For as long as I can remember, cheese has been my favorite food. It is truly insurmountable to me. I have eaten more than my weight in specifically Parmigiano Reggiano and mozzarella over the years, and is the epitome of a comfort food for me — from the saline, crystallized bites in the aforementioned parmesan to the salty, crumbly bite of feta.
So it’s a bummer that the “cheese” challenge in this season’s "Top Chef," which is remarkably set in Wisconsin, was so underwhelming. Unimaginative, droll, flat. Aside from a few particular dishes (Danny’s, Rasika’s, Michelle’s), the results of the challenge were very lackluster. I always love seeing Carla Hall, though!
But I digress: When it comes to cooking with cheese — as in actually incorporating cheese into a dish versus simply slicing it and serving it alongside honey, mostarda and olives — there are many things to consider.
Cheese can lend a vast tapestry of flavor notes, profiles, textures and consistencies to a dish, based on so many of its inherent traits as well as how those traits are manipulated: Is it a central component of the dish? Is it incorporated into the dish? Or it is being used as a topping, such as grating cheese onto pasta, mixing cubes into salad — or even like Manny's curds on his reimagined poutine in this episode?There's also a whole other genre of grillable cheese, like squeaky halloumi, which is one of my absolute favorites.
That's even without considering the variety of flavors cheese can lend a dish. Do you want the bite of gorgonzola or the mildness of brie? Do you want the crumble of feta or the melting capabilities of gruyere? Do you want a goat’s milk cheese in your salad or a sheep’s? Is there a rind on your cheese, and if so, is it edible? Is it stinky, like taleggio? The list goes on and on.
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The uses of cheese are myriad and practically infinite, but if you have some in your fridge or you’re just a verified cheesehead like me, here are some ideas for using those wonderful cheeses in ways other than simply slicing and snacking:
One of my favorite things in the world is roasting vegetables and then, about halfway through the cooking process, adding some cheese (almost always gruyere and parm, sometimes mozzarella, sometimes fontina) and letting the cheese melt and brown, melding with the crisped vegetables. I love the way the cheese melts and pools, sort of trapping the veggies, the flavors of the cheese imbuing the vegetables and vice-versa — I truly haven't eaten vegetables any other way in years.
I pretty much always opt for a singular vegetable and I always let the sheet tray sit for a good five minutes for the cheese to begin to solidify. Sometimes, I like to top the cheesy roasted vegetables with picked shallots and a nut of sorts, like a salted pistachio or hazelnut.
Conversely, the "binding" method is great, obviously, for sandwiches, as well as practically any potato or mushroom dish, stuffed items, or anything else you're looking to cook that needs something to help "fuse" it together. This is also the case for the deep, bronzed caramelization on my chicken parm., which is the single dish I've cooked the most over the years.
In terms of embracing the "gooey" aspect of cheese, though, there may be no better usage than good ol' fondue. Of course, there's also cascading, melted Raclette over any sort of potato, which is also unmissable. Cheese is just too darn good.
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"Top Chef" Takeaways, Episode 3:
- I loved how Rasika used simply cherries and onions in her Quick Fire dish, concentrating and focusing on those flavors and those flavors alone. She's terrific!
- I loved how astute and cutting the guest judge was and his critiques were super insightful and revealing — yet he was never properly introduced aside from a fleeting reference early in the episode. Is Kristen just not introducing the guests or is that being cut out? Similarly, I was confused last episode by that random man who was apparently a comedian and why everyone at that table would throw their heads back and laugh with fervor at every word he said. I loved how Padma would slowly but surely introduce every single person and a bit about them. I'm finding that pretty jarringly missing thus far this season.
- I really liked Kenny and think he was so unvarnished, upfront and refreshing in his confessions, which is such a rarity in modern reality TV, whether competitive or otherwise. Some of his dishes sounded so great, too — I really liked how committed he was to his culture and his cuisine throughout each dish. Alisha is similar in confessionals: Raw, self-deprecating, not putting on airs, not visibly attempting to make funny quips. I always enjoy those types of chefestants, who have been fewer and further between as the show’s continued on.
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