Cheese to Please! (Cheese Recipes)

Member Name: tange

Product:	Cheese Recipes
Date:	07/02/08 (157 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy, tasty recipes.

Disadvantages: If you don't like cheese you're stuffed!

Cheese & Leek Cakes.

This is a very tasty and easy to make dish which works well as a vegetarian starter or as part of a main meal. The white stilton with apricots is a good cheese to use because the sweetness of the apricots gives an interesting taste - the crumbly texture of the cheese also goes well too. You can try it with other varieties of cheese if you like, but this is MY favourite! I get my stilton locally from my cheese shop, or direct from the Hartington Cheese shop because they make the most amazing stilton!

~~~WHAT YOU NEED.

450g (1lb) potatoes, peeled and diced
15g (1/2oz) butter
350g (12oz) leeks, trimmed washed and thinly sliced
225g (8oz) White Stilton & Apricot cheese, finely crumbled
25g (1oz) seasoned flour
1 egg
100g (4oz) fresh breadcrumbs
2 tbsp sunflower oil

~~~HOW YOU DO IT.

1: Firstly you need to cook the potatoes in a pan of lightly salted boiling water for around 15 minutes, or until they are tender. Then drain them thoroughly and mash well.
2: Meanwhile you should melt the butter in a frying pan and then add some sliced leeks. Stir these well, then cover and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes. By this stage they should be nicely softened.

3: Next stage is to add to the potatoes with the crumbled cheese. Shape this mixture into 8 small cake shapes using the palms of your hands to flatten them out slightly. Dust these lightly with seasoned flour and then dip them in beaten egg and breadcrumbs. Do this carefully to make sure they are evenly and thoroughly coated.

4: Put them in the fridge to chill for at least 20 minutes (this is very important because it firms them up and makes them keep together better when cooking), then heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the cakes for 5 minutes on each side. By this stage they should be golden and crispy on the outside, but nice and soft on the inside.

Caerphilly, Bacon & Leek Welsh Cakes

This is another of my favourite cheesy cake recipes, this time using Caerphilly cheese. These cakes are very tasty and the mix between the bacon and the cheese flavours is really nice. Again, this works well because of the crumbly texture of the Caerphilly. I would recommend not using smoked bacon because the flavour is a bit too overpowering - I've tried so I know!

~~~WHAT YOU NEED.

Some oil for frying
75 g (3 oz) streaky bacon, chopped
1 leek, cleaned and chopped
225 g (8 oz) plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
50 g (2 oz) butter
50 g (2 oz) Caerphilly cheese, crumbled
6 large eggs

~~~HOW YOU DO IT.

1.: First you need to preheat the oven to 180C (Fan 160C/350F/Gas 4).

2.: Then put a small amount of oil into a frying pan, add the bacon and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes (until pale golden in colour). Now add the leeks and cook for a further 2 minutes until they are soft and slightly coloured. Set aside to cool for a little while.

3: Next sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl and then rub in the butter with your fingertips. Stir the cheese and cooled leeks and bacon into this mixture.

4. Beat two of the eggs and stir enough egg in the flour mixture to make a soft dough. Knead the dough and then cut in half. Roll each half to a 13cm(5in) round circle, then cut into quarters.

5. Put a heavy frying pan (or a griddle pan if you have one) over a low to medium heat, add four cakes at a time and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes (until the base is golden) . Turn over and cook for a further 3 to 4 minutes. Cook the remainder in the same way and then transfer them all to a baking tray. Bake them in the preheated oven for 5 minutes while you prepare the eggs.

6. Next heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a non-stick frying pan, crack in the remaining eggs and fry for 2 to 3 minutes, or as long as you like them to be cooked. Finally split the warm Welsh cakes in half, spread with a little butter and top with a fried egg.

....yummy!!!!!

Summary: Quick to make and tasty to eat!