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 cupful of whipped cream. |
| 1 tablespoonful of gelatin. | 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). | ¼ teaspoonful of salt. |
| 1 tablespoonful of vinegar. | 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.