cheese-goo-msg - 10/31/06
Digby's Savory Tosted Cheese recipe and variations. Similar melted cheese/fondue recipes.
NOTE: See also the files: cheese-msg, dairy-prod-msg, Cheese-Making-art, cheesemaking-msg, cheesecake-msg, sauces-msg.
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This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org
I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter.
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Thank you,
Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous
Stefan at florilegium.org
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Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
From: ddfr at quads.uchicago.edu (david director friedman)
Subject: Re: recipe needed, take 2
Organization: University of Chicago
Date: Tue, 20 Apr 1993 04:50:02 GMT
"There is a lovely cheese and herb dish which is good on bread. Perhaps this
would serve. Unfortunately, I do not have the recipe myself, though Elaine
Courtney would. It's from one of the common Arabic sources. You might try
looking in some of the Arabic sources for other similiar dishes."
(Caterina Sichling)
Perhaps this is what you were thinking of?
Zabarbada of Fresh Cheese
Andalusian p. A-13
Take fresh cheese, clean it, cut it up and crumble it; take fresh
coriander and onion, chop and throw over the cheese, stir and add
spices and pepper, shake the pot with two tablespoons of oil and
another of water and salt, then throw this mixture in the pot and put
on the fire and cook; when it is cooked, take the pot from the fire
and thicken with egg and some flour and serve.
8 oz farmer's cheese
1 t cumin
1 T water
1 c loosely packed chopped green coriander = 1 oz
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
2 onions = 6 oz
1/2 t pepper
1 egg
1 t ground coriander seed
2 T oil
2-3 T flour
Mix together cheese, green coriander, onion, and spices. Put oil,
water and salt in a large frying pan or a dutch oven; shake to cover
the bottom. Put in the cheese mixture and cook on medium-high to high
about 3 minutes, stirring almost constantly, until the mixture
becomes a uniform goo. Remove from heat, stir in egg, sprinkle on
flour and stir in, serve forth. It ends up as a sort of thick dip,
good over bread. It is still good when cold.
We have also used cheddar, feta, mozzarella and ricotta; all came out
well, although with the feta it was a little salty, even with the
salt in the recipe omitted. Some cheeses will require more flour to
thicken it; the most we used was 1/2 cup.
(from the Miscellany)
David/Cariadoc
From: Dottie Elliott (10/4/95)
To: Mark Harris
All the recipes in his collection can be found on the World Wide Web at ::
http://fermi.clas.virginia.edu/~gl8f/cariadoc/recipe_toc.html
==> Savoury Tosted or Melted Cheese
[original recipe found in] Digby p. 228/177
Cut pieces of quick, fat, rich, well tasted cheese, (as the best of Brye,
Cheshire, &c. or sharp thick Cream-Cheese) into a dish of thick beaten
melted Butter, that hath served for Sparages or the like, or pease, or
other boiled Sallet, or ragout of meat, or gravy of Mutton: and, if you
will, Chop some of the Asparages among it, or slices of Gambon of Bacon, or
fresh-collops, or Onions, or Sibboulets, or Anchovis, and set all this to
melt upon a Chafing-dish of Coals, and stir all well together, to
Incorporate them; and when all is of an equal consistence, strew some gross
White-Pepper on it, and eat it with tosts or crusts of White-bread. You may
scorch it at the top with a hot Fire-Shovel.
[redaction by David Friedman and Elizabeth Cook]
1/2 lb butter
1/2 lb cream cheese
1/8 lb Brie or other strongly flavored cheese
1/4 t white pepper
Melt the butter. Cut up the cheese and stir it into the butter over low
heat. You will probably want to use a whisk to blend the two together and
keep the sauce from separating (which it is very much inclined to do). When
you have a uniform, creamy sauce you are done. You may serve it over asparagus or other vegetables, or over toast; if you want to brown the top, put it under the broiling unit in your stove for a minute or so. Experiment with some of the
variations suggested in the original.
[Clarissa's Notes: I use brie cheese but I cut off the rine. Its easier to
do if the cheese is still cold. Medium heat or better is needed and you
must stir CONSTANTLY or it will stick and burn (and never meld too). Use a
whip to stir. A heavy pan like a cast iron dutch oven is a good idea. If
its mixed really well, it will not separate as much as if its just mixed a
little. This is a very rich sauce. I would say that this serves 8 people as
part of several removes as an appetizer or over vegetables . It serves 4 if
its the single main dish for dinner.]
Dottie Elliott macdj at onr.com
From: "Philip W. Troy" <troy at asan.com>
Date: Thu, 24 Apr 1997 10:33:32 -0400
Subject: Re: SC - cheese goo
Sue Wensel wrote:
> > Last Monday, April 21, Clarissa proclaimed:
> >
> > >... As for what I cook,
> > >certain dishes that are favorites have been requested and I oblige
> > >whenever possible.
> >
> > Yes, cheese goo. Oh wonderful cheese goo.
> >
> > Clarissa brought the recipe for cheese goo down with her from the
> > far off East Kingdom and has made quite a hit here with it.
> >
> > I think she will probably get tired of cooking it before the barony
> > gets tired of eating it. She has however made good progress in
> > teaching others how to make it. She even convinced my wife who is
> > even less of a cook than me to make it for Gulf Wars.
> >
> > Stefan li Rous
> >
> > (Cheese goo is the local name for Savory Toasted Cheese. I could
> > post the recipe or give Clarissa the honor since it is her recipe)
> Do you use brie or farmer's cheese? We have people around here that make both
> -- I think the farmer's cheese version is far superior!
>
> Derdriu
Digby (the source most people use when redacting this recipe, though he
certainly didn't invent toasted cheese) probably intended a young brie
or a firm cream cheese like York or slipcoat. I've gotten good results
with a mixture of cream cheese and mild white cheddar.
Adamantius
From: "Philip W. Troy" <troy at asan.com>
Date: Thu, 24 Apr 1997 10:55:46 -0400
Subject: Re: Re(2): SC - cheese goo
Sue Wensel wrote:
after a whole lotta blah blah by Adamantius
> Do we know when brie was developed? I know cheddaring is only about 200 years
> old; I still use it because people like it.
Digby specifically mentions Chesire or Brie in the original recipe. Brie
cheese clearly existed from, if I remember correctly, about 800 A.D.
However, we don't know how closely it resembled Brie as made today. And
yes, cheddaring is only about 200 years old, meaning that a process
which probably already existed began to be called after a village where
it began to be practiced industrially. Almost identical cheeses are and
were apparently made on a smaller scale, generally known as "farmhouse
cheeses", which are very different from what we know as farmer cheese. I
believe the reason behind specifying "fat" or cream cheese is that it
serves the same purpose as shortening in baked goods: it softens
proteins, which in the case of bread makes it more tender, and in the
case of cheese makes the curds more tender, eventually to the point
where they are indistinguishable from each other, producing a smooth
cheese.
Bottom line here is that I think Brie or white cheddar or cream cheese,
or some combination thereof, are probably closer to the original, but
farmer cheese still might taste better to some.
Adamantius
From: Dottie Elliott <macdj at onr.com>
Date: Thu, 24 Apr 97 17:19:31 -0500
Subject: Re: SC - cheese goo
Savoury Tosted or Melted Cheese
modern recipe from: A Miscellany by Cariadoc and Elizabeth
(http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/cariadoc/sauces.html#1)
original found in Digby p. 228/177
Cut pieces of quick, fat, rich, well tasted cheese, (as the best of Brye,
Cheshire, &c. or sharp thick Cream-Cheese) into a dish of thick beaten
melted Butter, that hath served for Sparages or the like, or pease, or other
boiled Sallet, or ragout of meat, or gravy of Mutton: and, if you will, Chop
some of the Asparages among it, or slices of Gambon of Bacon, or
fresh-collops, or Onions, or Sibboulets, or Anchovis, and set all this to
melt upon a Chafing-dish of Coals, and stir all well together, to
Incorporate them; and when all is of an equal consistence, strew some gross
White-Pepper on it, and eat it with tosts or crusts of White-bread. You may
scorch it at the top with a hot Fire-Shovel.
1/2 lb butter
1/2 lb cream cheese
1/8 lb Brie or other strongly flavored cheese
1/4 t white pepper
Melt the butter. Cut up the cheese and stir it into the butter over low
heat. You will probably want to use a whisk to blend the two together and
keep the sauce from separating (which it is very much inclined to do). When
you have a uniform, creamy sauce you are done. You may serve it over
asparagus or other vegetables, or over toast; if you want to brown the top,
put it under the broiling unit in your stove for a minute or so. Experiment
with some of the variations suggested in the original.
Clarissa's notes: I cut off the rind from the Brie. I find that using a
whisk to stir makes the cheeses and butters meld together faster (at
least it seems like it does). This is fairly thick and as such is good as
a dip for bread, etc. I also make it for asparagus by layering toast on
the bottom of the pan, asparagus (cooked) over the toast and then pouring
the cheese mixture over the top and bake until bubbly on top. I use more
butter when I make the cheese for this so it is thinner for pouring.
[Editors note: The following is a note from a different message about
this recipe]
[Clarissa's Notes: I use brie cheese but I cut off the rine. Its easier to
do if the cheese is still cold. Medium heat or better is needed and you
must stir CONSTANTLY or it will stick and burn (and never meld too). Use a
whip to stir. A heavy pan like a cast iron dutch oven is a good idea. If
its mixed really well, it will not separate as much as if its just mixed a
little. This is a very rich sauce. I would say that this serves 8 people as
part of several removes as an appetizer or over vegetables . It serves 4 if
its the single main dish for dinner.]
Clarissa
From: RobearB at aol.com
Date: Fri, 25 Apr 1997 11:28:23 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Re: SC - cheese goo
<< Well, someone please post it! I think that if it is that big of a hit I
would love the chance at the recipe and sharing it. >>
This version is quite popular in Atlantia, and very easy. I use the
three-two-one method. Which is......Three parts cream cheese, two parts
brie, and one part butter. I saute onions in the butter (very finely
chopped, almost minced), then I place them in a double boiler and add crem
cheese until all is incorporated (stir constantly). Add brie in pieces,
including rind, until it is incorporated as well. Prepare your favourite
vegetable, and make as dry as possible. Pour cheese over all and broil (if
possible) until bubbly golden brown. We've also served this with toast
points and roast pork with great success. There is rarely any left over.
Robear de Bardoulf,
Barony of Caer Mear,
Kingdom of Atlantia
Date: Sun, 26 Oct 1997 19:11:02 -0800
From: david friedman <ddfr at best.com>
Subject: Re: SC - white drinks and other
>Kael asked:
...
>> and a spread of some sort
You might want to look at Zabarbada of fresh cheese (Miscellany).
- --
Zabarbada of Fresh Cheese
Andalusian p. A-13
Take fresh cheese, clean it, cut it up and crumble it; take fresh coriander
and onion, chop and throw over the cheese, stir and add spices and pepper,
shake the pot with two tablespoons of oil and another of water and salt,
then throw this mixture in the pot and put on the fire and cook; when it is
cooked, take the pot from the fire and thicken with egg and some flour and
serve.
8 oz farmer's cheese
1 t cumin
1 T water
1 c loosely packed chopped green coriander = 1 oz
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
2 onions = 6 oz
1/2 t pepper
1 egg
1 t ground coriander seed
2 T oil
2-3 T flour
Mix together cheese, green coriander, onion, and spices. Put oil, water and
salt in a large frying pan or a dutch oven; shake to cover the bottom. Put
in the cheese mixture and cook on medium-high to high about 3 minutes,
stirring almost constantly, until the mixture becomes a uniform goo. Remove
from heat, stir in egg, sprinkle on flour and stir in, serve forth. It ends
up as a sort of thick dip, good over bread. It is still good when cold.
We have also used cheddar, feta, mozzarella and ricotta; all came out well,
although with the feta it was a little salty, even with the salt in the
recipe omitted. Some cheeses will require more flour to thicken it; the
most we used was 1/2 cup.
David/Cariadoc
Date: Wed, 29 Oct 1997 08:36:02 -0400
From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>
Subject: Re: SC - raclette
Robert Beaulieu wrote:
> Unto all gentle cooks Lord Robert de QuelQuePart sends greetings,
>
> Being from Latin decent rather than Saxon I do not know for sure that
> this dish is caled "raclette" in English (that is the french spelling);
> being from Swiss origin (I believe), or somewhere close, it consist,
> originally as it is now served in fancy setting in restaurants, of a
> block of cheese with one end facing toward and close, more or less, to
> the "pit" fire; in such a fashion that it melts (becomes smooth), in
> turn each and every one which has their heart for it, or the munchys, srape
> that end with a piece of bread...
>
> The question is ...(drums)... Is this dish period, if so can any one
> document it for me please?
In English we call that dish "toasted cheese", more or less. In the
French-speaking parts of Switzerland, the dish is called raclette
because, as I understand it, it is the name of the type of cheese
traditionally used for toasting in Switzerland. So, you go to the cheese
shop and buy a wheel or wedge of raclette, and you can either use it to
make sandwiches, or eat with bread and wine, or you could use it to
make...(drums)...raclette.
Honestly don't know how old the cheese variety is, but the concept of
toasting cheese and eating it with bread must date back to, at least,
the fifteenth or sixteenth century. I believe there are literary
references to Welsh dishes of toasted cheese being of superior quality
to their English equivalents. Just think: Owen Glendower may have died
to protect toasted cheese!
See C. Anne Wilson's "Food and Drink In Britain", for a start at
documenting toasted cheese in the British style, apparently developed
sometime during the latter half of our period. The basic dish involves
placing a slice of fat cheese (no, not a fat slice of cheese) on a clean
fire shovel or smooth board, such as are sometimes used for baking
flatbreads near a hearth. You prop up the board, or hold the shovel, on
an incline, facing the fire. When it is done, it will be brown and
bubbly, and will begin to slide down the shovel or board, on its little
built-in lubricating buffer of butterfat. The goal is for the browning,
and the sliding, to occur at more or less the same time, which will
ultimately be a function of experience in this fine art. Anyway, you pop
your slice of toasted cheese onto a slice of toasted bread, and chomp.
It appears that some heretics will spread mustard, as well as butter, on
their toast prior to the application of the cheese.
Some consider the ne plus ultra of the toasted cheese experience to be
Digby's recipe for Savoury Toasted Cheese, which is a sort of melted
cheese casserole, with added butter and the occasional bit of what my
son calls greenfood. Commonly known on this list as cheese goo.
Personally, I prefer the simpler Welsh method, which I believe Digby's
recipe to be a citified imitation of. By way of compromise, I'll say
that I have had excellent results in mass-producing a variant on the
Welsh method for feast use. I use large round loaves of bread, which I
slice horizontally into discs. These get toasted, buttered (sometimes
with a REALLY tiny amount of plain Coleman's-type mustard) and topped
with a smooth mixture of grated white Cheddar and some cream cheese,
whizzed up in a food processor. Digby recommends Cheshire or Brie, but
I've found that the mixture I mention can be quickly spread, before the
toast gets cold, and when melted, appears to be a perfectly homogeneous
cheese, rather than a mixture. Finish these in a broiler, at which point
they rather resemble pizzas, and if they are the right size, you can
send out one per table, cut into wedges.
This is good in cases where the Digby cheese goo, in combination with
other dishes, is just a bit too much. Of course, some claim that this
case could never arise, but still, there it is.
Adamantius
Date: Wed, 29 Oct 1997 12:43:14 -0600
From: Robert Beaulieu <robert.beaulieu at sympatico.ca>
Subject: Re: SC - raclette
> In English we call that dish "toasted cheese", more or less. In the
> French-speaking parts of Switzerland, the dish is called raclette
> because, as I understand it, it is the name of the type of cheese
> traditionally used for toasting in Switzerland.
> Adamantius
If I may correct you my Lord,
It is the other way around as far as the name goes...
The cheese was named after the use it was made for...
Let me explain the usage I describe in my letter dates back further
than the cheese now used for it, the dish is called "raclette" after the
action "racler", to scrape, witch is what one does with the bread peace
on the softened cheese.
Lord Robert de QuelquePart
Date: Fri, 23 Jan 1998 20:06:03 -0800
From: "Anne-Marie Rousseau" <acrouss at gte.net>
Subject: Re: SC - fondue?
There's Digby's cheese, and my favorite from la Varenne (1651). La Varenne
is sauteeing onion/chives/shallots in butter, add cubed cheese, melt and
spread on bread. Stick it under the broiler till its all brown and bubbly.
Yum!
ok ok ok la Varenne isn't medieval. sheesh! :)
- --Anne-Marie
Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 21:27:58 -0500
From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Fondue
Robyn.Hodgkin at affa.gov.au wrote:
> Has anyone got any information on whether fondue are period?
>
> Kiriel
The oldest reference to fondue (cheese, I assume you mean) under that
name that I have seen and can document is in Jean-Anthelme
Brillat-Savarin's "Physiologie du Gout" [Anatomy of Taste], sometime in
the very early 19th century, maybe 1810 or so. His recipe is really for
cheese scrambled with eggs and wine until the cheese is melted and the
eggs slightly thickened, just creamy.
Adamantius
Date: Fri, 26 Mar 1999 08:44:39 -0500
From: "Nick Sasso" <Njs at mccalla.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Fondue
In my first parusal of The Medieval Kitchen I remember seeing an
Italian dish of some sort similar to Fondue served with Crostini of
wheat bread. I cannot, for the life of me find it again! It may have
been another book altogether. I do know that it was a melted cheese
dipping sauce with a toasted bread dipper served in small dishes
rather than a largish communal pot. I'll keep looking.
niccolo difrancesco
Date: Mon, 8 Nov 1999 19:49:47 EST
From: Elysant at aol.com
Subject: SC - SC Melted Cheese
Lady Brighid wrote:
> (Snip) And it was there that I had my first acquaintance with Digby's
> savory toasted cheese. When I go to heaven, I know what will be on the
> table, right next to the manna.
M'Lady,
you wouldn't be Welsh would you? ;-)
There is an old saying the English have about us Welsh - that all there would
need to be in Heaven to keep us happy would be "Caws Pobi" (Toasted Cheese!).
;-)
BTW I looked up the "Savoury Tosted or Melted Cheese" recipe in Digby. The
recipe looks as if it would be really delicious and is, I think, quite
similar to the recipe for (Welsh) Rarebit (Rarebit additionally has milk and
beer in it, but no asparagus, onions or other things added).
Here's the recipe I have for the dish.
Welsh Rarebit / "Caws Pobi" (Toasted Cheese).