Andy Montoya
Stilton cheese is a strong and tasty English blue cheese with a well-balanced flavour. While it doesn't melt as easily as cheddar or brie, there are several ways to melt it. One way is to crumble it and mix it with butter on hot toast. Another way is to make a blue cheese sauce by melting butter in a frying pan, frying onions and garlic, adding cream, and then stirring in the stilton over low heat until it melts. This sauce goes well with steak, chicken, or as a dip for chips or potato wedges.
How to melt Stilton cheese
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Temperature | Medium heat |
| Time | 3-5 minutes |
| Texture | Crumbled |
| Accompaniments | Butter, cream, shallots, garlic, lemon juice, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, milk, onion |
| Serving suggestions | Steak, chicken, pork, chips, potato wedges |
| Other uses | Cheese on toast, with crackers, fruit cake, apricot jam, chutney, broccoli soup, bagels, baked beans, hot sauce |
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What You'll Learn
Melt on toast with butter
To melt Stilton cheese on toast with butter, you'll first need to select your bread. White bread is generally recommended for cheese on toast, but an earthier multigrain or wholemeal loaf can bring a satisfyingly savoury depth to each bite. Walnut bread and granary bread also taste particularly good with cheese.
Next, cut two thick slices (around 2-3cm) from your chosen loaf. Lightly toast both sides of the bread slices. If you want to add butter, spread it on the untoasted side of the bread.
Now it's time to prepare the Stilton cheese. You can crumble or grate the cheese to ensure it melts evenly. Spread the cheese on top of the butter, ensuring it goes right to the edges of the bread so they don't burn.
Finally, place the slices under a hot grill until the cheese melts. You can sprinkle some cayenne pepper on top for an extra kick. Keep a close eye on your toast as it grills, as it can go from almost ready to burnt in a matter of seconds!
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Mix into a sauce with butter, cream, shallots, and garlic
To make a sauce with butter, cream, shallots, and garlic, you can follow these steps:
First, melt some butter in a saucepan over medium heat. The amount of butter used can vary depending on preference, but typically around 2 ounces is a good starting point. Once the butter is melted, add in your finely sliced shallots and cook until they are softened and translucent. This should take around 3-4 minutes.
Next, add in your garlic. Fresh garlic cloves are ideal, but you can also use minced garlic or even garlic powder. Cook the garlic for about a minute, stirring frequently. At this point, you can also add some cooking wine, such as sherry or white wine, or a substitute like apple cider vinegar, to enhance the flavor.
After the garlic is fragrant and cooked, it's time to add the cream. Pour in approximately 1 cup of heavy cream and give the mixture a good stir. You can also use whole milk or a combination of milk and cream if you prefer a thinner consistency. Bring the mixture to a simmer, continuing to stir to prevent lumps.
Finally, add your Stilton cheese. Crumble or grate the cheese and stir it into the sauce over low heat until it is fully melted and combined. This should take about 5 minutes. You can also use a spoon to crush the cheese while stirring to help it melt more easily.
For a thicker sauce, simply simmer the mixture on low heat for a few extra minutes, stirring often. If the sauce becomes too thick, you can thin it out by adding a splash of milk or cream. To add some extra flavor, consider stirring in a dash of Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, or black pepper to taste.
This rich and indulgent sauce pairs well with steak, chicken, or pork. It can also be used as a topping for pasta, ravioli, or other dishes.
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Use in a grilled cheese sandwich
To make a grilled cheese sandwich with Stilton cheese, you can follow the same steps as you would for a classic grilled cheese sandwich, but there are a few extra things to keep in mind. Firstly, it's important to shred or crumble the cheese before adding it to your sandwich. This is because Stilton is a soft cheese, and shredding it will help it melt more evenly and thoroughly. You can place the cheese in the freezer for about 15 minutes to give it more structure before shredding.
When it comes to choosing a bread, thick-cut, sweet Hawaiian bread is a good option as it toasts beautifully and its flavour pairs well with cheese. However, you can also use regular white bread, whole grain bread, crusty sourdough, or baguette. Just keep in mind that whole grain breads and crusty sourdoughs can be tough to bite into, which may cause the cheese to squeeze out.
For an even richer flavour, you can spread mayonnaise on the outside of the bread instead of butter. This will give your sandwich a crunch when you bite into it and help it brown nicely. You can also spread the inside of the bread with Dijon mustard for a tangy flavour.
To assemble the sandwich, butter the bread or spread mayonnaise on the outside, and add your grated or shredded Stilton cheese. You can also add other ingredients like pickled onions, spinach, caramelized onions, broccoli, roasted red peppers, or fruit like apples or fig jam.
Once your sandwich is assembled, cook it in a pan over medium heat for 3-4 minutes on each side, keeping the heat gentle to allow the cheese to melt slowly as the bread turns golden and crunchy.
You can serve your grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup, which is highly recommended by some.
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Mix with hot sauce and baked beans on a toasted bagel
To make a delicious meal of stilton cheese with hot sauce and baked beans on a toasted bagel, you can follow these steps.
Firstly, prepare your baked beans. Fry some sliced onion in a pan until soft and transparent. Then, add your baked beans and continue to fry, stirring regularly. You can also add some chopped garlic at this stage for extra flavour. The aim is to reduce the liquid and thicken the sauce, so cook until you have a thick mixture. You can also add some meat to this mixture, such as fried sausages or bacon, if desired.
Next, prepare your stilton cheese. You can either crumble the cheese and mix it with butter on hot toast, or melt the cheese in a pan with butter and cream to make a sauce. For the latter, melt butter in a pan and gently fry some finely sliced shallots for 3-4 minutes, then add garlic and cook for another minute. Add cream and stir over low heat, then add the stilton and continue stirring until the cheese has melted, which should take about 5 minutes. You can add some Worcestershire sauce and pepper to taste.
Toast your bagel, and assemble your creation. Spread the baked bean mixture on the bagel, then pour over the stilton cheese sauce. Add some hot sauce to taste, and enjoy!
Some people also like to add meat to this combination, such as fried bacon or sausages, or even a steak. It is also suggested that stilton cheese goes well with something sweet, like a chutney or fruit cake, so you could add a drizzle of honey or some apricot jam to your bagel for a unique flavour combination.
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Pair with sweet foods like honey, fruit cake, or chutney
Stilton is a strong and tasty cheese with a well-balanced flavour. It is often paired with sweet foods like honey, fruit cake, or chutney.
Honey
The intense sweetness of honey mellows out the strong flavour of the stilton, creating a perfect match. You can drizzle runny honey or set honey on stilton, and both will work beautifully.
Fruit Cake
Stilton is often paired with fruit cake, especially during Christmas. The peppery notes of the cheese complement the ginger and nutmeg in the fruitcake. The pairing is also a result of both foods being ancient preservation methods.
Chutney
Sweet chutneys complement sharp cheeses, and tangy or spicy chutneys go well with creamy or mild cheeses. The sweetness of mango chutney, for example, contrasts the sharpness of cheddar cheese. Fig chutney, with its bold, tangy flavour, is a good match for the strong flavour of stilton.
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Frequently asked questions
Mix Stilton crumbles with butter on hot toast.
Melt butter in a frying pan, add shallots or onions and garlic, then add cream and Stilton, stirring over low heat until melted.
Pair melted Stilton with something sweet and textural, like a good cracker, pear, walnuts, or a drizzle of honey.
A good beer or a tannin-rich red wine will go well with melted Stilton.
If you don't have Stilton, you can use other blue cheeses like Roquefort, Gorgonzola, or Dolcelatte.
