Fried cheese: the origins of the dish and how to cook it

Although most often cheese is paired with bread in the form of sandwiches, this dairy product has other uses. Grate cheese curry sprinkled with pasta, it is added to salads and pastries.But often little attention is paid to this type of grilled cheese. But this is incredibly delicious and original product. It can be made the main part of any meal, serve as a snack to an alcoholic beverage or add to dessert.

It is believed that in Russia such a dish as fried cheese, appeared in the XIX century, arriving, of course, from France. With what the history of a fried product in the world began, hardly it will be possible to learn. However, there is a very interesting story dedicated to grilled cheese and Charles Dickens. His wife, Mrs. Catherine Dickens, was an excellent hostess, who even became the author of the culinary book “What Have We Have for Lunch? ". After reading it today, you can learn that in the time of Victorian England, the basis of the diet was lamb, beef and pork to the accompaniment of potatoes, while the fish were undeservedly ignored. There was a recipe in the cookbook and a recipe for the writer's favorite dish - fried cheese. However, when Charles Dickens divorced his wife, in new editions, at the request of Catherine, the recipe was no longer printed.

Of course, the choice of the dairy product itself will determine whether the dish will turn out. You can take both classic “clean” cheeses and their variations, for example, with nuts and greens, smoked or sausage. Among the former, preference is also given either soft or hard. Young cheeses are recommended varieties of Brynza, Ricotta, Buko or Adygei. From soft experts advise to choose Camembert and Brie, Gorgonzola, as well as Hermelin.

Hard frying cheeses include Russian, Maasdam, Gouda, Kostroma, Cheddar and Edamer. It is important to understand that if the taste of the fried product you want to get a little sweet and creamy, then initially you should take the processed cheese. If you want piquancy and spiciness, then it would be good to find cheese with blue mold. The most common varieties in Russia, Russian and Dutch, also feel well after being heat treated.

It makes sense to add that the cook has the opportunity to play with the breading. Wrapping the cheese in sheets of nori seaweed, you can get the so-called "vegetarian fish." If you want to give the dish a nutty flavor, then it will have to be fried in sesame seeds. In addition, the addition of any spices to the mixture of eggs and flour makes it possible to vary the taste from sweet to spicy.

Fry cheese must be on high-quality hot oil. It is usually required to withstand from two to three minutes, but if the pieces are small, one minute will suffice. Grilled cheese is best served immediately, as the cooled dish loses its appeal and some characteristics. For example, the crust may well soften, and the filling, on the contrary, to harden. Soft varieties are dipped into the batter several times so that the resulting dense crust helps to avoid the leakage of the filling.

The cooking possibilities of this dish are truly extensive: you will be able to cook the cheese in breading or batter, fry on the fire, make it in a frying pan or in a brazier. In fact, any fried cheese is prepared step by step in a similar way. The product is cut into desired fragments, to which there are usually no requirements in terms of shape or size. After that, the traditional ingredients - flour and eggs are cooked.

A sufficient amount of butter is heated, the amount of which should reach the middle of the cheese pieces. A large amount of oil explains why the pan should have high walls and a thick bottom. Alternatively, a cauldron or similar device is used instead of a frying pan. Cheese is fried on both sides until golden brown. Served with sauces - both savory tomato and sour lingonberry and cranberry. Traditional additions are fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, thermally processed potatoes and greens.

Finnish fried cheese is differently called cheese bread. Although it is more convenient to buy a special product in the store and then fry it, it will be more interesting to cook it yourself. Absolutely ordinary ingredients will be required - three liters of skim milk, three cups of powdered milk, a liter of thick cream, a rennet enzyme tablet, a quarter cup of water and a teaspoon of salt. Two types of milk and cream are combined in a saucepan, which is then put on the stove and brought to 40 degrees. Then the enzyme according to the instructions is dissolved in water. The resulting liquid is added to the milk, everything is mixed and salted. Future cheese will have to cover and set aside for about sixty minutes.

At the next stage, everything is shifted to a colander, covered with gauze. The whey must drain, and if the cheese itself retains moisture, then it will have to be squeezed out. Dry cottage cheese is laid out as closely as possible on a baking sheet and sent to the oven - there it will have to stay fifteen minutes at a temperature of 200 degrees. Then it turns over and the same amount is kept warm. Once both sides have a golden hue, the product can be taken out of the oven. Serve Finnish cheese with sour cloudberry jam.

Cooking fried Adygei cheese takes no more than twenty minutes. Pre-purchased 300 grams of product, three tablespoons of vegetable oil, a couple of cloves of garlic and seasonings, for example, Italian herbs or curry. Cheese for convenience is cut into large cubes - so the feed can be supplemented with wooden skewers and simplify the process of eating. In a separate bowl, the oil is mixed with seasonings and finely chopped garlic.

Then you can either gently roll in the resulting mixture cheese, or pour the cubes with sauce. If there is a grill, then the pieces are placed on skewers and fried over a fire. If everything happens at home - then the cheese is fried in a pan until golden brown.

Instead of the usual breading can be cooked batter. If you want to add a dish of Oriental notes, then instead of the usual mixture of eggs and flour, you will need to take sheets of algae and chickpea flour. Initially, 70 milliliters of water, 2 grams of spirits, 2 grams of turmeric and the same amount of coriander are harvested. In addition, you will need 200 grams of suluguni, 50 grams of olive oil, a pinch of black pepper, 2 grams of sea salt, 100 grams of gram flour and two or three sheets of nori.

Flour is mixed with spices and butter, and then diluted with warm water, until the consistency resembles sour cream. Cheese is cut into convenient pieces, preferably rectangles. Nori is also cut accordingly - they should slightly exceed the parameters of the cheese itself. The alga is quickly softened in water, the cheese is wrapped in it, after which the structure is dipped into a batter and sent to the frying pan.

If you believe the many reviews, delicious taste is obtained from roasted Camembert. In addition to three packages of cheese, you will need three tablespoons of flour, one egg, a tablespoon of forty percent cream and four tablespoons of breading. First, the egg is whipped with spices and cream. Then, breadcrumbs and flour are poured on separate plates. Sliced ​​triangles cheese first falls into flour, then an egg, and then - in breading. Each is fried in a heated pan from two to three minutes.

If the apartment has a deep fryer, you can cook a typical dish of Czech cuisine - Hermelin cheese, fried in deep fat. Serving this dish for lunch, do not forget about potatoes - mashed potatoes, fried, baked or even in the form of potato salad. In addition to packing cheese, one egg, two slices of sausage, a tablespoon of flour and breading mix in the amount of 30 grams are prepared.

On the sides of the Camembert, cuts are made, as if forming pockets where you can put fragments of sausage. Eggs are mixed with spices in a separate bowl, flour and breading crumbles in saucers. Cheese collapses in flour, then in egg and breaded. The procedure with the egg and the mixture is repeated once more, after which the cheese can be fried in deep fat for a couple of minutes on each side. It is important to pour the oil so that it reaches the middle of the product.

Breaded cheese sticks are most often made from Halumi cheese. In addition to 200 grams of dairy product, you will need half a cup of bread mixture, half a cup of flour and one egg. Cheese is cut into strips, rolled in flour, and then dipped in a mixture of beaten egg and, if necessary, spices. The sticks are sprinkled with breading and then fried on all sides over high heat.

For frying is suitable a lot of cheeses, even melted. It will be especially appetizing if it comes with additives - slices of ham, mushrooms or greens. Ingredients include one egg, 100 grams of breading or bread crumbs, as well as 200 grams of sausage processed cheese. The briquette is cut into small pieces, and the egg is whipped together with the spices. Each cheese cube is put on a stick and dipped first into the egg mixture, and then breaded. Fry the product to be about two minutes on each side.

If you wanted to fry the mozzarella, then in this case, unlike hard cheese, you have to put a little more effort. You will need an egg, a tablespoon of milk, 200 grams of Mozzarella, 200 grams of Ciabatta or dried bread, half a cup of flour, half a teaspoon of spices, and salt. Bread is crushed into crumb and mixed with spices. The egg is beaten with milk, pepper and salt, in addition, it would be nice to add salt and flour. Mozzarella gets wet from moisture. Each ball is dipped into flour, then into an egg and breaded, and the last two steps should be repeated twice. You will need to fry in oil, heated to 170 degrees, for convenience, using toothpicks.

How to fry cheese, see in the video below.