Tasmanian cheesemaker Nick Haddow started Bruny Island Cheese in 2003, making his own product the old-fashioned way and then selling it (“illegally”) from an antique display fridge in his living room.
For his new recipe collection, Milk. Made, Haddow interviewed many of the world’s top cheesemakers about the history of cheese and the best ways to serve it.
Along the way, he collected more than 70 cheesy recipes, including his own take on those classics dishes: cauliflower cheese, macaroni cheese and cheese biscuits.
Cauliflower cheese
When I was at school, I occasionally ate lunch with my mates who were boarders. They were served up meals in what was essentially an army mess hall, but with the posh moniker of DaCosta Hall. I remember only two things (I wish I didn’t): the custard and the cauliflower cheese. They could be easily confused. Both were pale, lumpy, steaming trays of gloop. The only way to distinguish between the two was the sulphurous, composting vegetable-matter smell of the cauliflower.
Years later, when I became a cheesemaker, I would taste my first real camembert: a farmhouse, raw milk cheese made in Normandy in France. It was life-changing. The flavour was incredible. But the remarkable thing was, it took me straight back to DaCosta. The cheese and that horrible, overcooked cauliflower had the same flavour. But this time I Ioved it!
This dish is classic English comfort food. But they usually boil the whole head of cauliflower, cover it in white sauce and then bake it in the oven. Here’s how I think it should be done.
Serves two as a main course or six as a side dish
900ml full-cream (whole) milk
1 small onion, peeled but kept whole
2 fresh bay leaves
100g butter
50g plain (all purpose) flour
Nutmeg, freshly grated
250g mix of grated, strongly flavoured semi-hard cheeses
50ml thick (double/heavy) cream
1 medium cauliflower
In a small saucepan, bring the milk, onion and bay leaves to a gentle simmer. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Remove and discard the onion and bay leaves and season with salt and pepper.
Melt half the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and stir in the flour with a whisk. Keep stirring for about two minutes before gradually adding the milk. Whisk constantly to ensure that there are no lumps. Reduce the heat, add a sprinkling of grated nutmeg, 200g of the grated cheese and the cream, and stir until the cheese is completely melted and the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat.
Preheat the grill.
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Cut the florets from the main stalk of the cauliflower and boil the florets for 3–5 minutes, depending on their size. Drain the cauliflower and set aside.
Melt the remaining butter in an ovenproof frying pan over high heat. Toss in the cauliflower and fry until it is lightly browned. Pour the cheese sauce over the top and sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese. Place under the grill until the top is golden and bubbling.
Macaroni cheese
In my house we just call it “cheesy pasta” and it’s at the top of the most-requested dinner list.
Serves six
400g macaroni
50g butter
25g plain (all-purpose) flour
450ml full-cream (whole) milk
200g semi-hard cheese, grated
½ tsp seeded mustard
Pinch of nutmeg, freshly grated
40g fresh breadcrumbs
1 tbsp grated parmesan
2 tsp finely chopped thyme leaves
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.
In a large stockpot, cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water until al dente.
While the pasta is cooking, melt half the butter in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat and stir in the flour. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring, then gradually whisk in the milk, whisking constantly until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat and stir through the grated semi-hard cheese, mustard and nutmeg.
Drain the pasta and transfer to an ovenproof dish. Pour the cheese sauce over the top and stir through. Melt the remaining butter in a small pan. Remove from the heat and transfer to a small bowl. Add the breadcrumbs, parmesan and thyme and mix well to combine. Sprinkle this over the top of the pasta.
Bake in the oven for about 15–20 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
Best-ever cheese biscuits
My mate Matthew’s mum makes these brilliant little biscuits. Barbara rolls the dough out and cuts them into squares but I like to form the dough into rolls and slice off circles. Make double the recipe and keep a roll of the dough in the freezer to pull out and bake when friends drop by for unexpected drinks.
Makes about 24
170g chilled unsalted cultured butter, cut into cubes
250g plain (all-purpose) flour
Pinch of salt
Good pinch of ground cayenne pepper
150g strong-flavoured cheddar, finely grated
Put the butter and flour in a bowl and rub them together using your fingertips until they resemble breadcrumbs. You can also do this in a food processor if you prefer. Add the salt and cayenne, then knead in the cheese until combined. Roll into a ball.
Tear off a couple of sheets of baking paper, about 30cm square. Divide the dough in half and place each half in the centre of each piece of baking paper. Roll into a sausage shape, using the paper as a casing. Twist the ends to seal and place in the fridge for an hour to chill and harden (if you are going to store one of the rolls in the freezer, wrap well in plastic wrap first).
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.
Slice discs off of the dough, about 7–8mm thick, and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake for 15 minutes or until they are golden.
Turn out on to a wire rack to cool before storing in an airtight container.
This is an edited extract from Nick Haddow’s Milk. Made.(Hardie Grant Books, $55)
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