Thursday, July 7, 2011

So Cheesy

I'm just gonna throw this out there so I can get it out of the way: I do not like cheese.

I will cook with it. I will put it on things. I will never refuse a slice of pizza. But I DO NOT like the flavor of cheese. That said, as long as it's not the dominant flavor of whatever I'm eating, I don't mind it being there.

This week when I made my grocery list, one of the recipes I was going to make called for Fontina cheese. Matt called from the grocery store to ask if there was a substitute.

A substitute? I don't even know what Fontina cheese is. I Googled it real quick to see what I could use instead, and got a lot of different responses:
"There's no substitute for Fontina."
"It's a soft cheese." (AHA! Like goat cheese?!)
"Gorgonzola is closest because of the melty quality."
"Gouda for the nutty quality."
...

Oh my gosh, how many types are out there??? I didn't even know you COULD describe cheese as "nutty," other than "It makes me nutty that I have to think this much about cheese."

Anyway, he brought home crumbled gorgonzola, and I made this:


It was only okay. But, in case you don't trust my judgment anymore with this admission, here's the recipe and you can try it for yourself (adapted from relish.com).

Pizza Bianca
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 red onion, chopped*
1/2 yellow onion, chopped*
1 Tbsp thyme
1/2 tsp salt
pepper to taste
1/4 tsp sugar
12-inch pizza crust
4 oz. gorgonzola cheese, grated
2 cups chopped rotisserie chicken
chives as garnish
1 tsp thyme as garnish
*or whatever kind of onions you have around

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees
• Heat butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add all onions, thyme, salt and pepper and cook about 10 minutes.
• Lower heat, add sugar and cook another 8-10 minutes, or until onions start turning brown.
• Sprinkle crust with grated cheese and top with onion mixture and chicken, then bake 10 minutes.
• Sprinkle thyme and chives over top, and serve.


It was really onion-y, so if you're not a fan, proceed with caution!

What foods do you dislike?

3 comments

  1. I will gladly eat any cheese you don't want! ;)

    I'm not sure what Fontina cheese is either, but I've never met a cheese I didn't like. Although gorgonzola sounds a little different on a pizza, usually I just put it on salads! Sounds good though!

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  2. That looks yummy! But I think I would lessen the onions as I'm not a huge fan.

    We're huge cheese fans over here, but Matthew is more of a sharp-cheddar guy while I love anything stuffed with goat cheese or topped with brie. Yuuum.

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  3. @Morgan, thanks! I ... um, honestly can't tell you why the gorgonzola didn't work that well on a pizza, but you're probably better off sticking it on salads! If we make this again, we'd just stick to mozzarella.
    @Jackie, I do enjoy brie! As was evidenced by our wedding ... :) In small quantities of course.

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