salad 10

Cheese & Pea Salad 11

Onion Soup au Gratin 11

Chicken Cheese Soup 12

10

Apple & Cheese SaladINGREDIENTS½ cup cream cheese1 cup chopped pecansSalt and pepperApples, sliced ½-inch thickLettuce leavesCreamy salad dressing

DIRECTIONSMake tiny seasoned cheese balls, center on the apple slices standing on lettuce leaves, and sluice with creamy salad dressing.

Gorgonzola & Banana SaladINGREDIENTS5 medium bananas½ cup Gorgonzola cheese2 tsp lemon juiceFrench dressing to taste

DIRECTIONSSlice bananas lengthwise, as for a banana split. Sprinkle with lemon juice and spread with creamy Gorgonzola. Sluice with French dressing made with lemon juice in place of vinegar, to help bring out the natural banana flavor of ripe Gorgonzola.

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Cheese & Pea SaladINGREDIENTS½ lb American Cheddar Cheese1 8oz can of peas1 cup diced celery1 cup mayonnaise½ cup sour cream2 tablespoon pimientos2 tablespoons sweet picklesIceberg lettuceParsleyChopped radishes

DIRECTIONSCube American Cheddar and mix with peas, diced celery, mayonnaise, sour cream, minced pimientos, and sweet pickles. Serve in lettuce cups with a sprinkling of parsley and chopped rad-ishes.

Onion Soup au GratinINGREDIENTS4 or 5 onions, sliced4 or 5 tablespoons butter1 quart stock or canned consommé1 quart bouillon made from dissolving

4 or 5 cubesRounds of toasted French bread1½ cups grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONSSauté onions in butter in a roomy sauce-pan until light golden, and pour the stock over. When heated put in a larger cas-serole, add the bouillon, season to taste and heat to boiling point. Let simmer 15 minutes and serve in deep well-heated soup plates, the bottoms covered with rounds of toasted French bread which have been heaped with freshly grated Parmesan and browned under the broil-er. More cheese is served for guests to sprinkle on as desired.

Nota beneAt gala parties, where wine flows, a couple of glass-es of champagne are often added to the bouillon.

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Chicken Cheese SoupINGREDIENTS1 cups milk2 chicken bouillon cubes1 cup water1 can condensed cream of chicken

soup¼ cup grated American cheddar

cheeseSaltPepperPaprika

DIRECTIONSHeat together milk, water in which 2 chicken bouillon cubes have been dissolved, and condensed cream of chicken soup. Stir in ¼ cup grated American Cheddar cheese and season with salt, pepper, and plenty of paprika until cheese melts.

Nota beneOther popular American recipes simply add grated cheese to lima bean or split bean soup, peanut butter soup, or plain cheese soup with rice.

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Main DishFondues, Rabbits & PastasFondues

Neufchâtel Style 14Tomato Fondue 15Corn and Cheese Fondue 15Sapsago Swiss Fondue 16Cheese and Rice Fondue 17Cheddar Dunk Bowl 17

RabbitsNo. 1 (with beer) 18No. 2 (with milk) 18The Stieff Recipe 19Border-hopping Bunny,

or Frijole Rabbit 20Tomato Rabbit 20

PastasNeapolitan Baked Lasagne,

or Stuffed Noodles 21Little Hats, Cappelletti 22

14

FonduesNeufchâtel StyleINGREDIENTS2½ cups grated imported

Swiss1½ tablespoons flour1 clove of garlic

1 cup dry white wine1 jigger kirschSalt, pepper, nutmegCrusty French “flute” or hard

rolls cut into big mouthfuls,

DIRECTIONSThe cheese should be shredded or grated coarsely and mixed well with the flour. Use a chafing dish for cooking and a small heated casserole for serving. Hub the bottom and sides of the blazer well with garlic, pour in the wine and heat to bubbling, just under boiling. Add cheese slowly, half a cup at a time, and stir steadily in one direction only, as in making Welsh Rabbit. Use a silver fork. Season with very little salt, always depending on how salty the cheese is, but use plenty

of black pepper, freshly ground, and a touch of nutmeg. Then pour in the kirsch, stir steadily and invite guests to dunk their forked bread in the dish or in a smaller preheated casserole over a low electric or alcohol burner on the dining table. The trick is to keep the bubbling melted cheese in rhythmic mo-tion with the fork, both up and down and around and around.

Nota Bene: The Etiquette of a Fondue Party1. Dunking is done as rhythmically as the stirring, guests taking regular turns at twirling the fork to keep the cheese swirling. When

this “chafing dish cheese custard,” as it has been called in England, is ready for eating, each in turn thrusts in his fork, sops up a mouthful with the bread for a sponge and gives the Fondue a final stir, to keep it always moving in the same direction.

2. If your bread comes off in dunking you pay a forfeit, often a bottle of wine.3. When finally it has cooked down to a crust in the bottom of the dish, this is forked out by the host and divided among the guests

as a very special dividend.

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Tomato FondueINGREDIENTS2 tomatoes, skinned, seeded and

chopped½ teaspoon dried sweet basil1 clove garlic2 tablespoons butter½ cup dry white wine2 cups grated Cheddar cheesePaprika

DIRECTIONSMix basil with chopped tomatoes. Rub chafing dish with garlic, melt butter, add tomatoes and much paprika. Cook 5 to 6 minutes, add wine, stir steadily to boiling point. Then add cheese, half a cup at a time, and keep stirring until everything is smooth. Serve on hot toast, like Welsh Rabbit.

Corn and Cheese FondueINGREDIENTS1 cup bread crumbs1 large can creamed corn1 small onion, chopped½ green pepper, chopped2 cups cottage cheese½ teaspoon salt½ cup milk2 eggs, well beaten

DIRECTIONSMix all ingredients together and bake in buttered casserole set in pan of hot water. Bake about 1 hour in moderate oven, or until set.

Nota beneFondue also appears as a sauce to pour over baked toma-toes. Stalbread crumbs are soaked in tomato juice.

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Sapsago Swiss FondueINGREDIENTS2 tablespoons butter2 tablespoons flour½ teaspoon salt1½ cups milk2½ cups shredded Swiss cheese2½ tablespoons grated Sapsago½ cup dry white winePepper, black and red, freshly groundFingers of toast

DIRECTIONSOver boiling water stir the first four ingredients into a smooth, fairly thick cream sauce. Then stir in Swiss cheese until well melted. After that add the Sapsago, finely grated, and wine in small splashes. Stir steadily, in one direction only, until velvety. Season sharply with the contrasting peppers and serve over fingers of toast.

Nota bene: This is also nice when served bubbling in individual, preheated pastry shells, casseroles or ramekins, although this way most of the fun of the dunking party is left out. To make up for it, how-ever, cooked slices of mushrooms are sometimes added.

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Cheese and Rice FondueINGREDIENTS1 cup cooked rice2 cups milk4 eggs, separated and well beaten½ cup grated cheese½ teaspoon saltCayenne, Worcestershire sauce,

tabasco sauce, or all three

DIRECTIONSHeat rice (instead of bread crumbs) in milk, stir in cheese until melted, add egg yolks beaten lemon-yellow, sea-son, fold in stiff egg whites. Serve hot on toast.

Cheddar Dunk BowlINGREDIENTS¾ pound sharp Cheddar cheese3 tablespoons cream⅔ teaspoon dry mustard1½ teaspoons Worcestershire

DIRECTIONSGrate the cheese powdery fine and mash it together with the cream until fluffy. Season and serve in a beautiful bowl for dunking in the original style of Savarin, although this is a static imita-tion of the real thing.

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RabbitsNo. 1 (with beer)INGREDIENTS2 tablespoons butter3 cups grated old Cheddar½ teaspoon English dry mustard½ teaspoon saltA dash of cayenne1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce2 egg yolks, lightly beaten with½ cup light beer or ale4 slices hot buttered toast

DIRECTIONSOver boiling water melt butter and cheese together, stirring steadily with a wooden (or other tasteless) spoon in one direction only. Add seasonings and do not interrupt your rhythmic stirring, as you pour in a bit at a time of the beer-and-egg mixture until it's all used up.

It may take many minutes of constant stirring to achieve the essential creamy

thickness and then some more to slick it out as smooth as velvet.

Keep it piping hot but don't let it bubble, for a boiled Rabbit is a spoiled Rabbit. Only unremitting stirring (and the best of cheese) will keep it from curdling, get-ting stringy or rubbery. Pour the Rabbit generously over crisp, freshly buttered toast and serve instantly on hot plates.

No. 2 (with milk)For a rich milk Rabbit use ½ cup thin cream, evaporated milk, whole milk or buttermilk, instead of beer as in No. 1. Then, to keep everything bland, cut down the mustard by half or leave it out, and use paprika in place of cay-enne. As in No. 1, the use of Worces-tershire sauce is optional, although our feeling is that any spirited Rabbit would resent its being left out.

Nota Bene: Either of these basic recipes can be made without eggs, and more cheaply, although the beaten egg is a guarantee against stringiness. When the egg is missing, we are sad to record that a teaspoon or so of cornstarch generally takes its place.

Rabbiteers are of two minds about fast and slow heating and stirring, so you'll have to adjust that to your own experience and rhythm. As a rule, the heat is reduced when the cheese is almost melted, and speed of stirring slows when the eggs and last ingredients go in.

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The Stieff Recipe (Basic Milk Rabbit)completely surrounded by a lake of malt beverages...

INGREDIENTS2 cups grated sharp cheese3 heaping tablespoons butter1½ cups milk4 eggs1 heaping tablespoon mustard2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauceSaltPepperPaprika

DIRECTIONSGrease well with butter the interior of your double boiler so that no hard par-ticles of cheese will form in the mixture later and contribute undesirable lumps.

Put cheese, well-grated, into the double boiler and add butter and milk. From this point vigorous stirring should be in-dulged in until Rabbit is ready for serving.

Prepare a mixture of Worcestershire sauce, mustard, pepper, salt and pa-prika. These should be beaten until light and then slowly poured into the

double boiler. Nothing now remains to be done except to stir and cook down to proper consistency over a fairly slow flame. The finale has not arrived until you can drip the rabbit from the spoon and spell the word finis on the surface. Pour over two pieces of toast per plate and send anyone home who does not attack it at once.

This is sufficient for six gourmets or four gourmands.Nota Bene:

A Welsh Rabbit, to be a success, should never be of the consistency whereby it may be used to tie up bundles, nor yet should it bounce if inadvertently dropped on the kitchen floor.

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Border-hopping Bunny, or Frijole Rabbit

INGREDIENTS1½ tablespoons butter1½ tablespoons chopped onion2 tablespoons chopped pepper,

green or red, or both1½ teaspoon chili powder1 small can kidney beans, drained1½ tablespoons catsup½ teaspoon WorcestershireSalt2 cups grated cheese

DIRECTIONSCook onion and pepper lightly in butter with chili powder; add kidney beans and seasonings and stir in the cheese until melted.

Serve this beany Bunny peppery hot on tortillas or crackers, toasted and

buttered.

Tomato RabbitINGREDIENTS2 tablespoons butter2 tablespoons flour¾ cup thin cream or evaporated milk¾ cup canned tomato pulp, rubbed

through a sieve to remove seedsA pinch of soda3 cups grated cheesePinches of dry mustard, salt and

cayenne2 eggs, lightly beaten

DIRECTIONSBlend flour in melted butter, add cream slowly, and when this white sauce is a little thick, stir in tomato sprinkled with soda. Keep stirring steadily while add-ing cheese and seasonings, and when cooked enough, stir in the eggs to make a creamy texture, smooth as silk. Serve on buttered whole wheat or graham bread for a change.

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PastasNeapolitan Baked Lasagne,

or Stuffed NoodlesINGREDIENTS1 pound lasagne, or other wide noodles1½ cups cooked thick tomato sauce with meat½ pound Ricotta or cottage cheese1 pound Mozzarella or Cheddar¼ pound grated Parmesan, Romano

or PecorinoPepper, preferably crushed red podsA shaker filled with grated Parmesan, or reasonable

substitute

DIRECTIONSCook wide or broad noodles 15 to 20 minutes in rapidly boiling salted water until tender, but not soft, and drain. Pour ½ cup of tomato sauce in baking dish or pan, cover with about ½ of the noodles, sprinkle with grated Parmesan, a layer of sauce, a layer of Mozzarella and dabs of Ricotta. Continue in this fashion, alternating layers and seasoning each, ending with a final spread of sauce, Parmesan and red pepper. Bake firm in moderate oven, about 15 minutes, and served with canisters of grated Parmesan, crushed red pepper pods and more of the sauce to taste.

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Little Hats, CappellettiFreshly made and still moist Cappelletti, little hats, contrived out of tasty paste, may be had in any Little Italy macaroni shop. These may be stuffed sensation-ally in four different flavors with only two cheeses.

Brown slices of chicken and ham sep-arately, in butter. Mince each very fine and divide in half, to make four mixtures in equal amounts. Season these with salt, pepper and nutmeg and a binding of 2 parts egg yolk to 1 part egg white.

With these meat mixtures you can make four different-flavored fillings:

• Ham and Mozzarella • Chicken and Mozzarella • Ham and Ricotta • Chicken and Ricotta

Fill the little hats alternately, so you'll have the same number of each differ-ent kind. Pinch edges tight together to keep the stuffings in while boiling fast for 5 minutes in chicken broth (or salt-ed water, if you must).

Since these Cappelletti are only a pleas-ing form and shape of ravioli, they are served in the same way on hot plates, with plain tomato sauce and Parmesan or reasonable substitute. If we count this final seasoning as an ingredient, this makes three cheeses, so that each of half a dozen taste buds can be get-ting individual sensations without letting the others know what it's doing.

DessertsPineapple Cheese Cake 24

Cheese Custard 25

Open-faced Cheese Pie 25

The Apple-pie Affinity 26

Traditional Apple Pie 26

Apple Pie Adorned 27

Apple Pie á la Cheese 27

Cheese-Crusty Apple Pie 27

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Pineapple Cheese CakeINGREDIENTS2½ pounds sieved pot cheese1-inch piece vanilla bean¼ pound sweet butter, melted½ small box graham crackers, crushed fine4 eggs2 cups sugar1 small can crushed pineapple, drained2 cups milk⅓ cup flour

DIRECTIONSIn a big bowl mix everything except the graham crackers and pineapple in the order given above. Butter a square Pyrex pan and put in the gra-ham-cracker dust to make,a crust. Cover this even-ly with the pineapple and pour in the cheese-cus-tard mixture. Bake I hour in a “quiet” oven, as the English used to say for a moderate one, and when done set aside for 12 hours before eating.

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Cheese CustardINGREDIENTS4 eggs, slightly beaten½ teaspoon salt1 cup milkA dash of pepper or paprika3 tablespoons melted butterA few drops of onion juice, if desired4 tablespoons grated Swiss (imported)

DIRECTIONSMix all together, set in molds in pan of hot water, and bake until brown.

Open-faced Cheese PieINGREDIENTS3 eggs1 cup sugar2 pounds soft smearcase

DIRECTIONSWhip everything together and fill two pie crusts. Bake without any upper crust.

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The Apple-pie AffinityHot apple pie was always accompanied with cheese in New England, even as every slice of apple pie in Wisconsin has cheese for a sidekick, according to law. Pioneer hot pies were baked in brick ovens and flavored with nutmeg, cinnamon and rose geranium. The cheese was Cheddar, but today all sorts of pie and cheese combinations are common, such as banana pie and Gorgonzola, mince with Danish Blue, pumpkin with cream cheese, peach pie with Hablé, and even a green dusting of Sapsago over raisin pie.

Apple pie au gratin, thickly grated over with Parmesan, Caciocavallo or Sapsago, is something special when served with black coffee. Cider, too, or applejack, is a natural accompaniment to any dessert of apple with its cheese.

Traditional Apple PieINGREDIENTS2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus

more for dustingPate Brisee (Pie Dough)12 Granny Smith apples, peeled,

cored, and sliced3/4 cup sugar, plus additional for pie

topZest and juice of 1 lemon1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon1/2 teaspoon nutmegPinch ground cloves2 tablespoons unsalted butter1 large egg, beaten

DIRECTIONSHeat oven to 375 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out pate brisee into two 1/8-inch-thick circles to a di-ameter slightly larger than that of an 11-inch plate. Press one pastry circle into the pie plate. Place the other circle on waxed paper, and cover with plastic wrap. Chill all pastry until firm, about 30 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine apples, sugar, lemon zest and juice, spices, and flour. Toss well. Spoon apples into pie pan.

Dot with butter, and cover with remain-ing pastry circle. Cut several steam vents across top. Seal by crimping edges as desired. Brush with beaten egg, and sprinkle with additional sugar.

Bake until crust is brown and juices are bubbling, about 1 hour. Let cool on wire rack before serving.

Yields one 9-inch double-crust pie.

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Apple Pie AdornedApple pie is adorned with cream and cheese by pressing cream cheese through a ricer and folding in plenty of double cream beaten thick and salted a little. Put the mixture in a pastry tube and decorate top of pie in fanciful fashion.

Cheese-Crusty Apple PieIn making an apple pie, roll out the top crust and sprinkle with sharp Cheddar, grated, dot with butter and bake golden-brown.

Apple Pie á la CheeseLay a slice of melting cheese on top of apple (or any fruit or berry) pie, and melt under broiler 2 to 3 minutes.

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