Helene Siegel - Totally Cheese Cookbook

Copyright 1999 by Helene Siegel
Illustrations copyright by Carolyn Vibbert

All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Celestial Arts, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
www.crownpublishing.com
www.tenspeed.com

Celestial Arts and the Celestial Arts colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

The Totally Cheese Cookbook is produced by becker&mayer!, Kirkland, Washington.
www.beckermayer.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Siegel, Helene.
The totally cheese cookbook / by Helene Siegel; illustrated by Carolyn Vibbert.
p. cm.
1. Cookery (Cheese) I. Title.
TX759.5.C48S54 1999
641.673dc21 99-28108

ISBN-13: 978-0-89087-894-1
eBook ISBN: 978-0-8041-5330-0

Illustration by Bob Greisen
Interior design by Susan Hernday
Interior illustrations by Carolyn Vibbert

v3.1

T HE CHEESE STANDS ALONE

A life without cheese would be thin indeed. I know. For a while, here in southern California, it felt as though cheese had fallen off the planet. Sure, you could find cottage, cream, string, cheddar, and fresh goat cheeses at the supermarket, but where were the assertive Roqueforts, temperamental Taleggios, and stinky Camemberts of past lives? In our quest for thinness and eternal youth, it seemed that many of us had let our lives become dull, tasteless, and essentially cheeseless.

But the tide seems to be turning. Los Angeless best restaurants are now offering thoughtful cheese selections for dessert. Supermarkets are stacking luscious fresh mozzarella balls, fontina, and imported Parmesan wedges in the dairy case alongside terrific American goat cheeses and the usual suspects from France, Holland, and Switzerland. Even health-conscious shoppers are nibbling cheese with their crusty baguettes and cocktails.

Im glad. When a food has been around as long as cheese, and has developed such an infinite variety of expressions from the aforementioned Roquefort to the mildest delicate fromage blanc, only a fool would want to do without it. Even if it does mean looking better in a bikini.

So, choose your cheeses wisely. If its sensational tastes and eating youre after, begin exploring at a good cheese shop theyll offer small samples and admire your adventurous spirit. On the other hand, if you plan on using cheese in cooking, start at the supermarket and browse the recipes that follow. All make scrumptious use of natures way with milk: glorious cheese.

No Cheese Before Its Time

Like fine wine, really good pickles, and lava lamps, cheeses develop character as they age. It takes time for the full flavor of a great blue cheese, cheddar, or Parmesan to develop. Compare the taste of a fresh goat cheese with a denser, more piquant older one to experience what the passage of time can do.

Ever since I learned this easy vegetarian starter years ago from chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, it has remained a cocktail party standby.

3 red bell peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded

6 ounces feta cheese

olive oil

12 basil leaves, thinly sliced

Cut each pepper into four equal strips, lengthwise. Divide feta into 12 pieces.

Place each pepper strip on a clean work surface, skinned-side down. Arrange a piece of feta on one end, and roll up to enclose the cheese. Place seam-side down on a platter. Lightly drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with basil. Cover and chill before serving.

S ERVES 6

These Italian chips, called frico, are an easy appetizer to serve with drinks.

shredded Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie tray with parchment paper.

Drop 3 tablespoons of cheese in evenly spaced piles on a lined sheet. With fingertips, spread each to form about a 2-inch circle or chip. Bake about 7 minutes until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and golden all over. Remove from the oven and let sit until cool and set, about 5 minutes. Peel and serve warm. Store in zipper-lock bags.

These can also be made on the stovetop in a nonstick pan. Lightly coat the pan with oil and place over medium-low heat. Drop the cheese in piles, flatten with your fingertips or a spatula, and fry about 3 minutes per side. Carefully turn with a spatula. Drain on paper towels and serve.

This Mexican appetizer is especially appealing served in small earthenware crocks.

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack or mozzarella cheese

1 cup crumbled feta or aejo cheese

1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 medium zucchini, trimmed and diced

10 mushroom caps, thinly sliced

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

warm tortillas for serving

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine the cheeses and place in four -cup ovenproof ramekins or a 9-inch square casserole. Place on a baking tray and bake 5 minutes. Remove.

Meanwhile melt the butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Saut the garlic, zucchini, and mushrooms until lightly browned. Season with black pepper. Scatter the vegetables over the cheese, and return to the oven. Bake about 7 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve hot with warm tortillas.

S ERVES 4

Cheese is probably the friendliest of foods. It endears itself to everything and never tires of showing off to great advantage.

James Beard

These are traditional French gougrescream puff pastries flavored with Gruyre.

cup milk

3 tablespoons butter

teaspoon salt

teaspoon paprika

cup plus 2 tablespoons flour

4 eggs

cup shredded Gruyre cheese

Parmesan cheese for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

Combine the milk, butter, salt and paprika in a heavy medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the flour, all at once, stirring constantly until the dough clears the sides of the pan and forms a ball, about a minute or two. (The white flour should disappear.)

Transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer. Add 1 egg, and beat at low speed until combined. Increase speed to medium and add remaining eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl between additions. When smooth, beat in Gruyre to combine.

Drop by teaspoonfuls on a prepared baking sheet and sprinkle tops with Parmesan. Bake 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees F and bake 15 to 20 minutes longer, until puffed and golden. Balls should sound hollow when tapped with a finger. Cool on racks and serve warm or at room temperature. Store in resealable bags.

M AKES ABOUT 30 SMALL BALLS