Description

As the name suggests, the 'pepper cheese' refers to cream cheese slabs or spreads which have been flavoured with jalapeno pepper or crushed peppercorns. Addition of herbs adds to the savoury taste of cheese and can be enjoyed with crackers or between the breads. The pepper cheese may be prepared at home by blending the cheese with the peppers or purchased from market in different flavours. Pepper cheese has the intensity of spicy hot peppers for a zesty flavour. Spicy, delicate, soft & with a slightly tart flavour, pepper cheese is a favourite among all. Jalapeno Pepper cheese makes an excellent accompaniment for cheese trays, spicy dinners, or as a cheese melt on top of burgers and grilled sandwiches.

Grated Pepper Cheese

This requires grating the cheese slabs in a hand held grater. This grated cheese is fine in texture and is used for making baked dishes like au gratin or casseroles.

Shredded pepper cheese

Pass the cheese through a shredder and separate the thin slices into shreds with fingers. Alternatively, you may buy packaged shredded cheese.

Pepper cheese strips

Cut the cheese block into thin or thick strips as per recipe requirement.

Chopped pepper cheese

Place the cheese slab on a chopping board and chop it into small pieces. Can be finely chopped or roughly chopped or chopped into big chunks as per recipe requirement.

Sliced pepper Cheese

You may place the cheese in a slicer or slice the cheese in thin or thick slices with a sharp knife, as per the recipe requirement.

Pepper cheese cubes

Turn the block of cheese on its side and make a series of slices. Lay the tofu or cheese slices on top of each other and make a series of lengthwise slices, (½ inch slices for smaller cubes, 1 inch slices for larger cubes. Make a series of ½ inch or 1 inch crosswise cuts through the cheese and it will fall away into cubes.

How to select

Pepper cheese should not be too crumbly or dry with the color being relatively uniform. Check the expiry date and look out for any discoloration or moldy spots. Opt for varieties that provide no more than five grams of fat per ounce.

Culinary uses

· It is a popular cheese for snacking on its own or with crackers. It is especially flavorful in melted dishes such as soup and sauce recipes
· A few dishes which use pepper cheese are mashed potatoes, shepherd's pie,macaroni and cheese, casseroles, etc.
· Cheese tastes superb between toasted wheat breads with cucumber and tomato slices.
· Pepper cheese can be added to omelettes, pizza, soufflés, au gratins, fondues, etc.
· Pepper cheese balls and poppers are also popular.

How to store

All cheeses, regardless of variety, should be well wrapped and kept in the warmest section of the refrigerator. (The refrigerator door is often one of the warmest spots). As storage life is related to the moisture content of the cheese, the softer the cheese, the shorter amount of time it will keep fresh.

Health Benefits

· Regardless of the type of milk used to create it, pepper cheese is a concentrated source of the nutrients naturally found in milk, including calcium. The one nutritional drawback of reduced-fat cheeses is that they are usually higher in sodium than full-fat natural cheeses.
· The pepper Cheese also contains a large amount of other essential nutrients such as phosphorous, zinc, riboflavin, vitamin B12 and vitamin A.
· It is a dense source of high quality protein.