Cheese Toast....and more

Ingredients:
8 Plain Bread slices
1/2 Yellow Pepper/Capsicum, Chopped finely
1/2 Red Pepper/Capsicum, Chopped finely
1 Tomato, Chopped finely
1 Onion, Chopped finely
Chili Flakes
Mozrella Cheese, Grated

Method:
Arrange pieces of vegetable over each slice of bread, sprinkle some Chili Flakes and lots of Cheese over it and bake until the Cheese melts. Serve with Tomato Ketchup.

Chili Cheese Toast Ingredients

• 
  
  1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 6 slices French bread, toasted
• 6 slices Monterey Jack or pepper jack cheese

How to make Chili Cheese Toast

• In a bowl, combine the chilies and mayonnaise. Spread over each slice of bread. Top each with a cheese slice. Broil 4 in. from the heat for 3-4 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Baked Cheese Balls

INGREDIENTS

3 Cups cheese spread
3 Eggs
2tsp red chilli flakes
2tsp dried herbs
10 -12 peppercorns
A pinch of salt
75gms butter

METHOD
Preheat an oven to 200 degree celsius/ 400 degree F. Sift the flour with salt. Place the butter and one cup of water in a pan and stir overlow heat until the butter melts. Add the flour all at once and stir over medium heat until the mixture forms a ball and leaves the sides of the pan. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and cool slightly. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until the mixture is smooth and shiny. Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with plain nozzle. Pipe small mounds onto a baking tray. Bake for twenty to twenty five mins or until puffed up and golden brown. M ake a small hole in the base of the puffs with the tip of a knife or a skewer. to allow the steam to escape. Return the puffs to the oven and bake for two mins to dry out the insides. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Combine the cheese spread , chilli flakes, herbs and pepper and mix well. Spoon into a small pastry bag with nozzle and pipe cheese mixture into the puffs through the hole in the base. Serve immediately

Cheese Dip

Ingredients

1 cup milk
3/4 cheese spread
2 tbsp onion finely chopped
1tsp cornflour
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1tbsp butter
salt

Procedure

1. Dissolve cornflour in 1tbsp cold milk
2. Heat butter, saute onions in it for 2mins
3. Add milk, cheese spred, cornflour solution, salt and mix well
4. Bring to boil, while stirring continuously.. Sprinke red chilli powder
5. Serve hot with garlic bread or toasted bread..

Different Kinds of Cheese

There are over 700 cheeses produced in Britain! Soft and hard cheese, blue cheese and goat’s cheese… what are the differences? And which wine are they best served with?

Soft cheeseBrie, Camembert, FetaThis type of cheese does not undergo any heating or pressing. A penicillium fungus gives it its furry white rind. Not usually used in cooking, soft cheeses are used to spread on bread or crackers.
Which wine to serve with them? Youngwines such as Bordeaux or Beaujolais.

Semi-soft cheeseMunster, Port Salut, GoudaThis type of cheese does not undergo any heating or pressing. The rind is rinsed and brushed with a solution of salted water enriched with specific bacteria, which encourages orange-coloured fungi to appear. Ideal for snacking or desserts, some semi-soft cheeses may be used for cooking if they stand up to heat well enough.
Which wine to serve with them? White Côtes du Rhône or red Bordeaux.

Semi-hard cheeseCaerphilly, Cantal, Cheddar, Cheshire, Comté, Edam, Emmental, Gloucester, Gruyère, Lancashire, Leerdammer, Manchego, Red Leicester, WensleydaleOnce transformed into curds, these types of cheese are heated, pressed, moulded and left to ferment. This is how the famous holes appear in cheese that is stored in cellars (such as Emmental). They are very rich in calcium. Maturing can take from three to nine months, or even longer.
Which wine to serve with them? White Burgundy and Chardonnay, or full-bodied redwines such as Rioja.

Hard cheeseAged Manchego, Mimolette, Parmesan, Pecorino Tuscano
A hard cheese needs to have less water content (30-48%) in the end product than a soft cheese (which has 50-70%). Packed into moulds, firmly pressed and stored for long periods (up to two years), they become hard and more pungent over time.
Which wine to serve with them? Red wine such as Burgundy.

Blue cheese
Roquefort, Gorgonzola, Stilton
The production of this cheese involves inoculating it with fine, long skewers containing penicillium cultures which allow mould to develop in the cheese. This is what produces the green or blue veins.
Which wine to serve with them? Sweet wines. Loupiac, Sauternes or port work well.

Goat’s cheese
Caprino, Gevrik, Pantysgawn, Sainte-MaureThis cheese isn’t distinguished by its method of production: it is just made with goat'smilk. Goat’s cheese has a large range of flavours and textures, from dry and hard to soft and creamy. It is sometimes covered with charcoal or rolled over herbs.
Which wine to serve with them? French Sauvignon Blanc, Pouilly or Chablis.

Processed cheese
The cheese is made up of a mixture of cheese(s), butter, cream and milk that is heated and emulsified. Some varieties are flavoured or spiced. The shelf-life is generally very long.

Fresh cheeseCottage cheeseThis is fresh cheese with 80% water content. milk is curdled and drained, but little other processing takes place and there is no ageing. Cottage cheese is typically eaten with fruit or in salads.
Mozzarella
This cheese is obtained through kneading and stretching the curd until it reaches the desired consistency. Mozzarella is often used in pizza and lasagne.
Fromage fraisThis cheese is hardly drained or matured; its milk proteins simply coagulate under the effect of lactic ferments. It can be eaten on its own or with added flavouring.

Fat content- The amount of fat marked on the packaging is calculated for the dry weight, so a 100g block of cheese with 50% fat doesn’t actually contain 50g fat. If it’s made up of 50% water, it will weigh 50g dry and contain 25g fat.
- Generally speaking, cheeses with a high water content (in other words, the softer ones) are lower in fat.
- There are low-fat versions of many cheeses available. However, fat is important for the cheese’s texture and taste, so low-fat ones can taste a bit bland.

Potato Croquettes

Preparation time : 60 min. | Serves 6-8 croquettes

These potato croquettes are prepared with some cheesy flavors along with potatoes. If you feel the mixture is too much sticky you may add crumbs or flour to the mixture so that you can easily give shape to the croquettes. Serve it with any dip you like.

Ingredients:

2 lb potatoes
3 egg yolks (beaten reserve egg whites for coating)
4 tbsp grated Pecorino cheese
½ cup shredded mozzarella
2 cloves garlic (minced)
3 tbsp parsley (finely chopped)
½ tsp kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
4 cup fine bread crumbs
Vegetable oil for deep frying

Method

1. Medium boil the potatoes for 25-30 min.
2. Remove skin form the potatoes and then put into a food processor after cutting into large pieces.
3. Add egg yolks to the potatoes and then process until become blend well.
4. Now add remaining ingredients including Pecorino, mozzarella, garlic and parsley and mix in processor for just few seconds.
5. Add seasoning of salt and pepper to taste and mix well using hands. Put the mixture in fridge for 20 min so that easily give shapes to the croquettes.
6. After that make egg shape croquettes of 2”‘long and 1-1.5” thick. Dip each croquette in egg whites and then coat in bread crumbs.
7. Heat oil in a pan and fry croquettes in batches until become light golden brown in color.

Watermelon and feta salad

Ingredients

1 watermelon, preferably seedless
3 tbsp fine chopped mint
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled

The first step is to simply cut up your watermelon.  My melon baller  is one of my favorite kitchen toys! It’s always fun to use it!

I have found that it’s best to mix the watermelon with the mint first, either in a mixing bowl or in the same bowl that you will serve the salad.  Then sprinkle the crumbled feta on top of the watermelon and avoid further mixing the salad.