How to Trap Appetites with Tasty Cheese
By “Awake!” correspondent in the Netherlands
ONE of the most common foods eaten by people around the world, from the poles to the tropics, is cheese in its endless varieties. Why, they even eat cheese ’n’ crackers on the moon, those astronauts! Cheese has the reputation of being one of man’s oldest here-to-stay foodstuffs. Not only are there over seven hundred varieties made from the milk of cows, goats, ewes and yaks, there are even far more ways than that of serving them.
Some countries have excelled others in the art of cheese making, the Netherlands being one of these. Besides exporting large quantities for the enjoyment of many people around the globe, Hollanders themselves also consume a great deal of cheese. They have, as a result, a number of suggestions for serving this nourishing food that they would like to share with you.
The next time special company comes to your house, why not treat them to something out of the ordinary in the way of a tasty cheese tidbit, or even a more elaborate cheese dish? But why wait for “special company” to come, when your own family will thoroughly enjoy the same treat?
There is an almost unlimited number of hors d’oeuvres in the cheese family that will excite the appetite of young and old alike. Try just setting out small cubes of several different kinds of cheese for your guests to sample, and then dress up some of the little cubes with a variety of toppings—pickled onions, gherkin pickles, confitured cherries, walnuts, dates, pieces of ham, bits of sausage meats, and sprinklings of seasonings, like ginger. On the side include an assortment of salty crackers. Then if an even larger display of goodies is desired, add several cheese dips to the menu.
If the occasion warrants, serve a little wine or other alcoholic drink along with these cheese snacks. Milk is also compatible with cheese and is much better for children and many older ones.
This is important: before-the-meal hors d’oeuvres should excite and tease the appetite, not kill it. So, be generous in the variety, but sparing in the quantity served. Let your guests come hungry to the meal that follows.
Other Interesting Suggestions
For a snack or light meal that is more substantial than just appetite teasers, here are some combinations you can try. Many people like a cheeseburger (a hamburger topped with a slice of cheddar cheese), or a toasted cheese, bacon and tomato sandwich. If you enjoy Danish blue cheese, slip a generous slice into a regular hamburger instead of pickles. Beer goes well with these.
Or try this one—pineapple coupe. Mix yeast extract with soft cheese and spread generously on toast. Then top with a slice of pineapple and in its center insert a slice of bacon. Now slide under the grill until the bacon is crispy.
Mini pizza is a contribution from Italy. For the base, use cream crackers or toasted halves of English muffins on which you smear anchovy paste from a tube. Lay on each a slice of mozzarella cheese and top with tomato paste or catsup, or a slice of tomato. Add a dash of olive oil, a sprinkling of crushed oregano and powdered garlic. Place on a baking tin and leave under the grill until the cheese is melted.
Here is a Spanish dish that is different: For each serving take a pork or veal cutlet about three eighths of an inch thick. Salt and rub with olive oil; then brown in butter for three or four minutes. Top this with a slice each of ham and cheese, and continue the frying until the cheese is melted. Serve along with fruit salad to which a dash of sherry wine has been added.
Another treat is Swiss raclette. Butter individual heat-resistant bowls and lay in each a half-inch-thick slice of a rich cheese like Tilsiter. Place in a preheated oven so the cheese starts to melt. Peel previously cooked potatoes and lay two or three alongside the melted cheese in each bowl. Add onions and gherkins and give the pepper mill a few turns over the top.
Why Not Serve Fondue?
This name is of French origin, meaning “melted,” but whether the French or Swiss or someone else made and served it first is not certain. For a serving of four you need a pound of cheese, a pint of white wine, a clove of garlic, two teaspoons of cornstarch, lemon juice, nutmeg and a small glass of kirsch.
Briskly rub the garlic on the inside of the caquelon, as the fondue cooking pan is called. Add the lemon juice and wine (a Moselle or medium-dry table wine), and heat until it is fizzing. Premix the cornstarch in a little wine and add it now with the cheese, which has been grated. There are a variety of cheeses to choose from—ripe Gouda, Tilsiter, Gruyère or Emmentaler. Or you might combine some, like four parts of Gouda and one part of Kernhem.
Bring the whole dish to the cooking point, at the same time continually stir with a wooden spoon or wire whip until smooth and creamy. Care must be taken to get the right consistency. If only slightly thin, just let it cook a little longer. If considerably on the thin side, add more cheese or whip in a little cornstarch that is first mixed in a little wine. The cornstarch will bind it together. On the other hand, if too thick, add a little warm wine. Finally, with the consistency right, season with pepper, nutmeg and a dash of kirsch, and transfer it to the center of the table, placing it over an alcohol lamp to keep it hot.
Here you have a complete meal, needing no entrée and no dessert. Each person is given a special fondue fork on which small bite-size pieces of French or brown bread or toast are placed. After dipping and twisting until drip free, one has a mouth-watering morsel that is a real treat. If during the feast the fondue thickens, add a little hot wine. Should it curdle, return it to the stove and whip in a little lemon juice or vinegar.
There are many variations on this fondue theme. For example, use curry or paprika instead of pepper. Or season with mustard, cumin, dill or basil, even use various spices to suit your taste and fancy. If there are side dishes of cooked mushrooms, small meatballs, shrimp or olives, these can be dunked along with the bread. Side dishes of lettuce, celery, carrot sticks or other fresh vegetables are enjoyable and help to heighten interest in the fondue centerpiece.
We trust you enjoy these dishes as much as we cheese eaters here in the Netherlands do, for cheese is both nutritious and delicious.