I love to cook dishes that are comforting, generous and full of flavor, like the foods my mom used to make.
We loved cheese in any form in our house _ from grilled cheese sandwiches to macaroni and cheese and cheesecakes. No other food is so ideally suited to cooking as cheese. Fortunately, my refrigerator is always full of cheeses like good cheddar, gruyere or a collection of odds and ends left over from a cheese board.
If you have leftovers, refrigerate them wrapped in parchment paper, which allows them to breathe. I turn these treasures into satisfying quiches, or I use them to top a luscious onion soup or fill an omelet. Grate hard cheeses over pasta dishes or soups. I like combining 1 pound of rigatoni (cooked according to package directions) with 1 head of steamed broccoli florets and stalks cut into {-inch pieces, with 8 ounces of Brie (with rind), cut into 1-inch pieces, with salt and pepper. Stir until the cheese melts and top with { cup toasted walnuts.
Cooking with cheese takes a little know-how, and given the price of good cheeses, you'll want to be well-prepared. Here are a few tips that will have you making delicious gooey cheese-based dishes:
_ Remove any blue or green mold from semi-hard or hard cheeses by trimming \ to { inch of the mold away. The rest is fine to use. Even cheese that has become dry and hard is good to use _ just grate it. All non-edible rinds such as wax should be removed before cooking.
_ It's important to remove a sauce from the heat before adding the cheese. Heating cheese too quickly can cause it to form lumps.
_ Cooking a cheesy casserole at too high a temperature may curdle your sauce, so keep it at 375� or below. If you want to brown the top, place briefly under the broiler.
_ Save the rind of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese to toss it into soups and sauces to add savory flavor. When cooked, discard the rind.
