Tag Archives: Wisconsin Gourmet Foods

Now we know the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers will be playing in the Super Bowl, so we can get started on answering the really important question – what will we eat while we watch the game?  Maybe football game snacks take on more significance when your team hasn’t been in the Super Bowl in like, forever.  But enough about the Dallas Cowboys!

For the next couple of weeks, there will be no shortage of great ideas for game time food.  Allen usually makes his signature smoked sausage in red currant mustard sauce, and something cheesy is normally on the menu, too.  Cheese curds have been very high on our snack food list recently.  When we found Henning’s Cave Aged Peppercorn Cheddar Cheese at Central Market last fall displayed next to Henning’s Cheddar Cheese Curds, we had just tasted fried cheese curds at the State Fair of Texas.  I bought a carton of cheese curds to try recreating the recipe we had enjoyed at the fair.  There was one problem with my plan – the cheese curds were so delicious we ate them before I could get them into the fryer!  Cheese curds are bits of cheese separated from the whey before they are pressed together.  They have a very mild taste, creamy texture and they squeak when you eat them.  We managed to restrain ourselves on the second carton we bought, I found a recipe on allrecipes.com that seemed pretty close to what we had eaten at the fair, so we were in business.

Real Wisconsin Fried Cheese Curds

• 2 quarts oil for frying (I used canola)
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 3/4 cup beer
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 2 pounds Henning’s cheddar cheese curds, broken apart

Heat oil in a deep-fryer, or large, deep pot to 375°.  Whisk together milk, flour, beer, salt, and eggs to form a smooth, thin batter.  Place about 6 or 8 cheese curds into the batter at one time, stir to coat, and remove with wire strainer.  Shake the curds a couple of times to remove excess batter.  Deep fry the curds until golden brown, 1 or 2 minutes.  Drain on paper towels, then serve hot.

These cheesy little gems will start a party in your mouth!  They are wonderful solo, but add ranch dip (or maybe a dill dip), and you have a snack with a significant wow factor.  I’ve only seen Henning’s cheddar cheese curds in Dallas markets, but their website offers white cheddar, cajun cheese, garlic and dill (be still my heart!), ranch cheddar, pepper cheese, and two tone yellow and white cheddar curds.  You could experiment with different flavored cheese curds and dips for weeks.

I haven’t decided yet which Super Bowl team I’ll be rooting for, but there will be cheers for fried cheese curds!

This gorgeous chunk of cheese is from Henning’s Wisconsin Cheese.  Put this 2012 World Cheese Contest winning peppercorn cheddar on your “must-try” list.  Fine cheese should not be eaten straight from the refrigerator, but first brought to room temperature.  The peppercorn cheddar took almost two hours to warm, but it was definitely worth the wait.  The aging process creates a cheese that is firmer and dryer than fresh cheese, and develops more complex flavors.  The generous sprinkling of cracked peppercorns adds a nice spicy bite to the cheese.  Although I’m certainly no tasting expert, it seemed there was a hint of parmesan flavor in the cheese, and Henning’s website suggests adding the cheese to Italian pasta or salads.  That idea is worth exploring.

Kerry Henning is the third-generation cheesemaker in this family business established in 1914.  He has earned the Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker designation, which is a complicated process of being licensed for at least ten years and having at least five years of experience in making the cheese one is “mastering” in.  Kerry has mastered in Cheddar, Colby and Monterey Jack and his cheeses have won numerous awards.

Kerry’s father, Everett, remains involved in the business, and was the driving force behind the family’s cheese museum and store.  It has a display of vintage cheesemaking equipment, offers large viewing windows onto the factory floor to see the cheesemaking process, and of course, has Henning’s cheeses for sale.  Oh, and fresh, warm cheese curds are available every weekday!

This successful family business is approaching the century mark.  Their website has a list of retailers where you can find their cheeses, and there is also an online store that offers cheese, sausage, candy, and other products.