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.
It would be a good recipe to try with your cheese lovers. It’s a nice cheese dish that’s just a little different from modern cheese dishes.
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.
I believe you! I don’t think that I had ever even heard of quiche until the book titled Real Men Don’t Eat Quiche came out in the early 1980’s.
It sounds like a savory bread pudding. I never knew there was such a thing until finding a recipe for spinach and mushroom bread puddings. They were made in a muffin tin, and were so good I made them often. This sounds like a fun one to try also!
mmm . . . the spinach and mushroom bread pudding sound yummy. When planning to make the Cheese Delight recipe, I kept going back and forth about whether to put it in a baking dish or in individual custard cups. I decided to go with a baking dish, but your comment makes me think that this recipe right work really well using custard cups.
The spinach and mushroom bread pudding was delicious–moist and tasty.
I’m so with you in needing comfort food!
This recipe might fit the bill. It’s a nice comfort food.
This made me hungry 😋🤤
It’s tasty.
yes i’ve made similar dishes. Tasty. Happy new year to you.
sherry
It’s nice to hear that you’ve enjoyed similar recipes. Happy new year!
This sounds tasty! The recipe I have is from a cookbook from 1980 “cooking for babies and toddlers” published in the UK. 1 egg, 1 c. bread crumbs, 1 c. milk and 1/2 c. shredded cheddar. The recipe omits the salt and pepper. It is to bring the milk to nearly scalding and stir in the bread crumbs. Remove from the heat and let it stand for 20 min. Then stir in the beaten egg and cheese. Pour into a baking dish or individual ramekins and bake…. Your recipe sounds like the adult version! Probably one of those nostalgic comfort foods!!
The recipe in your old U.K. cooking for babies and toddlers cookbook is quite similar to this one. I hadn’t thought about it until I saw your comment, but now that you mention it, this would be a great food for toddlers.
I’ve made the cheese custard as it was called. My sons both liked it! Of course as they got older it was easier to just make cheesy scrambled eggs…
A year ago, when my daughter and her toddler were here for Christmas, she was looking for toddler-friendly recipes. I wish that I’d known about this dish then.
The book is still available https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/cooking-for-babies-and-toddlers-months-t_dilys-wells/2376904/item/9651433/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=us_shopping_zombies_lvbl_22798529178&utm_adgroup=&utm_term=&utm_content=764389928151&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22798529178&gbraid=0AAAAADwY45hXbxKyoC1BxkEXOy-HwWXuH&gclid=CjwKCAiAjc7KBhBvEiwAE2BDORYzaNtmMOWWtUeK0mRLodMhZ3w2V7Fc2cBottHO-VFDcPalXnI2cBoC2ioQAvD_BwE#idiq=9651433&edition=2317087
Thanks for the link. The fact that this book is still available after so many years suggests that it is a really good cookbook.
It is – it is part of a set and I have most of them!
This is a standard dish in our house when we have stale bread to use up. I usually also add a good teaspoon of mustard to perk things up a bit, but it’s a great stand-by dish. I’ve never heard of egg-and-cheese casserole however . I’ll have to look it up.
Mustard would be a great addition to this recipe. Your comment, as well as Murisopsis’s comment, makes me think that this dish probably had English origins. There are lots of variations of the egg and cheese brunch casserole, but here is one version that was posted on the Epicurean Savors site: Bacon and Egg Casserole Recipe – Easy Make-Ahead Breakfast
I’ve followed this up: funnily enough this too is a dish I make, though I beat the egg whites so it transforms into a souffle. It’s one of my ‘lazy’ meals!
I love the term “lazy meals.” I need to find more recipes for them. 🙂
Simple, but I’m sure delicious!
It’s a tasty, but easy to make, recipe.
Sounds delicious.
It’s yummy.