Recipe: Better than Better Cheddar and Homemade Creole Mayonnaise

BETTER THAN BETTER CHEDDAR

I first tasted the Better Cheddar cheese spread from Langenstein's grocery store at my neighbor's house after I moved to New Orleans in 2000. One of our readers duplicated it, and the resulting dish is even a little better than the original.

1 pound smoked Gouda cheese, shredded
1 pound sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded
3 green onions, chopped (white and green parts)
1 cup walnuts, chopped
Homemade Creole Mayonnaise (recipe follows)

In a large bowl, mix together the first four ingredients with enough Creole mayonnaise to get the consistency of a cheese spread. Serve with crackers.

HOMEMADE CREOLE MAYONNAISE
Makes 1 1/2 cups

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 tablespoon grainy brown mustard (preferably Creole mustard)
1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
1 teaspoon salt
Dash of Tabasco sauce

Pour 1/4 cup of oil into a blender. Add the egg, brown mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, paprika, yellow mustard, salt and Tabasco and blend. Add the remaining 1 1/4 cups of oil in a steady steam with the blender running.

Source: Cooking Up a Storm: Recipes Lost and Found from The Times-Picayune of New Orleans Edited by Marcelle Bienvenu and Judy Walker (Chronicle Books, 2008)