Chapter II: Part 2

The list of cheese dishes in the culinary literature of this and other countries is a long one, but most of them are variations of a comparatively small number of general types. Those which have been selected and studied experimentally represent the principal types and in many cases have been adapted to American methods of preparations and tastes. In some instances, this has resulted in new and perhaps more rational combinations than those which served as models.

For convenience, the cheese dishes included in this bulletin have been grouped under the following heads:

(1) Cheese dishes which may serve as meat substitutes.
(2) Cheese soups and vegetables cooked with cheese.
(3) Cheese salads, sandwiches, and similar dishes.
(4) Cheese pastry, cheese sweets, and similar dishes.

Variety may be obtained in the recipes by varying the flavorings. Among the best flavorings for cheese dishes are onion, chives, and the ordinary green sweet pepper. Since the cheese needs very little cooking, however, and onion or the pepper needs a great deal, they should always be previously cooked, either by stewing in a very little water, or by cooking in butter. The seeds of the pepper, of course, should be removed before cooking. Where chopped celery is used, as it may be in most of these dishes, it, too, should be cooked beforehand until tender. Other good flavors are mustard, curry powder, onion juice, chopped olives, pimiento, and, according to European recipes, nutmeg or mace.

In preparing the cheese it often has been found convenient to use a very coarse grater having slits instead of the usual rounded holes. Such a grater, in spite of its name, shaves the cheese instead of grating it. When the cheese is soft this is an advantage, since the grater does not become clogged.

CHEESE DISHES WHICH MAY BE USED IN THE SAME WAY AS MEAT.

Meat is wholesome and relished by most persons, yet it is not essential to a well-balanced meal and there are many housekeepers who for one reason or another are interested in lessening the amount of meat which they provide or to substitute some other foods for it. The problem with the average family is undoubtedly more often the occasional substitution of other palatable dishes for the sake of variety, for reasons of economy, or for some other reason than the general replacement of meat dishes by other things.

Foods which are to be served in place of meat should be rich in protein and fat and should also be savory. Cheese naturally suggests itself as a substitute for meat, since it is rich in the same kinds of nutrients which meat supplies, is a staple food with which everyone is familiar, and is one which can be used in a great variety of ways. In substituting cheese for meat, especial pains should be taken to serve dishes which are relished by the members of the family. A number of recipes for dishes which contain cheese are given below. They are preceded by several recipes for cheese sauces which, as will appear, are called for in the preparation of some of the more substantial dishes.

Cheese Sauce No. 1.

1 cupful of milk.
2 tablespoonfuls of flour.
1 ounce of cheese (¼ cupful of grated cheese).
Salt and pepper.

Thicken the milk with the flour and just before serving add the
cheese, stirring until it is melted.

This sauce is suitable to use in preparing creamed eggs, or to pour
over toast, making a dish corresponding to ordinary milk toast,
except for the presence of cheese. It may be seasoned with a little
curry powder and poured over hard-boiled eggs.

Cheese Sauce No. 2.

Same as cheese sauce No. 1, except that the cheese is increased
from 1 to 2 ounces.

This sauce is suitable for using with macaroni or rice, or for
baking with crackers soaked in milk. (See p. 27.)

Cheese Sauce No. 3.

Same as cheese sauce No. 1, except that two cupfuls of grated
cheese or 8 ounces are used. This may be used upon toast as a
substitute for Welsh rabbit.

Cheese Sauce No. 4.

Same as cheese sauce No. 2, save that 2 tablespoonfuls of melted
butter are mixed with the flour before the latter is put into the
milk. This sauce is therefore very rich in fat and has only a mild
flavor of cheese.

Among the recipes for dishes which may be used like meat, the first 30 are such that, eaten in usual quantities, they will provide much the same kind and amount of nutritive material as the ordinary servings of meat dishes used at dinner. In several cases there is a resemblance in appearance and flavor to common meat dishes, which would doubtless be a point in their favor with many families.

While, chiefly owing to custom, it may not accord with the taste of the family to serve cheese dishes at dinner in place of meat, it is much more in accord with usual dietary habits in American homes to serve such dishes at least occasionally for lunch, for supper, or for breakfast; that is, for a less formal meal than dinner. The last group of recipes in this section, beginning with “breakfast cereals with cheese,” supply rather smaller proportions of nutritive materials than those in the first group and so may be more suitable for use at the less hearty meals. There is no hard and fast line to be drawn between the two groups, however, and many of the recipes may be used interchangeably.

In the recipes calling for large amounts of cheese the food value is given, not in figures, but in comparison with beef of average composition and average percentage of waste. This comparison is necessarily rough owing to the varying composition of the foods and the varying weights of such ingredients as a cupful of grated cheese or bread crumbs. In making the comparisons, beef of average composition has been considered to have 15.2 per cent of protein, and a fuel value of 935 calories per pound; ordinary American cheese has been considered to have 26 per cent of protein and a fuel value of 1,965 calories per pound. After many weighings, 4 ounces was decided to be the average weight of a cupful of cheese and 2½ ounces the average weight of a cupful of bread crumbs. These weights have been taken, therefore, in calculating the food value of dishes. When cheese is very soft, however, it may be pressed into a cup and measured like butter. Under these circumstances, the weight of a cupful of cheese may be considered one-half a pound. The price of cheese is taken as 22 cents a pound, of butter 25 cents a pound, of eggs 25 cents a dozen, in this and all similar calculations in this bulletin. Prices vary with time, place, and season. Those mentioned above are such as were paid for materials at the time the experiments here summarized were made and are not extreme values in either direction. Like all such estimates, the calculations are only relative, and the housekeeper who wishes to estimate the comparative cost of the cheese dishes and other foods can readily do so by taking into account the amount of materials used and the prices paid for ingredients at any particular time.

Cheese Fondue No. 1.

1⅓ cupfuls of soft, stale bread crumbs.
6 ounces of cheese (1½ cupfuls of grated
cheese or 1⅓ cupfuls of cheese grated
fine or cut into small pieces.)
4 eggs.
1 cupful of hot water.
½ teaspoonful of salt.

Mix the water, bread crumbs, salt, and cheese; add the yolks
thoroughly beaten; into this mixture cut and fold the whites of
eggs beaten until stiff. Pour into a buttered baking dish and cook
30 minutes in a moderate oven. Serve at once.

The food value of this dish, made with the above quantities, is
almost exactly the same as that of a pound of beef of average
composition and a pound of potatoes combined. It contains about 80
grams of proteids and has a fuel value of about 1,300 calories.
Estimated cost, 18 cents, calculated as explained on p. 23.

Cheese Fondue No. 2.

1⅓ cupfuls of hot milk.
1⅓ cupfuls of soft, stale bread crumbs.
1 tablespoonful of butter.
4 eggs.
⅓ of a pound of cheese (1⅓ cupfuls of grated
cheese or 1 cupful of cheese cut into
small pieces).
½ teaspoonful of salt.

Prepare as in previous recipe.

The protein value of this dish is equal to that of 1⅛ pounds of
potato and beef, the fuel value, however, being much in excess of
these. Calculated cost (see p. 23), 22 cents.

In making either of these fondues, rice or other cereals may be
substituted for bread crumbs. One-fourth cupful of rice measured
before cooking, or one cupful of cooked rice or other cereals,
should be used.

A comparison of the recipes for the two fondues may indicate the
general principle on which the recipes in this bulletin have been
worked out. The second recipe is one commonly found in cookbooks.
In the first one, the butter has been omitted and water substituted
for milk and the amount of cheese is slightly increased. This makes
a somewhat cheaper dish and one which is less rich because its
percentage of fat is not so great. For this reason it is easier
to adjust to the ordinary bill of fare. A dish in which there is
combined cheese with its large percentage of fat, butter with its
85 per cent of fat, and eggs with their 10 per cent of fat, is
too rich to admit of being combined rationally with other fatty
dishes. It therefore limits the number of dishes that may be served
with it, making milk soup, for example, or dishes containing white
sauce or those containing much butter or oil seem out of place. The
omission of butter from the ordinary recipes and the substitution
of water or skimmed milk for whole milk may perhaps be the means of
making cheese dishes more wholesome and more generally acceptable.

Another advantage of omitting butter from cheese dishes and of
substituting water or skimmed milk for whole milk is that it makes
it possible to increase the amount of cheese without making the
dish too rich. This is of advantage to those who like the flavor of
cheese, and also, because it tends to increase the tissue-forming
value of the dish, particularly if skimmed milk is used rather than
water.

Boiled Fondue.

1½ cupfuls of bread crumbs.
1½ cupfuls of milk.
1½ cupfuls of cheese cut into small pieces.
1 egg.
2 tablespoonfuls of butter.
6 ounces of crackers.

Soak the bread in the milk. Melt the butter and add the cheese.
When the cheese has melted add the soaked crumbs, the eggs slightly
beaten, and the seasoning. Cook a short time and serve on toasted
crackers.

Since it consists of essentially the same ingredients, the food
value of this dish is obviously much the same as that of fondue
made in other ways.

Rice Fondue.

1 cupful of boiled rice.
2 tablespoonfuls of milk.
4 eggs.
1 cupful of grated cheese.
½ teaspoonful of salt.
1 teaspoonful of some commercial meat
sauce, or similar flavoring.

Heat the rice in the milk, add the other ingredients, and cook
slowly until the cheese is melted. Serve on crackers or toast.

The food value is not far from that of a pound of beef of average
composition, and the calculated cost (see p. 23) is 15 cents.

Corn and Cheese Soufflé.

1 tablespoonful of butter.
1 tablespoonful of chopped green pepper.
¼ cupful of flour.
2 cupfuls of milk.
1 cupful of chopped corn.
1 cupful of grated cheese.
3 eggs.
½ teaspoonful of salt.

Melt the butter and cook the pepper thoroughly in it. Make a sauce
out of the flour, milk, and cheese (see p. 23); add the corn,
cheese, yolks, and seasoning; cut and fold in the whites beaten
stiffly; turn into a buttered baking dish and bake in a moderate
oven 30 minutes.

Made with skimmed milk and without butter, this dish has a food
value slightly in excess of a pound of beef and a pound of
potatoes. Calculated cost (see p. 23), about 20 cents.

Welsh Rabbit.

1 tablespoonful of butter.
1 teaspoonful of cornstarch.
½ cupful of milk.
½ pound of cheese, cut into small pieces.
¼ teaspoonful each of salt and mustard.
A speck of cayenne pepper.

Cook the cornstarch in the butter; then add the milk gradually
and cook two minutes; add the cheese and stir until it is melted.
Season and serve on crackers or bread toasted on one side, the
rabbit being poured over the untoasted side. Food value is that of
about three-fourths of a pound of beef. Calculated cost (see p.
23), 13 cents.

Tomato Rabbit.

2 tablespoonfuls of butter.
2 tablespoonfuls of flour.
¾ cupful of milk.
¾ cupful of stewed and strained tomatoes.
⅛ teaspoonful of soda.
1 pound of cheese.
2 eggs, slightly beaten.
Salt, mustard, cayenne pepper.

Cook the butter and the flour together, add the milk, and as soon
as the mixture thickens add tomatoes and soda. Then add cheese,
eggs, and seasoning. Serve on toasted whole wheat or Graham bread.

Green Corn, Tomato, and Cheese.

1 tablespoonful of butter.
2 cups of grated cheese.
¾ cup of canned or grated fresh corn.
1 ripe pimiento.
½ cup of tomato purée.
2 egg yolks.
1 teaspoonful of salt.
½ teaspoonful of paprika.
1 clove of garlic.
4 slices of bread.

Into the melted butter stir the cheese until it, too, is melted.
Then add the corn and pimiento, stir for a moment and add the egg
yolks beaten and mixed with the tomato juice and the salt and
paprika. Have ready the bread toasted on one side and very lightly
rubbed on its untoasted side with the garlic cut in two. Pour the
mixture over the untoasted side of the bread and serve at once. A
poached egg is sometimes placed on top of each portion, making a
very nutritious combination.

Macaroni and Cheese No. 1.

1 cupful of macaroni, broken into small pieces.
2 quarts of boiling salted water.
1 cupful of milk.
2 tablespoonfuls of flour.
¼ to ½ pound of cheese.
½ teaspoonful of salt.
Speck of cayenne pepper.

Cook the macaroni in the boiling salted water, drain in a strainer,
and pour cold water over it to prevent the pieces from adhering
to each other. Make a sauce out of the flour, milk, and cheese.
(See p. 23.) Put the sauce and macaroni in alternate layers in a
buttered baking dish, cover with buttered crumbs, and heat in oven
until crumbs are brown.

Macaroni and Cheese No. 2.

A good way to prepare macaroni and cheese is to make a rich cheese
sauce and heat the macaroni in it. (See p. 23.) The mixture is
usually covered with buttered crumbs and browned in the oven. The
advantage of this way of preparing the dish, however, is that it is
unnecessary to have a hot oven, as the sauce and macaroni may be
reheated on the top of the stove.

Macaroni with Cheese and Tomato Sauce.

Boiled macaroni may be heated in tomato sauce and sprinkled with
grated cheese just before serving.

Italian Macaroni and Cheese.

1 cupful of macaroni broken into small pieces.
2 quarts of boiling salted water.
½ onion.
2 cloves.
1½ cupfuls of tomato sauce.
½ cupful or more of grated cheese.

Cook the macaroni in the boiling salted water with the onion and
cloves. Drain, remove the onion and cloves, reheat in tomato sauce,
and serve with grated cheese.

Cheese and Macaroni Loaf.

½ cupful of macaroni broken into small pieces.
1 cupful of milk.
1 cupful of soft bread crumbs.
1 tablespoonful of butter.
1 tablespoonful of chopped green pepper.
1 teaspoonful each of chopped onion and parsley.
3 eggs.
1 teaspoonful of salt.
½ cupful of grated cheese.

Cook the macaroni in boiling salted water until tender, and rinse
in cold water. Cook the parsley, onion, and pepper in a little
water with the butter. Pour off the water or allow it to boil away.
Beat the egg white and yolk separately. Mix all the ingredients,
cutting and folding in the stiffly beaten whites at the last. Line
a quart baking dish with buttered paper; turn the mixture into it;
set the baking dish in a pan of hot water, and bake in a moderate
oven from one-half to three-fourths of an hour. Serve with tomato
sauce.

Baked Rice and Cheese No. 1.

1 cupful of uncooked rice and
4 cupfuls of milk;
or,
3 cupfuls of cooked rice and
1 cupful of milk.

2 tablespoonfuls of flour.
½ pound of cheese.
½ teaspoonful of salt.

If uncooked rice is used, it should be cooked in 3 cupfuls of milk.
Make a sauce with one cupful of milk, add the flour, cheese, and
salt. (See p. 23.) Into a buttered baking dish put alternate layers
of the cooked rice and the sauce. Cover with buttered crumbs and
bake until the crumbs are brown. The proteids in this dish, made
with rice cooked in milk, are equal to those of nearly 1¾ pounds
of average beef. If skimmed milk is used, the fuel value is equal
to nearly 3½ pounds of beef. Whole milk raises the fuel value
still higher. Estimated cost (see p. 23), 28 cents.

Baked Rice and Cheese No. 2.

¼ pound of cheese grated or cut into small pieces.
1 cupful of rice.
Milk as needed.

Cook the rice; put into a buttered baking dish alternate layers of
rice and cheese; pour over them enough milk to come halfway to the
top of the rice; cover with buttered crumbs and brown.

If the rice is cooked in milk either whole or skimmed, and one cup
of milk is used to pour over it, this dish has as much protein as
1¼ pounds of beef of average composition, and a much higher fuel
value.

Baked Crackers and Cheese No. 1.

9 or 10 butter crackers or Boston crackers.
¼ pound of cheese or 1 cupful of grated cheese.
1½ cupfuls of milk.
¼ teaspoonful of salt.
Flour.

Split the crackers, if the thick sort are selected, or with a sharp
knife cut them into pieces of uniform size. Pour the milk over
them and drain it off at once. With the milk, flour, cheese, and
salt, make a sauce. (See p. 23.) Into a buttered baking dish put
alternate layers of the soaked crackers and sauce. Cover with bread
crumbs and brown in the oven, or simply reheat without covering
with crumbs.

The above is a very satisfactory substitute for macaroni and
cheese, and can be prepared in less time.

Baked Crackers and Cheese No. 2.

9 or 10 butter crackers or soda crackers.
2 cupfuls of hot milk, whole or skimmed.
1 cupful of grated cheese.
¼ teaspoonful of salt.

This is more quickly prepared than the preceding recipe, but as the
milk is likely to curdle, it has not so good a consistency.

Soak the crackers in the milk; place them in a buttered baking
dish in alternate layers with the cheese; pour the remaining milk
over them and bake. This dish may be covered with buttered crumbs.
Variety may be secured, in either this recipe or the preceding one,
by putting a very small amount of mixed mustard on each cracker.

Cheese Rolls.

A large variety of rolls may be made by combining legumes, either
beans of various kinds, cowpeas, lentils, or peas, with cheese of
various kinds, and adding bread crumbs to make the mixture thick
enough to form into a roll. Beans are usually mashed, but peas or
small Lima beans may be combined whole with bread crumbs and grated
cheese, and enough of the liquor in which the vegetables have been
cooked may be added to get the right consistency. Or, instead of
beans or peas, chopped spinach, beet tops, or head lettuce may
be used. Homemade cottage cheese, and the soft cream cheese of
commerce, standard cheese, or English dairy may be used.

Boston Roast.

1 pound can of kidney beans or equivalent
quantity of cooked beans.
½ pound of grated cheese.
Bread crumbs.
Salt.

Mash the beans or put them through a meat grinder. Add the cheese
and sufficient bread crumbs to make the mixture stiff enough to be
formed into a roll. Bake in a moderate oven, basting occasionally
with butter and water. Serve with tomato sauce. This dish may be
flavored with onions, chopped and cooked in butter and water.

Pimiento and Cheese Roast.

2 cupfuls of cooked Lima beans.
¼ pound of cream cheese, commercial or homemade.
3 canned pimientos chopped.
Bread crumbs.

Put the first three ingredients through a meat chopper. Mix
thoroughly and add bread crumbs until it is stiff enough to form
into a roll. Brown in the oven, basting occasionally with butter
and water.

Nut and Cheese Roast.

1 cupful of grated cheese.
1 cupful of chopped English walnuts.
1 cupful of bread crumbs.
2 tablespoonfuls of chopped onion.
1 tablespoonful of butter.
Juice of half a lemon.
Salt and pepper.

Cook the onion in the butter and a little water until it is tender.
Mix the other ingredients and moisten with water, using the water
in which the onion has been cooked. Pour into a shallow baking dish
and brown in the oven.

Cheese and Spinach Roll.

2 quarts of spinach.
1 cupful of grated cheese.
1 tablespoonful of butter.
Salt.
Bread crumbs.

Cook the spinach in water for 10 minutes. Drain off the water, add
the butter, cook until tender, and chop. Add the grated cheese and
then bread crumbs enough to make a mixture sufficiently stiff to
form into a roll, or leave more moist and cook in a baking dish.

Vegetable and Cheese Rolls.

For the spinach of the above recipe there may be substituted beet
tops, Swiss chard, or the outer leaves of lettuce.

Cheese Used in the Stuffing of Meat.

The mixtures in the preceding two recipes may be used for stuffing
veal or beef. Eggs may be added if desired, and chopped onions
or parsley may be cooked with the greens. In Italy roasts thus
prepared are sprinkled with a little finely chopped garlic, and
covered with celery tops and thin slices of bacon or fat pork
before roasting.

Creamed Cheese and Eggs.

3 hard-boiled eggs.
1 tablespoonful of flour.
1 cupful of milk.
½ teaspoonful of salt.
Speck of cayenne.
¼ cupful or 1 ounce grated cheese.
4 slices of toast.

Make a thin white sauce with the flour and milk and seasonings. Add
the cheese and stir until melted. Chop the whites and add them to
the sauce. Pour the sauce over the toast, force the yolks through a
potato ricer or strainer, sprinkle over the toast.

Baked Eggs with Cheese.

4 eggs.
1 cupful, or 4 ounces, of grated cheese.
1 cupful of fine, soft, stale bread crumbs.
¼ teaspoonful salt.
A few grains of Cayenne pepper.

Break the eggs into a buttered baking dish or into ramekins and
cook them in a hot oven until they begin to turn white around the
edge. Cover with the mixture of crumbs, cheese, and seasonings.
Brown in a very hot oven. In preparing this dish it is essential
that the oven be very hot or the egg will be too much cooked by the
time the cheese is brown. To avoid this, some cooks cover the eggs
with white sauce before adding crumbs.

The food value of the dish is very close to that of a pound of beef
of average composition. The estimated cost (see p. 23) is about 14
cents.

For those who are particularly fond of cheese the amount of cheese
in this recipe may be very much increased, thus making a much more
nourishing dish. Or the amount may be reduced so as to give hardly
more than a suggestion of the flavor of cheese.

Scrambled Eggs with Cheese.

½ pound of cheese grated or cut into small pieces.
8 eggs
1 tablespoonful of chopped parsley.
A pinch of nutmeg.
½ teaspoonful of salt.

Beat the eggs slightly, mix them with the other ingredients, and
cook over a very slow fire, stirring constantly, so that the cheese
may be melted by the time the eggs are cooked. In food value the
dish is equal to nearly 2 pounds of average beef. The calculated
cost (see p. 23) is about 30 cents.

Swiss Eggs.

4 eggs.
½ cupful of cream.
1 tablespoonful of butter.
Salt and pepper.
¼ cupful of grated cheese.

Heat the butter and cream together, break in the eggs whole,
sprinkle with salt and pepper. When nearly done, add the cheese.
Serve on buttered toast. Strain the cream over the toast.

Cheese Omelet No. 1.

Cheese may be introduced into omelets in several ways. An ordinary
omelet may be served with thin cheese sauce made in the following
proportions:

1½ tablespoonfuls of flour.
¼ cupful of grated cheese.
1 cupful of milk.

This sauce may also be added to omelets in which boiled rice,
minced meat, or some other nutritious material has been included.

Cheese Omelet No. 2.

Grated cheese may be sprinkled over an ordinary omelet before it is
served.

Cheese Omelet No. 3.

Yolks of 2 eggs.
2 tablespoonfuls of hot water.
1 cupful of grated cheese.
Salt and pepper.
Whites of 4 eggs.
1 tablespoonful of butter.

Beat the yolks until lemon colored and add the hot water and the
seasoning. Beat the whites until they are stiff, and add the
cheese. Cut and fold the two mixtures together. Heat the butter in
omelet pan and cook the mixture very slowly until it is brown on
the underside. If possible, cook the top of the omelet in the oven
or by means of a hot plate held over it.

Breakfast Cereals with Cheese.

That cheese combined with cereal foods makes a rational dish as
regards the proportion of nutrients it supplies has been pointed
out on another page (p. 18). Cheese and some of the crisp “ready to
serve” cereal breakfast foods is a combination which is common, the
cheese being melted with the cereal food, or simply served with it.

There are many who relish a piece of cheese with the cooked cereal
so commonly eaten for breakfast and find such a combination
satisfying to appetite and taste. Oatmeal or some other home-cooked
breakfast cereal prepared with cheese is palatable, and such
dishes have an advantage in that they may be served without cream
and sugar. Since such a dish contains considerably more protein
than the breakfast cereals as ordinarily served, it has a further
advantage in that it may well serve as the principal item of a
breakfast menu, instead of a preliminary to other courses. Such
a combination as cereals cooked with cheese, toast, fruit, and
tea, coffee, or chocolate, makes a palatable as well as nutritious
breakfast and one which does not require much work to prepare and
to clear away. A recipe for preparing oatmeal with cheese follows.
Wheat breakfast foods, either parched or unparched, corn meal, and
hominy may be prepared in the same way.

Oatmeal with Cheese.

2 cupfuls of oatmeal.
1 cupful of grated cheese.
1 tablespoonful of butter.
1 level teaspoonful of salt.

Cook the oatmeal as usual. Shortly before serving, stir in the
butter and add the cheese, and stir until the cheese is melted and
thoroughly blended with the cereal.

The cheese should be mild in flavor and soft in texture. The
proportion of cheese used may be increased if a more pronounced
cheese flavor is desired.

Cheese with Mush.

Cheese may be added to corn-meal mush or to mush made from any of
the corn or wheat preparations now on the market. The addition of
cheese to corn-meal mush is particularly desirable when the mush is
to be fried.

Fried Bread with Cheese No. 1.

6 slices of bread.
1 cupful of milk.
2 ounces of cheese, or ½ cupful of grated cheese.
½ teaspoonful of salt.
½ teaspoonful of potassium bicarbonate.
Butter or other fat for frying.

Scald the milk with the potassium bicarbonate; add the grated
cheese, and stir until it dissolves. Dip the bread in this mixture
and fry it in the butter. The potassium bicarbonate helps to keep
the cheese in solution. It is desirable, however, to keep the milk
hot while the bread is being dipped.

Fried Bread with Cheese No. 2.

Cut stale bread into thin pieces. Put two pieces together with
grated cheese between them; dip into a mixture of egg and milk and
fry in butter or other fat.

Roman Gnocchi.

¼ cupful of butter.
¼ cupful of flour.
¼ cupful of cornstarch.
2 cupfuls of milk.
2 egg yolks.
¾ cupful of grated cheese.
Salt.

Melt the butter; cook the cornstarch thoroughly, and then the flour
in the butter; add the milk gradually; cook three minutes, stirring
constantly; add the yolks and one-half cupful of the cheese. Pour
into a buttered shallow pan and cool. Cut into squares; place them
on a platter a little distance apart; sprinkle with remaining
cheese, and brown in the oven.

The proteid value is that of three-fourths of a pound of average
beef, the fuel value that of 1¾ pounds. Calculated cost (see p.
23), 17 cents.

Cheese Soufflé.

2 tablespoonfuls of butter.
3 tablespoonfuls of flour.
½ cupful of milk (scalded).
½ teaspoonful of salt.
A speck of cayenne.
¼ cupful of grated cheese.
3 eggs.

Melt the butter; add the flour and, when well mixed, add gradually
the scalded milk. Then add salt, cayenne, and cheese. Remove from
the fire and add the yolks of the eggs, beaten until lemon colored.
Cool the mixture and fold into it the whites of the eggs, beaten
until stiff. Pour into a buttered baking dish and cook 20 minutes
in a slow oven. Serve at once.

The proteid of this recipe is equal to that of half a pound of
beef; the fuel value is equal to that of three-fourths of a pound.

Cheese Soufflé with Pastry.

2 eggs.
⅔ cupful of thin cream.
1 cupful of grated cheese.
½ cupful of Swiss cheese cut into small pieces.
Salt, cayenne pepper, and nutmeg.

Add the eggs to the cream and beat slightly, then add the cheese
and seasoning. Bake 15 minutes in a hot oven, in patty tins lined
with puff paste.

Cheese Croquettes.

3 tablespoonfuls of butter.
¼ cupful of flour.
⅔ cupful of milk.
Yolks of 2 eggs.
1 cupful of cheese cut in very small pieces.
½ cupful grated cheese.
Salt and pepper.

Make with a white sauce, using the butter, flour, and the milk. Add
the unbeaten yolks and stir until well mixed, then add the grated
cheese. As soon as the cheese melts, remove from the fire, fold in
the pieces of cheese, and add the seasoning. Spread in a shallow
pan and cool. Cut into squares or strips, cover with an egg and
crumb mixture, and fry in deep fat.

Fried Cheese Balls.

1½ cupfuls of grated cheese.
1 tablespoonful of flour.
The whites of 3 eggs.
Salt, pepper, cracker dust.

Beat the whites of the eggs; add the other ingredients; make into
balls and roll in cracker dust. If the amount of flour is doubled,
the mixture may be dropped from a spoon and fried without being
rolled in crumbs.

CHEESE SOUPS AND VEGETABLES COOKED WITH CHEESE.

In these dishes the cheese is used not only to add nutritive value, but also to give its characteristic flavor either to materials otherwise rather mild in taste (as in potatoes with cheese) or to combine its flavor with that of some more highly flavored vegetables (as in cheese and vegetable soup). The ingenious housekeeper whose family is fond of cheese can doubtless think of many desirable ways of making such combinations besides those given in the following recipes:

Milk and Cheese Soup.

3 cupfuls of milk, or part milk and part stock.
1½ tablespoonfuls of flour.
1 cupful of grated cheese.
Salt and paprika.

Thicken the milk with the flour, cooking thoroughly. This is best
done in a double boiler, with frequent stirrings. When ready to
serve, add the cheese and the seasoning.

The proteids in this soup are equal in amount to those in
five-sixths of a pound of beef of average composition; its fuel
value is higher than that of a pound of beef.

Cheese and Vegetable Soup.

2 cupfuls of stock.
2 tablespoonfuls of finely chopped carrots.
1 tablespoonful of chopped onion.
A very little mace.
2 tablespoonfuls of butter.
2 tablespoonfuls of flour.
1½ teaspoonfuls of salt.
1 cupful of scalded milk.
¼ cupful of grated cheese.

Cook the vegetables a short time in one-half of the butter, add
the stock and the mace, boiling 15 or 20 minutes. Strain and add
the milk. Thicken with flour cooked in the remaining butter. Just
before serving, stir in the cheese and cook until it is melted.

Scalloped Potatoes with Cheese No. 1.

Put into a buttered baking dish alternate layers of cheese sauce
No. 1 (see p. 22) and cold boiled potatoes, sliced or cut into
dice. Cover with buttered crumbs and bake.

Scalloped Potatoes with Cheese No. 2.

Put into a buttered baking dish alternate layers of white sauce and
cold boiled potatoes, either sliced or cut into dice. Put over the
top a layer of grated cheese and then a layer of buttered bread
crumbs. Brown in the oven.

Scalloped Cabbage or Cauliflower with Cheese.

Cauliflower or cabbage may be scalloped according to either of
the recipes given for scalloped potatoes and cheese. Sometimes a
cauliflower is boiled whole, spread with grated cheese, then with
buttered bread crumbs. It is browned in the oven and served with
white sauce poured around it.

Cheese with Potato Puffs.

1 cupful of mashed potatoes.
¼ cupful of milk.
1 egg.
½ teaspoonful of salt.
½ cupful of grated cheese.

Beat the potatoes and milk together until thoroughly mixed. Add the
egg and the salt and beat thoroughly. Finally add the cheese. Bake
in muffin tins in a slow oven 10 or 15 minutes.

A similar dish may be made by scooping out the inside of a baked
potato and mixing it with cheese as above. Fill the potato-skin
shell with the mixture, return to the oven, and bake until light
brown.

Potatoes with Cheese Sauce.

Cut boiled potatoes into cubes and serve with cheese sauce No. 1.
(See p. 22.) This is one of the cheese and vegetable dishes most
frequently found on restaurant menus.

CHEESE SALADS, SANDWICHES, AND SIMILAR CHEESE DISHES.

Cheese of one sort or another is a very common accompaniment of salads, and the combination is rational as well as palatable, for the constituents of the succulent foods—chiefly water and cellulose—supplement the protein and fat of the cheese. Cheese is often used also as a part of the salad.

A number of recipes are given below for cheese salads and other cheese dishes which may be served with dinner or other regular meals, or served as part of a special lunch or special supper. Many of the cheese dishes discussed in other sections are also commonly used for such occasions when something savory is desired which can be easily and quickly prepared.

Cheese with Salads.

Cheese or cheese dishes are an acceptable addition to salads.
Neufchâtel or other cream cheese, either plain or mixed with
pimientos and olives, may be passed with lettuce or may be cut into
slices and served on lettuce.

Cheese balls are often served with salad. They are made of some
soft cream cheese, and are frequently combined with chopped chives,
olives, sweet peppers, chopped nuts, etc., for the sake of adding
flavor. Cooked egg yolk, spinach extract, etc., are sometimes mixed
in for the sake of color. If the balls are rolled in chopped chives
or parsley, both flavor and color are supplied.

Plain Cheese Salad.

Cut Edam or ordinary American cheese into thin pieces, scatter them
over lettuce leaves, and serve with French dressing.

Olive and Pimiento Sandwich or Salad Cheese.

Mash any of the soft cream cheeses and add chopped olives and
pimientos in equal parts. This mixture requires much salt to make
it palatable to most palates, the amount depending chiefly on the
quantity of pimiento used. The mixture may be spread between thin
slices of bread or it may be made into a roll or molded, cut into
slices, and served on lettuce leaves with French dressing.

Cheese and Tomato Salad.

Stuff cold tomatoes with cream cheese and serve on lettuce leaves
with French dressing.

Cheese and Pimiento Salad.

Stuff canned pimientos with cream cheese, cut into slices, and
serve one or two slices to each person on lettuce leaves with
French dressing.

Cheese Jelly Salad.

½ cupful of grated cheese.
1 tablespoonful of gelatin.
1 cupful of whipped cream.
Salt and pepper to taste.

Mix the cheese with the whipped cream, season to taste with salt
and pepper, and add to the gelatin dissolved in a scant cupful of
water. This may be molded in a large mold or in small molds.

When the jelly begins to harden, cover with grated cheese. The
jelly should be served on a lettuce leaf, preferably with a cream
dressing or a French dressing, to which a little grated cheese has
been added.

Cheese Salad and Preserves.

Epicures have devised a dish which consists of lettuce with
French dressing served with cream cheese and thick preparations
of currants or other fruits preserved in honey or sugar, which,
owing to the fact that the seeds have been extracted by a laborious
process, are fairly expensive. The soft cheese often found in
market is also relatively expensive. There is a suggestion in this
dish, however, for others which are much less costly. Buttermilk
cream (see p. 21), or ordinary cottage cheese served with lettuce
or other green salad and a small amount of rich homemade preserves,
is a combination with much the same character, and also very
appetizing.

Deviled Eggs with Cheese.

In making deviled eggs, either to be eaten alone or upon lettuce
leaves in the form of salad, a little grated cheese may be mixed
with the yolks in addition to the usual salad dressing and
flavorings with which the yolks are mixed.

Cheese and Celery.

Cut stalks of celery having deep grooves in them into pieces
about 2 inches long. Fill the grooves with cream cheese salted or
flavored with chopped pimientos, and serve with bread and butter as
a salad course or serve as a relish at the beginning of a meal.

Although not cheese dishes, strictly speaking, the following salad dressings made with buttermilk cream (see p. 21) may be included in this section.

Buttermilk Cream Salad Dressing.

½ cupful of buttermilk cream (see p. 21).
1 tablespoonful of vinegar.
¼ teaspoonful of salt.
Cayenne pepper.

This dressing is particularly suitable for serving with cucumbers.

Buttermilk Cream Horseradish Salad Dressing.

To buttermilk cream add a little grated horseradish and vinegar and
salt. Serve on whole or sliced tomatoes.

Cheese Sandwiches.

Mash or grate American cheese, add salt, a few drops of vinegar and
paprika, and a speck of mustard. Mix thoroughly and spread between
thin slices of bread.

Cheese and Anchovy Sandwiches.

To the mixture mentioned in the preceding recipe, add a little
anchovy essence. Sardines mashed or rubbed into a paste or any
other fish paste may be used in a similar way.

Pimiento, Olive, and Cheese Sandwiches.

These sandwiches are referred to on page 34.

Cuban Sandwiches.

This sandwich may be described as a kind of club sandwich with
cheese. It is usually made large so that it is necessary to eat it
with a knife and fork. It may be made in such proportions as to
supply a large amount of nourishment.

Cut the crusts from slices of bread. Between two slices lay first
lettuce with a little salad dressing or salt on it, then a slice
of soft mild cheese and finally thin slices of dill pickles or a
little chopped pickle.

Toasted Cheese Sandwiches.

Plain bread and butter sandwiches with fairly thick slices of
cheese put between the slices are frequently toasted, and on
picnics, or at chafing-dish suppers, are often browned in a pan in
which bacon has just been fried.

CHEESE PASTRY, CHEESE SWEETS, AND SIMILAR DISHES.

In the foregoing pages a large number of recipes have been included in which cheese is combined with materials without cooking, as in salads, or used in cooked dishes of creamy or custard-like consistency, as in soufflés and Welsh rabbit or in combination with vegetables or cereals, such as rice.

There are a number of cheese dishes of quite different character in which the cheese is combined with dough, batter, or pastry in various ways, and a number of dishes in which cheese or cheese curd is used in combinations suitable for dessert. Such sweet dishes were once much more common than they are to-day, as reference to old cookery books will show, but some of them are well worth retaining.

In cheese sweets, flavor and richness are both contributed by the cheese.

When cheese is used in pastry or dough it may serve simply as a flavor, as in cheese sticks or cheese straws, or it may wholly or in part replace with its fat the usual shortening, as butter or other fat, and with its protein (casein) the protein (albumin) of eggs. As an illustration of such a use of cheese, cheese gingerbread may be cited.

Using cheese in this way is often an economy when eggs are scarce. Better results will be obtained if soft cheese is used which can be worked into the dough in much the same way as butter or other shortening. To those who like cheese the flavor which it imparts would be an advantage. However, if a very mild cheese is used in combination with molasses or spice the dish differs a little in flavor from one prepared in the usual way.

CHEESE PASTRIES AND SIMILAR DISHES.

Cheese Biscuit No. 1.

2 cupfuls of flour.
4 teaspoonfuls of baking powder.
2 tablespoonfuls of lard or butter.
⅞ of a cup of milk.
¼ teaspoonful of salt.
Grated cheese sufficient to give desired flavor.

Mix all the ingredients excepting the cheese as for baking powder
biscuits. Roll thin, divide into two parts, sprinkle one half with
grated cheese, lay the other half of the dough over the cheese, cut
out with a small cutter, and bake.

Cheese Biscuit No. 2.

¼ pound of soft cheese.
2 cupfuls of flour.
1 cupful of water.
4 teaspoonfuls of baking powder.
1½ teaspoonfuls of salt.

Mix and sift the dry ingredients, then work in the cheese with
a fork or with the fingers, and add the water gradually. The
approximate amount of water has been given; it is impossible to
give the exact amount, as flour differs in its capacity for taking
up moisture. Toss the dough on a floured board and roll out and
cut with a biscuit cutter. Place in a buttered pan and bake in a
quick oven from 12 to 15 minutes. The biscuit may be sprinkled with
cheese before being put into the oven.

If the cheese is sufficiently soft it can be measured just as
butter is. This recipe, then, would call for ½ cupful.

Cheese Drops.

2½ tablespoonfuls of milk.
1 teaspoonful of butter.
1¼ cupfuls of flour.
⅛ teaspoonful of salt.
1 egg.
2 tablespoonfuls of grated Parmesan cheese
or dry American cheese.

Heat the butter and milk to boiling point, add the flour and the
salt and stir thoroughly. Remove from the fire, add the egg and
cheese and stir until well mixed. When cold, drop in small pieces
in deep fat and brown. This makes a good addition to any clear soup
or to consommé.

Cheese Wafers.

Spread grated cheese on thin crackers, heat in the oven until the
cheese is melted. Serve with soup or salad.

Cheese Relish.

Spread bread which has been toasted or fried in deep fat with
grated cheese, or with grated cheese mixed with a little mustard,
then heat in the oven until the cheese is melted. This may be
served with salad, or as a relish to give flavor to some dish such
as boiled rice or hominy, which has no very marked flavor.

Cheese Straws.

Roll out plain or puff paste until one-fourth of an inch thick.
Spread one-half of it with grated cheese. Fold over the other half
and roll out again. Repeat the process three or four times. Cut
into strips and bake. Serve with soup or salad.

Salad Biscuit.

½ pound of cheese.
2 cupfuls of flour.
4 teaspoonfuls of baking powder.
1½ teaspoonfuls of salt.
1 cupful of water.

Mix as for cheese biscuits No. 1 or No. 2, depending on whether the
cheese is hard or soft. (See p. 36.)

Cheese Gingerbread No. 1.

1 cupful of molasses.
4 ounces of cheese.
1 teaspoonful of soda.
½ cupful of water.
2 cupfuls of flour.
2 teaspoonfuls of ginger.
½ teaspoonful salt.

Heat the molasses and the cheese in a double boiler until the
cheese is melted. Add the soda and stir vigorously. Mix and sift
dry ingredients and add them to the molasses and cheese alternately
with the water. Bake 15 minutes in small buttered tins.

Cheese Gingerbread No. 2.

½ cupful of molasses.
½ cupful of sugar.
4 ounces of cheese.
2 cupfuls of flour.
1 teaspoonful of soda.
2 teaspoonfuls of ginger.
½ teaspoonful of salt.
¾ cupful of water.

Rub the cheese and the sugar together. Add the molasses. Mix
and sift the dry ingredients and add them to the cheese mixture
alternately with the water.

Cheese Custard.

1 cupful of grated cheese.
½ cupful of cream or rich milk.
Yolks of 2 eggs.
A speck of salt and of paprika.

Mix the cream and the cheese and heat until the cheese is melted.
Remove from the fire and add the yolks of the eggs. Bake in paper
cases or buttered ramekins. Serve with jelly or preserves.

Cheese Cakes.

1 quart of milk.
Rennet.
1 ounce of sugar.
Yolks of 2 eggs.
A speck of nutmeg.
1½ ounces of butter.
1 ounce of dried currants or small raisins.

Warm the milk and add the rennet, using the amount prescribed on
the package. Let the milk stand until the curd forms, then break up
the curd and strain off the whey. Add the other ingredients to the
curd; line patty tins with pastry, fill them with the mixture, and
bake.

Brown Betty with Cheese.

Arrange in a deep earthenware baking dish, alternate layers of
bread crumbs and thinly sliced apples. Season with cinnamon, also a
little clove if desired and brown sugar. Scatter some finely shaved
mild full-cream cheese over each layer of apple. When the dish is
full, scatter bread crumbs over the top and bake 30 to 45 minutes,
placing the dish in a pan of water so that the pudding will not
burn.

If preferred, this may be sweetened with molasses mixed with an
equal amount of hot water and poured over the top, a half cupful of
molasses being sufficient for a quart pudding dish full.

Cheese may be used in place of butter in a similar way in other
apple puddings. Apple pie made with a layer of finely shaved cheese
over the seasoned apple and baked in the usual way is liked by many
who are fond of cheese served with apple pie.

CONCLUSION.

In the foregoing pages information has been summarized regarding the food value of cheese, an important agricultural product, and ways of preparing it for the table. It has been pointed out that, judged by the kind of nutrients it supplies—chiefly nitrogenous material and fat—and the proportion in which they are present, it resembles such foodstuffs as meat, fish, and eggs, which means that like them its rational use in the diet is in combination with other staple foods, to form well-balanced meals.

Experiments have shown that when eaten either raw or carefully cooked, cheese is as thoroughly digested as other staple foods and is not likely to produce physiological disturbance.

An ounce of cheese roughly is equivalent to 1 egg, to a glass of milk, or to 2 ounces of meat.

Although uncooked cheese resembles meat in composition, cheese dishes prepared after ordinary recipes, with milk and shortening, are likely to contain more fat than meat dishes prepared in the usual ways. When, therefore, such cheese dishes are served with other staple foods the combination is likely to contain more fat than the usual meal. If little fat is ordinarily used, this may be an advantage. If a great deal of fat is ordinarily used, it may be desirable to lessen the amount in the cheese dishes. This can readily be done by omitting the shortening and using skim milk or water in the preparation of such dishes, a change which also lessens their cost.

The fact that cheese, like meat, contains neither starch nor cellulose suggests that, like meat, it should be combined with bread, potatoes, and other starchy foods, with vegetables and with sweets. The concentrated character of cheese and many cheese dishes suggests the use of succulent fruits and vegetables with them. The high percentage of fat in cheese suggests the use of correspondingly small amounts of fat in the accompanying dishes, while the soft texture of cheese dishes as compared with meat makes it reasonable to serve the harder and crustier breads with them.

When cheese is not used as the chief nitrogenous food of a meal it may be introduced into bills of fare in many incidental ways, and thus add materially to that portion of the diet needed for building and repairing body tissue.

Though cheese is so generally used in some way in most families, yet the making of menus with cheese as a central dish is less well understood than more usual food combinations, since there is less experience to serve as a guide. More thought is therefore usually required to arrange such cheese meals in order that they may be palatable and at the same time reasonable in nutritive value.

In order that the diet may remain well balanced, cheese, if used in quantity, should replace foods of similar composition rather than supplement them. The builder who has a choice of materials must have a knowledge of their relative properties if he wishes to use stone instead of brick, or wood in place of iron. It is the same with the housekeeper who wishes to use her available food supply intelligently and whose choice of foods is influenced by their relative cost at a given time or season. The woman who has a knowledge of the relative food value of different articles of diet, and their real food qualities as distinguished from their market value, who understands good methods of cooking and serving foods, and who plans her meals and other housework so that unnecessary labor and expense may be avoided, is taking account of the things which make for economical living as well as for good living.

Some persons seem to believe that cheese or fish or other food is the ideal food for some particular circumstance and that there is a special food or diet suited to each kind of work and to every circumstance of our daily life, and that it would be a great advantage if we could regulate our daily fare with the accuracy a chemist uses in making an experiment. Work, recreation, the amount of clothing we wear, and other details of our daily life are not so regulated, and it is the belief of those who have studied the subject that the best interests of persons living under normal conditions are served if the ideal be rather the regulation of the diet along general lines in accordance with good sense, the teachings of experience, economy, and the available knowledge gained from a scientific study of the subject, due care being taken that the different staple foodstuffs are so combined that all the needs of the body are provided, excessive waste is prevented, and that both undernourishment and excess or overeating are avoided.