Do you have cheese sandwiches for lunch? Are you a little tired of them, or maybe wanting to ring the changes a little?
How about making a potted cheese. I have lots of little bits and pieces of cheese stashed away in the freezer, things left over from various events, bits of Stilton from cheese boards, rinds of grana padano and Parmesan, and yesterday I got some out.
Bits of cheese
I used an ancient bit of soft goats cheese log, a bit of Brie that had gone stinky even in the freezer and a lump of Camembert. I grated and mashed it until it was smooth, then added some butter. Potted cheese I’ve made in the past had sherry and mace in it. I didn’t have either of those in, so had a rummage in the drinks cupboard and pulled out some blackberry liqueur and added some of that, then squeezed in the juice of half a lemon and gave it all another good mash.
My tastings revealed a strong (obviously with all that pungency) cheesy, smooth and buttery spread, with a sweet undertaste that must be the blackberry liqueur. I tried a tblsp on a slice of toast and it was deeply satisfying in terms of savouriness. A bit of a success I think
My bits and pieces weighed 250g, I added half that in butter 125g, 2 tblsp blackberry liqueur and the juice of half a lemon. This amount made 2 big ramekins and 1 small one.
Additions to your sandwich
Then of course, there are all the things you can add to your sandwich. Slices of apple or pear, dried mango, thick sliced cucumber, tomato or lettuce, grated carrot, swede or parsnip, chopped celery, slices of red pepper, a sprinkle of seeds or any dried fruit, or of course, any combination of any of these, or indeed, anything else that takes your fancy.
Ingredients
- 125 g cheddar £4.43/kg, 55p
- 60 g butter Beautifully Butterfully, 69p/500g, 8p
Instructions
- Grate the cheese and mash together with the butter. That’s the basic
cheese spread. The flavour will vary with all the different cheeses you
can use, although don’t try and use any Parmesan rinds, they are too
hard for this. You could try Wensleydale, feta, mild or strong cheddar,
anything you like. - Now add the flavourings that will make it different to just a cheese
sandwich. Fine chopped capers, a couple of tblsp of any liquor, so
sherry, brandy or any strong liquor, generous grindings of nutmeg, mace
(that tastes really good in this) curry powder, or individual spices. I
would try a bit of turmeric, coriander and cumin. You can’t really try
curry pastes in this unless you cook it first. Then there are little
bits of fresh chilli.
Equipment Needed
Notes
Got a great recipe? How about submitting it to appear on Thrifty Lesley!
Nutrition
I have grated old hard cheese, mixed with equal volume of grated carrot and small spoonful of mayonnaise. This can also be frozen, but needs a good stir when defrosted.
Have made lots of other flavours too – chicken and sun dried tomato; beef and tomato; a fishy couple and even a blt flavoured one !
I love any of them on toast, for breakfast
Now I’m absolutely starving!! Diet can do one, making this on Saturday!!
Fab 🙂
Thanks! Going to try and make this for weekday lunches. This is my first time on your site and I’m loving all the recipes/ideas!
Sarah, I kept it in the fridge for a couple of weeks, then decided I wasn’t going to use any more for a while and froze it.
The cheese and butter in it will freeze beautifully and any raw flavourings are only likely to be there in small quantities so the spread should survive thawing. So if I had put raw chilli in it for example, on defrosting I would expect to give it a little stir
Can I ask how long this would keep for in the fridge and if it’s suitable for freezing? Looks delicious!