Tuesday, February 26, 2019

Floppy Cheese

Floppy Cheese
What exactly is Floppy Cheese? Well, I think it’s called American Cheese in America...but we never bought it when we lived there so I’m not exactly sure. 
Floppy Cheese is that cheese that comes individually wrapped, is super floppy, and taste great! 
We never bought it, but we always enjoyed eating it whenever we went to a friend’s house. 

I saw a YouTube video tutorial on how to make this cheese, so I tried the recipe out, and then changed it up a bit to match my families taste. (Does that make this my recipe now? 🤔) 

Here’s what you’ll need 
1 cup cream
1/2 cup water
1 cup shredded cheese
1 tablespoon agar agar powder 
Salt to taste 

In a medium saucepan whisk cream, water and agar agar powder together until smooth. Heat on medium heat. Stir the mixture constantly! 
Once the mixture starts to bubble and thicken, add the cheese and salt. 
Continue to stir until Cheese is completely melted. Remove cheese from heat. 

Now this is where you can get creative! 
You can make a cheese block for cooking, or cheese slices, or just add some salsa and jalapeños and enjoy with tortilla chips! 
If making cheese blocks to melt down or slice up later, pour the hot cheese into a ramekin. A bowl would work, even Tupperware! Cool completely, then remove cheese from the dish. Refrigerate until needed. I have no idea how long this stuff will last in your fridge. I had ours in the fridge for about 6 days, and it was still good. But I don’t know if it would last longer or not. 
To make cheese slices (aka Floppy Cheese) pour the hot liquid onto a slick surface. An electric nonstick skillet works. If you have a marble top counter, that would work, a silicone cutting board would work too. Just look around and see what you have that will work. 
Working quickly, pour the liquid and spread it out as evenly as possible. If you would like to sprinkle the cheese with pepper or garlic salt, or maybe diced jalapeños, now would be the time. 
Allow to cool, slice, and enjoy. 
To make a sauce, heat the cheese in a nonstick pan on low heat (low is very important!). 
Once the cheese is mostly melted, you may wish to add a few teaspoons of cream. This will help the cheese sauce to stay smooth. Season like you would a normal cheese sauce and enjoy!
You may want to get creative with your cheese. If you are going to be making grilled cheese sandwiches or a cheese sauce, you may want to use half mozzarella and half cheddar. If you are going to be making a dip that is going to have a sharp or strong flavor, maybe use a quarter Parmesan and three quarters mozzarella. Experiment and figure out what cheeses you like best for what you’re making. 
I hope you enjoy this recipe! I think this cheese is a lot of fun to make! I hope you enjoy making it as much as I do! 

Amber Wells
Papua New Guinea 🇵🇬 

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