This morning for breakfast I experimented a bit. I made a chupaqueso (on my cast iron sweetheart) with a mozzarella shell and a filling of Meadow Creek Appalachian Shitake/Leek (henceforth called “MCA”).
I’m of two minds about it:
1) Delicious. Let’s do that again.
2) Just because you have 3/4 of a wheel (about 7 pounds) of MCA doesn’t mean it’s okay to waste such a delicious cheese by MELTING it.
The MCA is oily when melted, like cheddar only more so. It also has a stronger, earthier flavor. Sure, it’s a better filling than cheddar would be (and I fried some, just for giggles, and it makes a tastier cheese crisp than cheddar does ,too) but that’s not the same thing as saying “that’s what I’m going to do with 7 pounds of cheese.” I think that MCA really is too much of a treat eaten straight to be sacrificed to more than a couple of these chupaqueso projects.
(An omelette, though… I may have to try it in an omelette.)