So I received a Christmas goodies package from my dad and stepmother, and included in it was some farmer cheese. I’ve never had this before, and I’m not entirely sure what to do with it. I thought it was a kind of soft cheese, though it feels pretty firm when I poke it…anyway, anybody have any suggestions for something tasty to do with it?
I love farmer cheese, but all I’ve ever done with it was snack on it, on a cracker. I have no idea how it grates or melts. How about an omelet?
I’ll second the “snack on it” suggestion. Bread or crackers, butter, salted meat of some sort, farmer’s cheese. Because it’s mild, it works well as a foil for the meat. (I’m using the generic term “salted meat” because there are any number of different kinds, of course. But think of something like prosciutto.)
• Vegetable chili with Corn Dumplings uses a cup of farmer cheese.
• Cheese Blintzes with Blueberry Sauce uses a cup and a half.
• Thyme and Garlic Cheese Dip uses 7.5 ounces.
• Quick and Easy Cheese Blintz Casserole uses two 7.5 or 8-oz. packages.
The above suggestions are fine, for what’s left after you’ve used Farmer Cheese for its intended purpose, which is, of course, to bait Farmer Traps.
Most city dwellers know not and care naught about this pest, except when they chance to see them scurrying around behind the local Produce Mart, but for new homeowners beyond the suburbs they are a significant and scary presence. The sudden appearance of shredded Almanacs and bits of baling wire are merely the first sign of a problem. Uprooted weeds generally follow as the third ingredient for nesting, and when traces of tobacco juice mixed with saliva (used as a primitive cement) begin appearing, it is usually too late to prevent a full infestation. Soon, unneeded heavy equipment and ridiculous government subsidies and loans (clearly labeled “NOT WELFARE – MOSTLY FOR WHITES AND CORPORATIONS”) threaten to drive even the most determined families from their very homes. Farmer Traps are the preferred humane method of dealing with the situation, and free cheese is a potent bait. One word of advice: when practicing catch-and-release tactics, vary your destination. Any remote field, once it’s carelessly filled with a bunch of displaced feral farmers, can become the grounds of a full-fledged, uncontrolled hoedown. And nobody wants that.
Brown some sausages. Carmelize some peeled, cored, and sliced apples. Put the whole mess in the crock pot and add shredded farmer cheese. Cook on low for about an hour until everything’s melty. Do this on a cold, lazy Saturday morning and you won’t have to eat again until Monday…
I guess I like it, but it’s a pain having to milk a farmer.
But the farmer loves it.
Soften in the microwave, mix with some basil and / or tarragon and spread over some toasted garlic points.
Or slather on a garlic bagel.