My Hickory Farms catalogue has just arrived, and I'm interested in some of
their cheese-spreads-in-a-crock, but of course I'd like to make it myself.
This is what it says :

"Crocks of Cheese
No matter where you grew up, Hickory Farms cheese spreads were a tasty
holiday tradition. Rediscover your favorites with this gift featuring 10.5
oz. each of our award-winning flavors: Creamy Swiss, Sharp Cheddar and
Garden Vegetable, packed in reusable ceramic crocks."

Here's the page so you can see the picture :
http://www.hickoryfarms.com/shop/pro...heese%20spread

Does anybody have any idea how to make these? Obviously, it's spreadable,
but what makes it that way? It looks like they've put it in a cake
decorating bag and *skwoooshed" it onto crackers.

I realise this is kind of a bizzare question, but thanks for your help : )

Cheers ~

- Tess

>Does anybody have any idea how to make these? Obviously, it's spreadable,

>From: "Tess"

I suspect they mostly use water to make them speadable *laughs* (I'm serious
though)

A food processor makes cheese spread like nobody's business. I combine strong
cheese like bleu, or swiss or sharp cheddar with plain cream cheese (roughly
2:1) and add water, cream, buttermilk, wine, port, sherry-- whatever liquid
feels right by the TB spoon full to reach the consistency desired. If you want
bits of this or that (bacon, pineapple, shrimp, crab, nuts, herbs, etc.) add
that at the end and pulse the food processor to blend. It's best if vegetables
and fruits are precooked before adding so they don't break down and make the
cheese funky after a day or so. And I recommend dried herbs for the same
reason. Pack in a crock or whatever you like and keep in the frig. I have
found that adding just a lil bit of bleu cheese to most spreads gives them an
extra cheesy punch without overpowering the primary cheese. Also check for salt
and other seasonings before crocking.

I like Hickory Farms' stuff but I won't pay 10 bucks for a crock of processed
cheese spread. *laughs*

* cheers *

Barb Anne

Ack I forgot to mention you can buy dehydrated vegetable flakes and those work
great with these spreads.

*smiles*

Barb Anne

Barbtail" > wrote in message
...
> Ack I forgot to mention you can buy dehydrated vegetable flakes and those
work great with these spreads.
>
> *smiles*
>
> Barb Anne

Yay! Thanks, Barb : ) My husband thought maybe it was "cut" with cream
cheese, but I didn't want to dilute the flavour of the cheese too much.

Your bleu cheese idea was an inspiration! My Dad loves it, and I think he'd
really enjoy it in spreadable form! ( I'm going to be making some homemade
crackers to go with it. ) I suppose you can also put in dried veg soup mix,
or onion soup mix?

You solved my problem ( well, one of many : ), and I thank you!

Here's a little tip : When making your own crackers, instead of using a
knife to score them, you can "dot" where you want them to break. ( I keep a
clean "kitchen comb" in my drawer. )

Cheers ~

- Tess

Barbtail" > wrote in message
...
> Ack I forgot to mention you can buy dehydrated vegetable flakes and those
work great with these spreads.
>
> *smiles*
>
> Barb Anne

Yay! Thanks, Barb : ) My husband thought maybe it was "cut" with cream
cheese, but I didn't want to dilute the flavour of the cheese too much.

Your bleu cheese idea was an inspiration! My Dad loves it, and I think he'd
really enjoy it in spreadable form! ( I'm going to be making some homemade
crackers to go with it. ) I suppose you can also put in dried veg soup mix,
or onion soup mix?

You solved my problem ( well, one of many : ), and I thank you!

Here's a little tip : When making your own crackers, instead of using a
knife to score them, you can "dot" where you want them to break. ( I keep a
clean "kitchen comb" in my drawer. )

Cheers ~

- Tess

Barbtail wrote:

> A food processor makes cheese spread like nobody's business. I combine strong
> cheese like bleu, or swiss or sharp cheddar with plain cream cheese (roughly
> 2:1) and add water, cream, buttermilk, wine, port, sherry-- whatever liquid
> feels right by the TB spoon full to reach the consistency desired.


Do you have any experience with using harder cheeses like parmesan the
same way? I've been working in the wine and cheese shop. When a wheel
of cheese gets down to about a pound, it gets hard to sell. It doesn't
look attractive with all the nice big wheels, and it if we don't have a
replacement right away, it isn't much good for samples. (Why give
samples of a cheese you don't have?) The dips and spreads sell well.
I've been racking my brains trying to think of a good way to use those
leftovers.


--Lia

To make the swirled port wine and cheese spread, reserve a little of the orange
cheese spread before adding port to the rest, then lightly swirl them together
while crocking.

OMG and more- be careful not to let the food processor run too long or it
could get hot and melt the cheese.

*laughs*

Barb Anne

>Do you have any experience with using harder cheeses like parmesan the
>same way?

The harder cheeses don't break down as nicely as cheddar, swiss, edam, etc, but
you can add them. Pre- grate them with a microplane thing. I suppose you could
try soaking them in liquid, but I have not tried that. I don't think people
mind the texture- it's expected of hard cheeses or you could sell it as a
spread for toasting- like for bruchetta(sp) or something (I'd omit the cream
cheese in this case and bind the romano or parmy with a mild aged cheese or
even just butter).


I was going to also add that Worcestershire sauce is a common addition to
cheese balls and spreads, Balsamic vinegar would be good-- even soy sauce would
work (hmm an asian-fusion cheese spread- possibilities are endless *laughs*)

Good luck and have fun!

Barb Anne

Tess wrote:
>
> My Hickory Farms catalogue has just arrived, and I'm interested in some of
> their cheese-spreads-in-a-crock, but of course I'd like to make it myself.
> This is what it says :
>
> "Crocks of Cheese
> No matter where you grew up, Hickory Farms cheese spreads were a tasty
> holiday tradition. Rediscover your favorites with this gift featuring 10.5
> oz. each of our award-winning flavors: Creamy Swiss, Sharp Cheddar and
> Garden Vegetable, packed in reusable ceramic crocks."
>
> Here's the page so you can see the picture :
> http://www.hickoryfarms.com/shop/pro...heese%20spread
>
> Does anybody have any idea how to make these? Obviously, it's spreadable,
> but what makes it that way? It looks like they've put it in a cake
> decorating bag and *skwoooshed" it onto crackers.
>
> I realise this is kind of a bizzare question, but thanks for your help : )
>
> Cheers ~
>
> - Tess

I happen to get a taste of the garden vegetable at the mall yesterday.
Not bad, but not great either.

LB

Hi Tess

Yes, you can use any of the soup mixes to flavor these. I just taste and
season as I am inspired- you know what you like.

*laughs* I really should add that you need to have your cheeses at room
temperature and start with grated cheddar, swiss, edam (your main aged
cheese[s]) in your food processor (not the cream cheese or other soft cheese)
Pulse till softened and pastey, then add the creamier cheese to the processor,
scraping frequently You want the consistency to appear very soft at first
(but not soupy) because when you re-chill this it will harden up considerably.
(You can transfer the cheeses to a mixer before adding the bits for a fluffier
spread).

For cheese balls and rolls, use less liquid. To form, spoon the cheese mix
onto a square of plastic wrap and form into a ball or a roll, then chill till
hardened, Before serving, remove plastic and roll in any one of the following:
chopped/sliced nuts, veggie flakes, minced dried tomato, minced parlsey, those
canned dried onion ring things they use on top of green bean cassarole, minced
green onion, etc.

*cheers*

Barb Anne

(I know I'll think of something else to add but I think that's most of it
*laughs*)

Hi Tess

Yes, you can use any of the soup mixes to flavor these. I just taste and
season as I am inspired- you know what you like.

*laughs* I really should add that you need to have your cheeses at room
temperature and start with grated cheddar, swiss, edam (your main aged
cheese[s]) in your food processor (not the cream cheese or other soft cheese)
Pulse till softened and pastey, then add the creamier cheese to the processor,
scraping frequently You want the consistency to appear very soft at first
(but not soupy) because when you re-chill this it will harden up considerably.
(You can transfer the cheeses to a mixer before adding the bits for a fluffier
spread).

For cheese balls and rolls, use less liquid. To form, spoon the cheese mix
onto a square of plastic wrap and form into a ball or a roll, then chill till
hardened, Before serving, remove plastic and roll in any one of the following:
chopped/sliced nuts, veggie flakes, minced dried tomato, minced parlsey, those
canned dried onion ring things they use on top of green bean cassarole, minced
green onion, etc.

*cheers*

Barb Anne

(I know I'll think of something else to add but I think that's most of it
*laughs*)

Naomi Darvell wrote:

> At both the places I buy expensive cheese, they seem to deal with this by
> having an areas devoted to pre-wrapped pieces that are on the small side, just
> a few ounces. They are handy to grab if you need something for a lunch or
> something. Would that work at your place?


That's impossible to say. I keep thinking of what works at
medium-service, medium-expensive stores. The rest of the staff does
too. We're not talking bargain-basement; we're talking middle of the
road. I like the idea of something prepackaged and ready to go. The
boss has the idea that we're full service. Everyone gets individual
attention before making a purchase. If you buy a quarter pound of
cheese, you still taste 5 or more and get treated as though choosing
that one cheese was the most important thing in the world. Every cheese
is cut fresh from the wheel and weighed for the customer.


Personally, I wouldn't mind having a few packets pre-weighed and ready
to go, but I think my boss is afraid that would make it look like the
whole song and dance surrounding the conversation, the information about
cheese, the careful listening to what the customer likes and doesn't
like and whom they're entertaining and what they're serving and what
wine they're buying, like none of that matters.


In any case, I just got back from work, and I had a great day. The
place was packed with people, and they were all happy. They were
running into old friends in the aisles, talking and hugging, making
plans. The cheese just flew out of there. I was busy every second
selling, weighing, entertaining, running into the back kitchen to
package more items. The funniest part of the day involved the extra
help. There were 2 men I'd never seen before helping out, but it was
obvious that they were wine experts helping customers. There was also a
teenager I'd never met hanging out and washing a few dishes. When I got
busy and needed something washed, he was in front of the sink so I
handed him the container and said "we've never met, but would you wash
this?" And he said sure. He did a good a job; I was impressed. Later
it turned out that he was the son of one of the extra wine guys, just a
friend of the family who showed up and cheerfully did what he was told
by some total stranger wearing an apron. This is so different from the
boss's youngest daughter who is 14 and smack in the middle of her
"difficult" years. I feel so awkward asking her to do anything though
the boss has specifically told the parttimers that his family is there
to help. A few times I've given her specific instructions and have been
flatly refused. So today was different and great. We were all so busy
that we worked together beautifully though we'd never even met.


--Lia

Naomi Darvell wrote:

> At both the places I buy expensive cheese, they seem to deal with this by
> having an areas devoted to pre-wrapped pieces that are on the small side, just
> a few ounces. They are handy to grab if you need something for a lunch or
> something. Would that work at your place?


That's impossible to say. I keep thinking of what works at
medium-service, medium-expensive stores. The rest of the staff does
too. We're not talking bargain-basement; we're talking middle of the
road. I like the idea of something prepackaged and ready to go. The
boss has the idea that we're full service. Everyone gets individual
attention before making a purchase. If you buy a quarter pound of
cheese, you still taste 5 or more and get treated as though choosing
that one cheese was the most important thing in the world. Every cheese
is cut fresh from the wheel and weighed for the customer.


Personally, I wouldn't mind having a few packets pre-weighed and ready
to go, but I think my boss is afraid that would make it look like the
whole song and dance surrounding the conversation, the information about
cheese, the careful listening to what the customer likes and doesn't
like and whom they're entertaining and what they're serving and what
wine they're buying, like none of that matters.


In any case, I just got back from work, and I had a great day. The
place was packed with people, and they were all happy. They were
running into old friends in the aisles, talking and hugging, making
plans. The cheese just flew out of there. I was busy every second
selling, weighing, entertaining, running into the back kitchen to
package more items. The funniest part of the day involved the extra
help. There were 2 men I'd never seen before helping out, but it was
obvious that they were wine experts helping customers. There was also a
teenager I'd never met hanging out and washing a few dishes. When I got
busy and needed something washed, he was in front of the sink so I
handed him the container and said "we've never met, but would you wash
this?" And he said sure. He did a good a job; I was impressed. Later
it turned out that he was the son of one of the extra wine guys, just a
friend of the family who showed up and cheerfully did what he was told
by some total stranger wearing an apron. This is so different from the
boss's youngest daughter who is 14 and smack in the middle of her
"difficult" years. I feel so awkward asking her to do anything though
the boss has specifically told the parttimers that his family is there
to help. A few times I've given her specific instructions and have been
flatly refused. So today was different and great. We were all so busy
that we worked together beautifully though we'd never even met.


--Lia

Barbtail wrote:
>>Do you have any experience with using harder cheeses like parmesan the
>>same way?
>
>
> The harder cheeses don't break down as nicely as cheddar, swiss, edam, etc, but
> you can add them. Pre- grate them with a microplane thing. I suppose you could
> try soaking them in liquid, but I have not tried that. I don't think people
> mind the texture- it's expected of hard cheeses or you could sell it as a
> spread for toasting- like for bruchetta(sp) or something (I'd omit the cream
> cheese in this case and bind the romano or parmy with a mild aged cheese or
> even just butter).
>
>
> I was going to also add that Worcestershire sauce is a common addition to
> cheese balls and spreads, Balsamic vinegar would be good-- even soy sauce would
> work (hmm an asian-fusion cheese spread- possibilities are endless *laughs*)


The dips sell well. This is a sore spot with me since we get them
delivered from somewhere else, and I think we could make them more cost
effectively ourselves. That makes this a delicate subject with my boss
since, nice guy though he is, I sometimes think he interprets
suggestions that I mean for the good of the company as digs that I don't
think he knows what he's doing. He does know a ton about cheese and
wine. He impresses me every day, but I'm a little better on this sort
of cost control and recipes. I think almost anything made from the
leftover cheeses in a cuisinart would work.


--Lia

Barbtail wrote:
>>Do you have any experience with using harder cheeses like parmesan the
>>same way?
>
>
> The harder cheeses don't break down as nicely as cheddar, swiss, edam, etc, but
> you can add them. Pre- grate them with a microplane thing. I suppose you could
> try soaking them in liquid, but I have not tried that. I don't think people
> mind the texture- it's expected of hard cheeses or you could sell it as a
> spread for toasting- like for bruchetta(sp) or something (I'd omit the cream
> cheese in this case and bind the romano or parmy with a mild aged cheese or
> even just butter).
>
>
> I was going to also add that Worcestershire sauce is a common addition to
> cheese balls and spreads, Balsamic vinegar would be good-- even soy sauce would
> work (hmm an asian-fusion cheese spread- possibilities are endless *laughs*)


The dips sell well. This is a sore spot with me since we get them
delivered from somewhere else, and I think we could make them more cost
effectively ourselves. That makes this a delicate subject with my boss
since, nice guy though he is, I sometimes think he interprets
suggestions that I mean for the good of the company as digs that I don't
think he knows what he's doing. He does know a ton about cheese and
wine. He impresses me every day, but I'm a little better on this sort
of cost control and recipes. I think almost anything made from the
leftover cheeses in a cuisinart would work.


--Lia