Gourmet cheese: make your own

Hello to all cheese lovers! I am one of you. 

Below is a recipe for all who would love to experiment with different flavors and herbs in their cheese.

 
Re-invented gourmet cheese

Ingredients
1:1 ratio of cream cheese and any cheddar cheese
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar for every 8 oz of cheese (in this example recipe, I used 4 oz cream cheese and 4 oz cheddar cheese)
salt to taste
any herbs and spices of your choice: basil, hot pepper flakes, garlic powder, paprika, etc.

Directions
In a deep soup dish, combine all ingredients. Cover with another soup dish. For the amount of cheese indicated above (i.e., 8 oz), microwave for one minute. Carefully remove the dishes from the microwave and stir. Cover again with the second dish and microwave for another minute. Stir and pour on a piece of parchment paper. 
 

The spread of melted cheese on a piece of parchment paper

Smooth the melted cheese with a knife and sprinkle with herbs, if desired. Let it cool (you may need to refrigerate for faster cooling). Slice into pieces and serve.

I have tried variations of this cheese, including adding spoonfuls of crumbled feta after microwaving the cream cheese and cheddar. The result is delicious!

Let me know how you "customize" your cheese.

Bon appetit!  

By the way, the cheese is a wonderful addition to any frightfully cold winter day:

Icicles, as seen from my living room

For the love of cheese

I love cheese; however, I am aware that too much of it is not great for my health. Therefore, I try to reduce the fat intake from cheese, without giving up the taste and flavor of cheese.

My first trick is to strain fat-free yogurt, add garlic, salt, and olive oil. This is a pretty good substitute for my favorite feta cheese. Of course, you could make it fancier by adding dill, crushed walnuts, olives, or even cucumbers (as in Tzatziki).  The yogurt spread on toasted bread.

My second approach is to crumble feta cheese with a fork and add non-fat yogurt to the density of a spread. To diversify the taste, add  a bit of olive oil and spices (e.g., black pepper, garlic, chopped baked and peeled peppers, chopped olives, red pepper flakes, etc.).

I also cook with cheese in a way that the taste is enhanced despite the small amount of cheese used. Here are two ideas for baked sandwiches:

Baked cheese sandwiches

1. Use dense type of bread. Mix crumbled feta cheese with a raw egg (add black pepper, if you like), and spread on slices of bread. Bake/grill until the egg is not runny. You could also butter the bread first, and then spread the egg-cheese mixture.

2. Grate cheese on top of a slice of bread, add your favorite spices (e.g., black pepper, hot pepper flakes, basil or savory) and bake.

Here is one appetizer recipe:

Baked peppers with cheese
Use ready-to-eat baked and peeled peppers (I buy Daily Chef Whole Roasted Peppers, the link is below). Cut thin slices of your favorite cheese, stuff them into the peppers. Heat a pan, oil it (with olive oil or use no-stick spray) and warm up the peppers on both sides until the cheese starts melting. Serve warm or cold.


Here is also one very "cheesy" recipe for a main dish:

Poached eggs with feta cheese and yogurt  
For this dish, you will need to poach a few eggs. I plan on two eggs per person. Break the eggs carefully into a pan of boiling water and cook.

For serving, prepare crumbled feta cheese mixed with yogurt and crushed garlic. Distribute the mixture into individual plates. Once the poached eggs are ready, drain them on a paper towel and then transfer onto the cheese-yogurt “bedding” in each individual dish. 

In a clean pan, melt a bit of butter (I use Smart Balance instead of butter), add a pinch of paprika, swirl quickly, and pour this fragrant mix on top of each egg (a teaspoon per egg would do).