Going Nuts for Tillamook Vintage Cheddar - Cheddar & Walnut Wafers

So, Tillamook Cheese Factory, in Tillamook Oregon, has released a new product.  Vintage White Sharp Cheddar.

Not to be confused with the Vintage White "Extra" Sharp or the Vintage White "Medium" that has been available for several years now.  The Vintage White Sharp is aged for 9 months, as opposed to the Extra Sharp, which is aged for 2 years or the Vintage White Medium that is aged for only 100 days (~3 months).

Why am I so excited about this new product?  Well, I know that annatto seed is perfectly harmless, but it has always bugged me that cheddar cheese is dyed orange on the left coast.

Vermont doesn't dye their cheddar, New York doesn't dye theirs either.  So WHY on earth do the cheese companies on the Left coast dye the cheddar orange?  It just reminds me of processed American cheese (yuck!).  We are capable of discerning between Cheddar, dry Mozzarella and Monterey Jack, even if they are all the same basic color in their natural state.  The excuse that I hear the most often is that milk color varies slightly (depending on cow breed and time of year) and the annatto dye ensures that the cheese will always be the same color.  Poppy cock!  I say.  That is a silly excuse.  There is a natural variation in cheese color with Brie, Gruyere, Pecorino Romano, Saint Andre, Gouda, Emmentaller, Gorgonzola and so on. I think it's time that the cheese manufacturers built a bridge and got over it.

Luckily, Tillamook Cheese factory has done just that and finally decided to leave out the annatto dye and call it "Vintage" White.  Maybe, someday, we left coasters will get SO use to our cheddar being white that, 50 years from now, the orange dyed stuff will be considered "Vintage" instead.  One can only hope.  What makes me the most happy though, is that it's the same price as their "regular" orange Sharp Cheddar.  I finally get my blessedly WHITE cheddar cheese without having to darken the door of a specialty cheese shop and spend a small fortune. 

Woo Hoo! Ain't it purty?

To celebrate the mouthwatering deliciousness that is Tillamook Vintage White Sharp Cheddar, I have decided to go nuts, walnuts that is, and bake up some delicious cheddary wafers of utter decadence.   They are similar to a savory shortbread, but with a delicate crispy crunch that is truly satisfying.

Cheddar and Walnut Wafers

186g (6.5oz) (1 1/2 cups) AP Flour
60g (2.1oz) (1/2 cup) Walnuts, finely chopped
1/2 tsp Grey Salt
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper
113g (4oz) (1/2 cup) Unsalted Butter, cut into chunks
142g (5oz) (1 1/4 cups) Tillamook Vintage White Sharp Cheddar, shredded
1 large Egg Yolk
2 TB Heavy Cream

In the bowl of a food processor, combine Flour, Walnuts, Salt, Pepper, Cayenne and chunks of Butter.

Pulse until pea sized lumps still remain.

Add the shredded Sharp Cheddar and pulse again.

Until well combined and the mixture is like fine crumbs.

In a small bowl, whisk the Heavy Cream and Egg Yolk together.

Pour through the feeding tube of the food processor.....

Pulse until a soft dough begins to form.

Turn out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and flatten into a disc then wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees while rolling the dough to 1/4 inch (~6mm) on a lightly floured surface.

Use a 1 1/2 well floured round cutter to cut out shapes.

Place about 1 inch apart on an ungreased, unlined baking sheet (please note that no parchment is needed)

Prick the circles with a fork in a cross pattern (to prevent a large bubble forming in the center)

Bake for 14-16 minutes, turning at 7 minutes, until they are golden brown.

Move to a rack immediately and allow to cool completely. (If you can)

Consume with delight!  and Wine! (a nice Cabernet Sauvignon or Shiraz/Syrah)

Mangia!!
~~

Cheddar + Bacon = Love - White Cheddar & Pancetta Shortbread

Most of us are familiar with the salty-sweet and buttery delectable-ness of Shortbread.  Not so much known, at least not in the U.S. of A is the savory side of this rich cookie.  Though by definition no longer a cookie, since cookies are made from "sweet" dough, these little "Biscuits" are exquisitely delicious.

There is nothing quite as comforting as Bacon and Cheddar.  I am not sure why this is, maybe it's only me.  One of the best additions to I have seen to the "blue box" is crumbled bacon.  It's placed on Cheese burgers in every fast food joint across the United States.  Even the Dairy Queen commercials make a joke about using Bacon as a verb.  I mean, somebody out there must love the combination as much as I do. 



I must agree with the disturbingly disembodied singing lips though.  I honestly think that Bacon and Cheddar should be verbs.  OK, I guess "Cheddaring" is a verb, since it's a description of the cheese making process that makes Cheddar Cheese unique.  But I really think that bacon should be a verb as well.  Whether on Salad, a Sandwich or Burger, next to the eggs on your plate, or gracing the top of your maple bar from Voodoo Doughnuts, the simple act of adding bacon just makes everything heavenly.

There are even options with your bacon.... If you are one of those people who doesn't particularly care for smoked foods, then you can use Pancetta instead.  For Pancetta is Italian bacon, granted it's made from a different porcine part, but the idea is the same, it's simply not smoked.

So in the interest of promoting this little update to a language that allows you to "shoulder" a burden, "stomach" your in-laws and "head" an organization, here is my proposal. 

ba·con /ˈbeɪkən/ [bey-kuhn]
–noun
1.
The back and sides of the hog, salted and dried or smoked, usually sliced thin and fried for food.
2.
Also called white bacon. South Midland and Southern U.S. pork cured in brine; salt pork.

-verb
1.
To liberally apply bacon in, next to or on a culinary treat.
Shane baconed the shortbread 
Voodoo doughnuts bacons their maple bars.

This, then, leaves "bacon" open to morphing into verbals such as Participles and Gerunds (or even infinitives) thus allowing us to use the word as an adverb, adjective or, well, a noun. Bringing us full circle.

Present participle - "I am Baconing this shortbread recipe"

Gerund - Baconing is my favorite culinary trick.

Yep, I think it is definitely time to contact Merriam & Webster about this.

White Cheddar and Pancetta Shortbread

8 oz Unsalted Butter
5 oz White Cheddar Cheese, shredded
4 oz Pancetta, small dice (You can use Bacon if you like)
12 oz AP Flour

Heat a saute pan over medium flame then add the pancetta and cook until it's all nice and crispy, golden brown and yummy.

Drain on paper towels and let cool completely.

Meanwhile, grate the White Cheddar finely.

Beat the butter until it's fluffy.

Add the shredded White Cheddar and continue beating. (the mixture will get a little lumpy looking)

Reduce the mixer speed to low and begin adding the flour.

When you have achieved a "crumb" appearance, remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the crispy pancetta with a spatula.

Work the dough into a squared log, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 325.
Slice 1/4 inch cookies from the log and place them 1 inch apart on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until the edges just begin to turn golden.

Let the cookies rest for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before moving them to a rack and let them cool completely.

Enjoy with a frosty Dark Lager or Pumpkin Ale.

Mangia!!
~~

'Twas the Week Before Christmas and All Through the House....

Wafted the scent of shortbread, hungering the mouse...... 

I have a confession to make...  Though it may seem a little silly to put so much pressure on a simple cookie, it's just not Christmas without shortbread.  And while I vaguely alluded to this last year around the holidays when I published my Scottish Shortbread recipe, I feel the time has come to divulge the somewhat scary truth about my Christmas Shortbread obsession.   For Green Tea and Plain are merely the tip of the iceberg.

With the advent of English Toffee Shortbread I have added yet another feather in the proverbial Christmas Shortbread "hat".  Which is awesome, cause one should always have delicious treats ready just in case carolers stop by or you have impromptu guests.  For nothing bespeaks of the Holidays like a warm cup of coffee or tea with a delicious shortbread cookie.

My admission of this idée fixe comes with a warning....  There will be several more posts forth coming such as Lavender and Meyer Lemon Shortbread, Candy Cane Shortbread, Lemon Drop Shortbread and, of course, I will be revisiting English Toffee Shortbread, Green Tea Shortbread and good old traditional Scottish Shortbread petticoat tails, to be swathed with copious quantities of fresh Key Lime curd.  YUM!

Then, just because I HAVE to be a little off-centered;  I will be bustin out some Savory Shortbreads.. Yep, savory ones, such as Chive and Provolone (served with Creme Fraiche and Caviar), Roasted Garlic with Thyme and Asiago as well as White Cheddar and Pancetta.   Cause nothin' says lovin' from the Holiday oven like Bacon!!!  Am I right; or am I right?

You will notice that some of these recipes use Cultured Butter, while others do not.  This is a judgment call in regards to the flavor.  For instance, the Lavender and Meyer Lemon shortbread really benefits from the use of Cultured Butter, it adds subtle nuances to the flavor.  The same goes for the savory Chive Shortbread.  However, when it comes to White Cheddar and Bacon or Candy Cane shortbread, the flavor of the added ingredients completely dominates, thus I have opted to use regular unsalted butter in these.  After all, Cultured Butter is expensive so it's use must be relegated to only those recipes where it is of paramount importance to over-all flavor.

You will also notice that most of the recipes are the same basic recipe with different "additions".  While this is true for the most part, there are certain changes to the "when" and "how" these additions are incorporated.  The Lemon Drops, Candy Canes and English toffee are all stirred in at the end; the Lavender and Meyer lemon zest, however, are added when beating the butter in order for the butter to absorb the oil soluble flavor components.  The cheeses are beaten into the butter to form a homogeneous mixture.  In a way, they are acting like the sugar component of sweet shortbread.

All of these recipes offer you a choice....  I chose to roll and cut some of them out because I had specific shapes in mind that I felt would be aesthetically pleasing with their white chocolate adornment.

While with others, I simply formed a log, refrigerated and sliced.

The choice is yours.

OK, I think I have yapped enough at this point...   So I will leave you with a picture of some of what is to come...  :)  

Top from the left: Lavender and Meyer Lemon, Green Tea with Orange oil White Chocolate, English Toffee
Bottom from the left: Lemon Drop with Lemon oil White Chocolate, Candy Cane with Peppermint White Chocolate

I would have thrown in the savory ones, but I have not baked them yet.  There just isn't enough time in the day.

Mangia!!
~~