As the holidays are beginning to wind down, I’m in the mood for comfort food. So, when I came across a hundred-year-old recipe for Cheese Delight, I was intrigued and decided to give it a try.
Cheese Delight is a delicate cheese and bread custard. It is not the same as modern egg and cheese casseroles that often contain bacon, onions, and green peppers. If you can set aside any possible expectation that Cheese Delight will be the same as modern egg and cheese casseroles, you will will enjoy this dish.
The original recipe called for using American cheese. I thought about updating it to go with a natural cheese that has a tangier flavor, but decided to stick with the recipe author’s choice. The mild and creamy nature of American Cheese (and velvety smoothness when it melts) worked well in this recipe, and made this dish a delightful, old-fashioned comfort food.
Here is the original recipe:
I decided to put the custard in a baking dish rather than make individual cups of custard.
When I made this recipe, I added chopped parsley to the egg mixture. I sprinkled a little paprika on the top before putting in the oven to bake, but I could not see the paprika when I took the dish out of the oven, so would not bother putting any on it if I made the dish again.
Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:
Cheese Delight (Cheese and Bread Pudding)
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups bread torn into 1/2-inch cubes (I used half white bread and half whole wheat bread.)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 pound American cheese, grated (about 6 slices) (I folded the cheese slices to make a small stack and then grated with a box grater.)
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Step 1. Preheat oven to 325° F.
Step 2. Put the eggs in a mixing bowl and beat. Stir in the milk, salt, and pepper. Add the bread cubes and the grated cheese; stir until all ingredients are evenly distributed. Stir in the chopped parsley.
Step 3. Pour into individual custard cups or into a 1-quart baking dish.
Step 4. Place the custard cups or baking dish in a pan of hot water and place in the oven.
Step 5. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center of the pudding comes out nearly clean. (It may not be totally clean because of the melted cheese.) It will take a less baking time if individual cups were used than if the mixture was put into a baking dish.
I’m going to remember this when my cheese lovers visit. Three relatives consider themselves good judges of mac and cheese. I’ll remember to warn them that it’s a totally different consistency.
Growing up we never had a custard that was savory rather then sweet. Trust me quiche was not big in the 50’s .. breakfast casseroles started changing that.