Description
Jalapeno cheese is prepared when powdered or crushed jalapeno peppers are used to flavour cream cheese slabs or spreads. Cutting through the neutral flavour of plain cheese are notes of a spicy, delicate, a slightly tart flavour of jalapeno pepper. Jalapeno cheese may be prepared at home by blending cheese with chopped jalapeno peppers. This zesty cheese makes for a good accompaniment for cheese trays, spicy dinners, or as a cheese melt on top of burgers and grilled sandwiches.
Chopped jalapeno cheese
Place the jalapeno 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.
Grated jalapeno 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.
Jalapeno cheese cubes
Turn the block of cheese on its side and make a series of slices. Lay the 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.
Jalapeno cheese strips
Cut the cheese block into thin or thick strips as per recipe requirement.
Shredded jalapeno cheese
Pass the cheese through a shredder and separate the thin slices into shreds with fingers. Alternatively, you may buy packaged shredded cheese.
Sliced jalapeno 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.
How to Select
Jalapeno cheese should not be too crumbly or dry with the colour being relatively uniform.
Check the expiry date and look out for any discoloration or mouldy spots.
Culinary Uses
• It is a popular cheese for snacking on its own or with crackers. It is especially flavourful in melted dishes such as soup and sauce recipes.
• A few dishes which use jalapeno cheese are mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, casseroles, etc.
• Flavoured cheese tastes incredible when toasted between wheat breads with cucumber and tomato slices.
• Jalapeno cheese balls and poppers act as popular party starters.
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, jalapeno 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 jalapeno 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 good quality protein.