Recipes

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Crowle Recipe Ideas

Try Crowley Cheese with your favorite recipes — atop crispy fries or a hearty chili, in grilled cheese sandwiches and paninis, in a queso dip with chips and salsa. Crowley cheese melts beautifully. On its own or paired with fruits and vegetables in fruit or veggie skewers, Crowley Cheese is a great appetizer.

Here are some of our favorite recipes:

Mac 'n Cheese with Crowley Garlic Chive Cheese & Zucchini (Ludlow Zucchini Festival Special)

1 lb. elbows (regular or whole wheat)
Cooking spray
3 T. unsalted butter
2 T. flour 1/2 t. salt & 1/4 t. pepper
2 c. skim milk
3 c. shredded Crowley Garlic Chive
1 c. shredded Crowley Extra Sharp (or whatever variation you want)
2 c. grated raw zucchini
1/4 t. dry mustard
1/8 t. grated nutmeg (you can use fresh)
1/4 c. fresh basil (optional)

Cook elbows until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water. Keep pasta in colander. Spray large oval baking dish or 9x13 pan with cooking spray. In pot that you used to cook the pasta, melt butter over medium heat. Add milk, then sprinkle in the flour, salt and pepper, and whisk lightly. Add cheese and whisk just until smooth. Add grated zucchini and stir to mix.

Take pot off the heat and add the cooked pasta to it. Use a rubber spatula to coat pasta evenly with the cheese mixture. Pour into the baking dish. Sprinkle with the parmesan and bake, covered, for 25 minutes. As an option, put a little clump of fresh basil leaves in the center before baking to infuse a light basil flavor into the mac and cheese. Uncover, remove basil, and bake for another 10-15 minutes until lightly browned.

A variation of a recipe from Melissa C.

Macaroni and Crowley Cheese

10 ounces of small elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons butter
1-1/2 tablespoons flour
3/4 cups milk
1-1/2 cups grated Crowley sharp cheese

1. Boil water in large saucepan. Lower heat to medium, add macaroni. Cook and stir for 10 minutes, then drain.
2. As macaroni cooks, melt butter in small pan over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour until mixture resembles a thick paste. Cook 2 minutes.
3. Add milk and increase heat to medium. Cook and whisk for 5 minutes until mixture thickens. Add grated crowley cheese and stir until melted (2 minutes).
4. Stir cheese with cooked macaroni and serve.

To bring more zing to your macaroni & cheese, try some of Crowley's spiced cheeses like hot pepper or garlic chive. Order a Crowley Cheese Bar Sampler and see what cheese makes your favorite Macaroni and Crowley Cheese.

HERB AND CROWLEY EASTER TOMATOES

6 ripe large tomatoes
2 cups fresh white bread crumbs
¼ cup minced scallions
¼ cup minced fresh basil Italian parsley (flat leaf)
½ t minced fresh thyme leaves
Salt & pepper
1 cup grated Crowley Medium Sharp cheese
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 400.

Sparingly core the tomatoes and cut them into halves crosswise. Remove seeds and juice and place "face up" on a baking dish. Salt and pepper the tomato halves.

Make fresh bread crumbs by pulsing 5 or 6 slices of white bread (cut off crusts first) in the food processor. Place in a mixing bowl.

Place scallions, basil, parsley, garlic, thyme and 1 tsp salt in the food processor and pulse until minced. Toss herb mixture gently with bread crumbs. Fill tomatoes with bread crumb mixture and mound any remaining on top. Drizzle with olive oil and bake tomatoes for 15 minutes or until tender. Take them out of the oven, sprinkle them with shredded Crowley medium sharp and bake for 2 minutes more….watch them closely as the cheese melts becomes just slightly brown on top. Delicious hot or at room temp…leftover is even better!!

Submitted by Carol H.

Crowley Holiday Cheese Roll

1/2 pound sharp or extra sharp Crowley cheese
3 ounce package cream cheese
3 teaspoons of lemon juice
1 teaspoon minced onion
Dash of worcestershire sauce or port wine

Blend ingredients in a food processor or blender. Shape into two 7-inch rolls. Roll each in finely chopped blanched almonds. Wrap and refrigerate. Chill thoroughly before serving.

"The cheese is absolutely delicious, and I will always be a Crowley customer!" -- Gloria Dawson, Westerly, RI

CAROL'S FRITTATA

I just had to share this recipe for a fantastic frittata I made yesterday.

Baby zucchinis, summer squash, new potatoes, and onion (chopped to uniform size)
Butter and vegetable oil for sauteeing vegetables
4 eggs
1 c. milk
1 bar grated Crowley Sharp
Herbs de Provence
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Cayenne pepper
Baby spinach
Walnuts
Dried cranberries

Pre-heat over to 350 degrees. Pan roast the vegatables in a mix of oil and butter until cooked. Season the cooking veggies with herbs de provence, kosher salt and a good thorough grinding of fresh black pepper, sprinkle some cayenne, too. Combine 4 eggs and milk with grated Crowley cheese. Add the egg/milk/Crowley mixture, give it a quick stir and pop in the oven for about 15 minutes until set and golden. Serve on top of a bed of baby spinach, walnuts and dried cranberries.

Submitted by Carol H.

Crowley & Bacon Scones

3/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1/4 cup pure Vermont maple syrup
5 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ cup unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup shredded Crowley Medium Sharp
2 large egg yolks

Preheat oven to 400.

Put buttermilk, syrup, and 1/2 cup cream in a small bowl and whisk together.

Mix together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in bowl and whisk to combine. Add butter cubes and blend by hand or pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps.

Mix in Crowley, then add buttermilk mixture and mix until just combined.

Turn out mixture onto parchment paper and pull together any unmixed flour. Gently pat dough into 1” thickness. Cut scones into rough-hewn triangles or use biscuit cutter. Place on lined baking sheet. Whisk together yolks and remaining 2 tablespoons cream, then brush over tops of scones (use all of egg wash).

Bake 20 minutes or until puffy and golden brown.

Savory Cheese Cayenne Shortbread

1/2 cup unsalted butter, slightly softened
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup grated Crowley cheese
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)

Beat the butter on medium with a flat beater. Add cheese and cayenne and mix until fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Gradually add the flour and beat until large clumps form. Press batter together and turn out onto a parchment paper covered surface. Knead until dough comes together in a smooth ball.

Shape into a roll 9 inches long and 1 inch in diameter, roll in parchment and refrigerate for about an hour (if airtight, dough can be refrigerated for several days, or frozen).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, cut dough in 1/4 inch slices, arrange 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 15-20 minutes or until edges are golden and tops are soft. Cool, store airtight. Makes 1 1/2 to 2 dozen.

Submitted by Elaine W.

Crowley Cheese Scones

1 pound (just over 3 cups) of all purpose flour
2 Tablespoons Baking Powder
2 ounces cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup milk
10 ounces Sharp Crowley cheese, grated
(Optional) A dash of cayenne pepper or paprika - or any other herb or spice you like

Mix flour, baking powder and spice (if you’re using it) together. Rub or cut the butter into the flour (until the flour and butter resemble coarse corn meal). Stir in your grated cheese and then mix in the milk. Mix together until the dough just holds together.

Roll the dough out until it is 1 inch thick. Cut with a 3 inch round biscuit cutter. You could also cut the dough into wedges or squares. Place scones on a baking sheet about 1 inch apart. They will rise but not spread very much.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes checking at 10 minutes to see if the sheet needs to be turned. Smaller scones will cook faster and larger scones will take longer.

Submitted by David B.

Crowley and Corn or Sweet Potato Bread

2 cups milk
3/4 cups corn meal
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup cooked corn (roast the corn whole, then cool and cut off the cob) or cooked sweet potato
1/4 cup butter, melted (you may also use oil or bacon fat)
3 eggs, separated
2 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1 pinch of black pepper or smoked paprika
8 ounces Sharp Crowley cheese, grated

Heat the 2 cups of milk until just starting to simmer and add the corn meal, mix thoroughly and turn off the heat. Mix together the buttermilk, melted butter (or oil), 3 egg yolks, cooked corn (or sweet potato) and sage in a mixing bowl and add the cornmeal mix to it, mix thoroughly. Mix the salt, baking powder, sugar and pepper together. Mix these dry ingredients into the batter. Beat the egg whites until they hold stiff peaks and fold this along with half of the Crowley cheese into the batter.
Pour the batter into an 8 or 9 inch cast iron skillet or square baking pan, and top with the remaining cheese.

Bake in a 375 degrees oven for 35-40 minutes. The spoon bread will rise as it cooks and fall as it cools.

Submitted by David B.

Crowley Quesadillas

6 10 inch Flour tortillas
Shredded Crowley cheese (2 1/2 - 3 cups)
A little olive oil

The rest of the ingredients (the "filling") are up to you: sauteed red pepper, onion and jalapeno with chopped cilantro, roasted red pepper with pre-cooked broccoli, etc.

Spray a large pan with oil and heat at medium-high. In the meantime, scatter some 1/2 cup of cheese over 1 tortilla, then spread some "filling" over the cheese. Top the filling with another 1/2 cup of cheese and top with a second tortilla. Do this with the remaining tortillas, cheese and filling.

When the pan is heated, add one quesadilla and cook until the cheese melts and the bottom tortilla is a little golden-brown - maybe 3-4 minutes. Flip and cook for 2-3 minutes more. Repeat with remaining quesadillas. Let the quesadillas rest for a few minutes and then cut them into 8 pieces each and serve.

Submitted by Amy T. One of Amy’s favorite "filling" combinations is is roasted red pepper and garlic spinach: Cook a box of frozen chopped spinach according to package instructions, drain thoroughly (squeeze out extra moisture in a strainer), saute some garlic in olive oil in the same pan and add spinach back in, turn off heat. Add one or two roasted red peppers (you can buy them in a jar if you don’t want to roast them yourself).

Omelettes with Crowley Cheese and Veggies

By the way, Amy says that omelettes and grilled cheese sandwiches made with Crowley cheese and similar "fillings" are out of this world as well. You can mix and match other herbs and greens such as baby arugula.

Crowley Smoked Cheese Snack

Karen claims this is one of the best pre-dinner snacks she has had in a while: Crowley Smoked Cheese on celery sticks, topped with roasted (no salt) almonds. She says the combination is excellent with an aperitif.

Submitted by Karen J.

Cindy's Favorite Crowley Snack

Box of Vermont Common Crackers
Your Favorite Crowley Cheese

Slice each cracker in half and cover with a slice of Crowley Cheese. Melt under the broiler.

Crowley's Poor Man's Souffle

Line a deep casserole dish with a layer of bread slices spread with prepared mustard. Alternate bread layers with grated Crowley medium sharp cheese sliced thinly. Repeat until the bowl is full.

Beat several eggs (as many as your conscience will allow) with sufficient milk to flood the casserole and bake in a 350-degree oven until it balloons like a popover. When removed from the oven, the balloon will collapse and the dish is ready to serve.

Crowley Cheese Puffs

2 cups Crowley cheese shredded
1/2 cup butter softened
1 cup flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon paprika

Blend ingredients together. Roll into balls the size of marbles. Bake on a cookie sheet in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes.

Crowley Rarebit with Beer

1/2 cup beer or ale
1 teaspoon butter
4 cups sharp Crowley cheese, shredded
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup milk
salt to taste

Heat the beer or ale and butter in a double boiler. When hot, add the cheese, stirring continuously and allowing the cheese to melt slowly. When smooth, add egg yolks, milk and salt. Stir until thickened and serve with hot sourdough bread cubes.

Crowley, Spinach & Eggs!

Sautée onions and butter; add spinach until wilted a bit. Make a "nest" and crack egg(s) into space.

Cook in 350 oven for 5 minutes. Add shaved Crowley. Bake until egg is set: 5-7 minutes more.

"Best thing I have made in a while." -- Carol H.