Founder of the Mozzarella Company, a specialty-cheese store, and author of The Cheese Lover's Cookbook and Guide, Paula Lambert is ideally suited to offer attractive cheese recipes. From soups and salads to entrées, appetizers, and even desserts, Cheese, Glorious Cheese! presents recipes that explore a wide array of varieties and flavors of cheese. Included throughout are easy-to-follow tips for choosing, storing, and substituting cheeses, and recipes for vegetarians as well.
Mozzarella in Carrozza is a classic Italian dish. It means "Mozzarella in a Carriage," and the name is used because the Mozzarella is placed between two slices of bread before it is sauteed, as if it were riding in a carriage. I thought it would be fun not only to change the cheese to Crescenza but also to dip the bread into an herbed batter to give it a fresh, modern twist. You can use any combination of fresh herbs you prefer.
Serves 4
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 tablespoon minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
8 ounces Cresceriza, Port Salut, Monterey Jack, or Fresh Mozzarella
8 slices sandwich bread, crusts removed
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup mango chutney
Crack the eggs into a glass pie pan or low-sided, flat bowl. Beat with a whisk for a minute until well beaten. Add the milk, salt, parsley, chives, oregano, basil, and rosemary and whisk to combine. Set aside.
Cut the Crescenza into 8 slices each about 1/4 inch thick. Then cut the slices of cheese in half. Cut the slices of bread in half so that you have 16 rectangular pieces. Lay 8 slices of bread on a flat surface and distribute all the slices of cheese atop the bread. Cover with the remaining 8 slices of bread. Using your fingers, pinch the edges of the bread closed to contain the cheese.
Pour the olive oil and vegetable oil into a medium skillet and place over medium heat. Heat the oil to about 350 degrees F. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, one by one, dip the sandwiches into the egg batter and coat them on both sides as well as the edges; then place the little sandwiches in the oil. Cook on one side and then the other until golden brown. Do not crowd the pan. You may need to cook several batches.
Serve immediately. Pass the chutney in a separate bowl.
Crescenza is a soft, fresh Italian cheese with a tart, clean flavor. When I lived in Italy, Crescenza was one of the cheeses I loved most. I always bought it to take
on picnics to eat with salami, tomatoes, and olives. Stracchino and Crescenza are very similar.
A substitute for Crescenza could be Port Salut or Monterey Jack. Fresh Mozzarella could also be used.
