1lb Block of Cheese, NOW WHAT??

[mom2garret]

Okay kiddies!! I have come into a one pound block of Cheese (Grafton Village Cheese Company, from Vermont) and I need recipes to use this sucker up! I am open to any and all suggestions. I am leaning towards a noodle, cheesy, type dish that uses it up. I do not want this to go to waste and if I crack the seal and use it for cheese and crackers there is a good chance the rest will go bad! I can also split it in half and make 2 dishes. So........................

READY! SET!! GO!!! ;)
Jodi

BTW: Thank you in advance! :D

[Sarah]

Um, macaroni and cheese? That's the first thing that came to mind, but I made enough for 40 this past weekend. I have a great recipe at home. Would you like it? I can type it out tonight when I'm there.

It's pure comfort food...

[Canice]

Oh yes, mac 'n' cheese for sure!

London Mac and Cheese
Reprinted with permission from Macaroni & Cheese: 52 Recipes, From Simple to Sublime, by Joan Schwartz (Villard Books, 2001).

3 cups (3/4 pound) grated white sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup (1/4 pound) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, or substitute Grana Padano or pecorino cheese
1 pound ziti, penne or short macaroni
3-3/4 cups whole milk
8 tablespoons butter, plus extra for the baking dish
6 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Small pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Kosher salt
Freshly ground white pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine the two cheeses and reserve. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat and cook the pasta until al dente, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain and place in a mixing bowl.

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the milk to a simmer.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter; when it starts to bubble, whisk in the flour. Cook, stirring, for 5 to 6 minutes and then remove from the heat (this is the roux). Whisk in the hot milk all at once. Add the cayenne, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste. Return the mixture to high heat and cook, stirring, until it comes to a boil and thickens, 2 to 3 minutes.

Reduce the heat to low. Add 2 cups of the combined cheeses to the milk mixture and cook, stirring, until the cheeses have melted completely. Pour the sauce over the pasta in the bowl and mix lightly.

Lightly butter a 3-1/2-quart deep baking dish and sprinkle 1/2 cup of the combined cheeses over the bottom. Cover with one third of the pasta and one third of the remaining cheese. Repeat the layers twice, ending with a layer of cheese. Pour the cream over all, and sprinkle with the bread crumbs. Place on the middle shelf of the oven and bake until the macaroni is bubbling and the crumbs are golden brown, about 30 minutes. Serves 4 to 6

[Arete]

What kind of cheese is it? If it's a cheddar, then I agree that a mac n' cheese is my first thought...

[runningkitcat]

You can also try freezing the unused portion of cheese. Cheese freezes just fine!

Advice: cut it into manageable portions *before* freezing because if you try and hack a piece off a frozen block you will weep.

Wendy

[ADM]

I realize that you are "looking for recipies", but 1 pound of cheese is not such a huge amount to use, that it has to be done quickly! All cheese stores well in the refrigerator, for a time, and shredded cheese stores well in your freezer. Your cheese sounds like it might be a gourmet cheese and if I were you, I would savor it as long as I could!

[LivingLowfat]

I'd make cheesy breakfast foods. Or you could do a quiche (I don't seem to have a good recipe though). Here's my spinach cheddar frittata:

http://livinglowfat.com/recipebox/side-dishes/spinach-cheddar-frittata/

[Clover]

This recipe from Eat, Drink, and Be Chinaberry uses a pound of cheese. It's supposed to be half cheddar and half jack, but it's really pretty flexible as to type and amount. I've made it a number of times. I'm more generous with the salsa, except for the time I forgot to add it--it was good without it too.

Chili Relleno Casserole

2 cans (4 oz each) whole green chile peppers, drained
1/2 lb sharp Cheddar, grated
1/2 lb Monterey Jack, grated
2 eggs
2 tablespoons flour
1 can (13 oz) evaporated milk
1/3 cup picante sauce (any salsa will work)

Slit chilies, wash out seeds, and place on paper towels to remove excess moisture. Line a 9x9-inch baking dish with the chilies, and sprinkle the grated cheese evenly over them.

Beat the eggs. Add flour and evaporated milk and mix well. Pour over the cheese layer. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes.

Top with the picante sauce for the last 5 minutes of cooking time. Remove dish from oven and allow it to set for about 5 minutes before cutting into squares.

Microwave instructions: If not using conventional oven, microwave at 50% (medium power) for 20 minutes.

My note: I tried microwaving this once and ended up putting it in the regular oven. It just wasn't working in the microwave. However, my microwave is old and weak, so the method might work fine for somebody else.

[mom2garret]

Thank you for all your responses. I was thinking along the lines of mac n cheese but didn't have a good recipe for it. Sarah, I would love to see the recipe you have. The two recipes posted look yummy! The block is Chedder. Fall is coming and I am in the mood for some comfort food!
Jodi

[Sarah]

Okay...let me preface this by saying that if you want high brow mac and cheese, make Canice's. I learned to make this in a microwave cooking class when I was 12. I loved it then, and I continue to make it now :D It's versatile too...I have used the microwave for the sauce, and then baked it in the oven. 8 times the recipe will feed 40 teenagers as a side...with very little left over.

Microwave Macaroni and Cheese

1 1/2 C uncooked elbow macaroni

2 Tbsp Butter
2 Tbsp flour
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp mustard powder
1/2 tsp Worstershire sauce
1 Cup milk
2 Cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 Cup crushed crackers

Cook macaroni to al dente, about 10 minutes.

In a microwave safe dish, melt butter, 45 seconds. Stir in flour and seasonings until smooth. Whisk in milk, and return to microwave for 1.5 minutes on high. Stir and microwave on high for 1.5 minutes, or until thick. Add 1 1/2 cups of cheese, microwave for 1 1/2 minutes at 70%.

Add macaroni, and spread the top with cracker crumbs and reserved cheddar cheese.

Microwave at 80% for 5 minutes, or until meat probe registers 150 F.

[badunnin]

8 times the recipe will feed 40 teenagers as a side...with very little left over.


And you know this... how?

[Sarah]

Remember this thread??

http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?t=78001

We're getting 40 kids, as opposed to the projected 25... :eek: