Monday, April 2, 2012

The versatility of Cheese – from mains to desserts

One of the most versatile products in our fridges is cheese. We tend to forget how many varieties are available and every region of the world has its own specialities, ways of making it and ways of consuming it. We also have so many different milks and one can find it made from, goat, cow and ewe to name a few, cream cheese, stilton, camembert that we often get spoilt for choice. Whether you like to have it on its own, or with a baguette and grapes, or spread on toast, it is everyone’s favourite. Block cheese is generally the best value as one can do the slicing or grating oneself, and get a good bargain in the process.

Natural cheese is perfect for pizzas, especially mozzarella, and one can find many pizza recipes to suit all tastes. If you grate block cheese yourself then try using mature cheddar for your recipes and you will get a rich, fuller flavour. The list is just endless, the plain margherita, or with salami or chicken and mushrooms; and there are many salami and chicken pizza recipes available. One can also tell a whole raft of differences in taste when one uses different spiced sauces on the base. A great recipe is to use fresh oregano and a hint of paprika in your sauce which complements chicken pizza recipes, and the easiest thing is to use some tomato paste or puree for the sauce base and drizzle a little olive oil into it for an authentic Italian flavour.

Pizzas are a simple and quick alternative when you are in a rush and have to cook for, either the two of you or the family. Pizza bases are available at most stores and it takes a few minutes to rustle up the sauce for your pizza, and the best thing is that you can make the pizzas to order for the whole family. So, if chicken is your thing, then try some chicken pizza recipes and add mushrooms, or a vegetarian pizza with fresh tomatoes and basil and a hint of freshly milled black pepper.

Have a look for pizza recipes to see how the method of cooking your pizza varies from place to place and personal taste. Neapolitan pizzas, the home of the pizza, are generally made in a wood fired oven for that charcoal taste and cooked on a high heat very quickly. One can replicate this in one’s oven with some help from special oven cooking wood bricks or if you have an outside oven, even better, though you should check pizza recipes for details.

For dessert, there is nothing more delicious that cheese cake. These come in a variety of flavours and combination of cheeses. Fresh fruit cheese cake is delicious, and raspberry an especial favourite among all ages. Marbled cheese cake, with chocolate and vanilla mixed in makes for a very eye catching dessert with some whipped cream as an accompaniment. Everyone has their favourite cheese cake recipes and so should you.

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