Bear Cuisine

A Cheesy Ingredient

In response to my post on Welsh Rarebit (1/7/09), Janet Harris sent a delightful piece on Cheez Whiz. It's too good not to share.

Cheez Whiz:  The Rarebit of Plebeians

Before microwaves, melting cheese over foods usually meant someone had to shred it first.  Making a cheese sauce for a fancy vegetable dish was also a delicate process, involving scalding and the ever-present danger of lumpiness.  So it’s no wonder that cooks in the1950s went crazy for Cheez Whiz.

 

In the summer of 1953, Cheez Whiz joined Kraft’s large line of products designed to make a cheese as friendly, approachable, and easy to choose as a loaf of bread.  Instead of trying to figure out the difference between Fontina and Brie, the consumer of Kraft cheeses had only to decide whether she wants her cheese sliced, in an aerosol can, in a loaf or, as is in the case with Cheez Whiz, as a cheesy sauce in a jar.  Kraft’s loaf form of processed cheese, Velveeta, had helped pave the way for the acceptance of Cheez Whiz more than 20 years earlier.  An extensive series of tests conducted at Rutgers University concluded that processed cheese food such as Velveeta was every bit as digestible and nutritious as milk.  To measure “the ability of Velveeeta to supprt muscular work,” test subjects were made to ride a stationary bicycle with a huge metal bucket, called a respiration helmet, over their heads.

“Project Cheez Whiz” as it was called in the Kraft company newsletter, “The Kraftsman,” began in 1951 and lasted for 18 months.  Laboratory men at Kraft originally were aiming at the cheese rarebit trade.  Realizing that most Americans didn’t even know what rarebit was (never mind want some), Kraft sales and advertising men asked for an all-purpose cheese sauce instead.  Many purposes Cheez Whiz certainly could have: in a survey conducted just before the product was released, housewives suggested more than 1,304 uses.  Some of the most popular including spooning it over vegetables and casseroles, making macaroni and cheese, and turning hot dogs into cheese dogs, and hamburgers into cheeseburgers.  In fact, Louis’ Lunch in New Haven, Connecticut, an establishment National Public Radio’s “all Things Considered” program once identified as making one of the best hamburgers in America (and others claim is the actual birthplace of the hamburger), makes them with freshly ground beef, toasted Pepperidge Farm white bread and Cheez Whiz.

The invention of the microwave has rendered Cheez Whiz less gee-whiz impressive.  In a pinch it is now possible to simply nuke some Velveeta into a cheese sauce.  But those raised on Cheez Whiz and fans of the product in Puerto Rico (the Cheez Whiz sales capital of the world due largely to the popularity of La Mexda, a dish combining Cheez Whiz, mayonnaise and Spam) would probably not go for this.  For them, only that mixture of cheese, water, whey, sodium phosphate, milk fat, skim milk, salt Worcestershire sauce, mustard flour, lactic and sorbic acid, and coloring would do.”

 

Taken from I’m A Spam Fan by Carolyn Wyman, 1993 Longmeadow Press, Stamford, CT, page 124.

I remember Cheez Whiz from my first round of graduate school. We really were poor students and we didn't have a refrigerator. So we would keep it on the ledge outside the window in the winter. There were usually several evenings a month when Cheez Whiz on crackers served as supper. You won't hear me whining about the good old days.

Chicken Pot Pie

A few years back Dan Goldberg, author and publisher of the late lamented Curmudgeon's Home Companion, asked his readers to submit recipes that they would be embarrassed to share. If this recipe had been in my possession then, I would have offered it. But this tastes really good and the kid loves it.Because of that I will continue to make it, at least for a few more years. I could rework it, trying to figure out how to duplicate the flavors; but I'm basically lazy about that sort of thing. So,here it is-the recipe I should be embarrassed to publish. 

CHICKEN POT PIE

(serves 6 to 8)

• One 10 3/4-ounce can condensed Cheddar Cheese Soup
  
• One 10 3/4-ounce can condensed Cream of Celery Soup
  
• 1/2 to 1 cup of whole milk
  
• 1 chicken, skinned, cooked, boned and torn into pieces
  
• 1 medium onion diced
  
• One 10-ounce package frozen green peas
  
• 4 carrots, peeled , cut into thin rounds and cooked
  
• 1 pastry for top and bottom
  

In a large saucepan, heat soups and milk. Stir in chicken, onion, peas and carrots and salt and pepper. Cook until mixture boils. Remove from heat. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour into a pastry-lined 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan. Cut pastry for top into strips. Lay over pie filling in a lattice style. Dot with buter. Bake for 45 minutes until golden brown.

PASTRY

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  
• 3/4 cup Crisco or butter
  
• Ice water
  

Sift together flour, salt and baking powder. Cut in shortening with pastry blender until pieces are the size of small peas. Sprinkle 1 to 2 tablespoons of ice water over part of the mixture. Gently toss with fork; push to side of bowl. Repeat until all is moistened. From into 2 balls. Flatten each on a lightly floured surface by pressing with edge of hand three times across in both directions. With a floured rolling pin, roll out on floured surface. Roll from center to edge until 1/8 inch thick.

adapted from Paul Deen's The Lady and Sons Savannah Country Cookbook.

Ginger Ice Cream

We served Indian food for dinner the other day and I wanted dessert. Much as I love Indian cooking, I've never been too wild about Indian sweets. What to make? I settled on this ice cream because it would use the same spice as the main course in a different way. The ginger flavor is definite, but not overwhelming. Spicy without an edge. 

GINGER ICE CREAM

• 3 ounces unpeeled fresh ginger
  
• 1 cup whole milk
  
• 2 cups heavy cream
  
• 1/4 cup sugar
  
• Pinch of salt
  
• 5 large egg yolks
  

Cut the ginger in half lengthwise and then cut it into thin slices. Place the ginger in a medium, nonreactive saucepan. Add enough water to cover the ginger by about 1/2 inch and bring to a boil Boil for 2 minutes, then drain, discarding the liquid.*

Return the blanched ginger slices to the saucepan, then add the milk, 1 cup of the cream, sugar and salt. Warm the mixture, cover, and remove from the heat. Let steep at room temperature for 1 hour.

Re-warm the mixture. Remove the ginger slices with a slotted spoon and discard. Pour the remaining 1 cup heavy cream into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer on top.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream. Stir until cool over an ice bath.

Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.

David Lebovitz. The Perfect Scoop. (Berkeley: The 10 Speed Press, 2007.)

Pot Roast

Friends of ours are going to Bahamas for the winter to run a bone fishing camp. We think they are very adventurous and wanted to celebrate their new work with dinner. Of course! The night they came over  was cold and blustery; the perfect evening for a long-cooked pot roast and silky mashed potatoes.

CIDER POT ROAST

(serves 6 to 8)

• 1 1/2 cups apple cider
  
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
  
• 2 teaspoons salt
  
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  
• 2 whole cloves
  
• 1 3-to-4 pound chuck roast
  
• All-purpose flour
  
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  

Combine the cider brown sugar, salt, cinnamon,ginger, and cloves in a medium bowl. Put the beef in a 1-gallon zipper-lock bag and pour in the marinade. Let marinate in the fridge for 24 hours, jiggling the bag whenever you think of it.

Remove the beef from the marinade; reserve the marinade. Dredge the beef in the flour on a large plate. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or flameproof roasting pan over high heat ad brown the beef on all sides, about 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, add the reserved marinade, cover and simmer for 3 hours, or until very tender Let the roast rest for 10 minutes then slice and serve with hot mashed potatoes.

Karyl Bannister. Cook & Tell.(Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2001)

BUTTERY PUREED POTATOES

(serves 6)

• 2 1/3 pounds baking potatoes, russet or Yukon gold
  
• coarse and fine sea salt
  
• 1/2 cup creme fraiche or sour cream
  
• 1 cup unsalted butter, diced
  
• freshly ground white pepper
  

Peel the potatoes and cut them into large chunks. Place them in a large saucepan, cover with cold water, and add 1 teaspoon of coarse salt. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Uncover the pan and lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Continue cooking the potatoes until they are very soft but not falling apart, 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the potatoes and the size of the chunks.

Drain the potatoes very well and puree them using the fine grill of a food mill. Return the potatoes to the saucepan and place over low heat. Using a wooden spoon, stir until the moisture from the potatoes evaporates and they begin to stick to the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat to very low beat in the creme fraiche, and then gradually beat in the butter. The potatoes will become very soft and smooth. Taste and add sea salt,if necessary; then season with pepper.

Jennifer McLagen. Fat.(Berkely: Ten Speed Press, 2008.)

I used a ricer on the potatoes; it worked just fine. The creme fraiche brightens the flavor of  the potatoes and the butter makes them smooth as silk. Lovely, just lovely.

Philly Cheesesteak

Sometimes a girl just craves her native foods. This happened to me over the holidays when I thought nothing would taste as good as a Philly Cheesesteak. Now these are hard to reproduce outside of the Philadelphia area. Why? The bread's the thing. Amorosos's Bakery supplies the bread for this local "delicacy" and there isn't another bread like it that I've been able to find in other parts of the country.

What was I to do? 

I turned to David Rosengarten's It's All American Food where he provides recipes for the sandwich and the bread to make them. First, the bread.

PHILADELPHIA CHEESESTEAK LOAF

(makes about 8 rolls)

• 5 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 1 cup minus 1 tablespoon water
  
• 1 tablespoon rapid-rise yeast
  
• 2 tablespoons sugar
  
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  
• Cornmeal for dusting
  
• Handful of ice cubes
  

1. Place the 5 3/4 cups flour, water, east, sugar, salt and the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with dough hook attachment.

2. Mix the ingredients on very low speed until they are well combined. Increase the mixer sped to medium-high and mix the dough until thoroughly kneaded, about 8 minutes more.

3. Lightly grease a large bowl with olive oil. Remove the ball of dough from the mixer and place in oiled bowl. cover the bowl and place it in a warm spot until the dough ball has doubled in size, about 1 hour.

4. Lightly flour a rolling pin and a counter-top with extra flour. Remove the risen dough to the counter. Using a rolling pin, flatten the dough to expel all the gases that have developed inside.

5. Using a knife, divide the large dough ball into smaller dough pieces that are each a little larger than a baseball. You should have about 8 pieces total Pace the pieces on the countertop so that they are not touching each other. cover them with a damp cloth and let them rest for 15 minutes.

6. Sprinkle another section of the counter-top with flour. Dust your hands with flour and roll your palms over the pieces of dough with a bak-and-forth motion to shape the dough pieces into 6-inch-long cylinders. Continue until all the rolls are shaped. Place the shaped rolls on a cornmeal-dusted baking sheet, separated by several inches of space, and cover with plastic wrap. Allow the rolls to double in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

7. Place a baking stone in the oven on the center rack. Place an ovenproof baking pan on the bottom of the oven. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

8. Dust a pizza peel with cornmeal. Place 4 of the rolls on the pizza peel at a time. Using a razor blade or a serrated knife, score each roll in a straight line down the center lengthwise, cutting them approximately 1/2 inch deep. Spray the loves with water using a spray bottle. Carefully toss some of the ice cubes into the ovenproof pan at the bottom of the oven. Slide the loaves onto the baking stone from the peel and immediately close the oven door. Repeat these steps until all the rolls are in the oven.

9. Bake until the rolls are a light golden brown and completely cooked on the inside (200 degrees internal temperature). use the pizza peel to remove the bread from the oven. allow rolls to cool completely.

Now, the sandwich.

PHILLY CHEESESTEAK

(4 sandwiches)

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil or more
  
• 2 medium onions, peeled and sliced
  
• 1 cup Cheez Whiz
  
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless rib eye steak, sliced paper thin(ask your butcher to do this for you)
  
• 4 Philadelphia Cheesesteak loaves
  

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a medium-size skillet over medium heat Add oionns and cook over medium heat until onion is softened and golden, about 15 minutes. Set aside,but keep warm.

2. Place Cheez Whiz in a small nonmetal bowl, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and microwave until bubbly. Keep warm and covered. (If you don't have a microwave, heat on stove.)

3. Heat one or more large cast-iron skillets over lowest heat. Season steak with salt and pepper. Add a tablespoon of vegetable oil to each skillet and add the beef slices in a single layer. Cook, flattening with a metal spatula, about 5 minutes, flipping once or twice with the spatula. Meat should turn gray, not brown, and remain soft, not crusty. When one quarter of the beef is ready approximately 6 ounces, you're ready to make a sandwich. (Continue cooking the remaining meat in one or more skillets, adding a tablespoon of vegetable oil each tie before adding meat, until all meat is cooked.)

It's not traditional, but I like the Cheez Whiz mixed in with the meat. So, I add it to the meat for the last few moments of cooking.

4. To make one sandwich, cut a bread loaf down the middle but do not cut through completely.Stuff with 6 ounces of the meat, then one-forth of the onions, then drizzle with one-fourth of the Cheez Whiz. Serve immediately. Continue until 4 sandwiches are made.

Here it is--the Philly Cheesesteak. This one is actually made with a roll from Amoroso's. They do ship.

Purists will tell you that adding anything other than the onions and Cheez Whiz is a desecration. Fortunately, I do not live with a Cheesesteak purist so I took the liberty of adding pickles and a few peppers. New Mexico comes to Philadelphia.