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To Pot Cheese
1141. Take two pounds of cheese, one of Cheshire and one of Gloucestershire; to this add three spoonfuls of mountain wine and two spoonfuls of made mustard; beat all these together in a marble mortar, and then put it into pots for use.
Another Way.-Cut and pound four ounces of Cheshire cheese, one ounce and a half of fine butter, a tea-spoonful of white pounded sugar, a little bit of mace, and a glass of white wine; press it down in a deep pot.
Two versions of potted cheese, a Victorian sideboard staple: hard cheese pounded to a paste with wine and seasoning, packed into pots and eaten on toast or bread. Both are quick work in a food processor.
- Mountain wine"Mountain" was a sweet white wine from the hills behind Malaga, generally from Muscat and/or Pedro Ximenez grapes. A sweet sherry, Madeira or Muscat is a reasonable substitute; a dry white will make the first version taste thin.
- SpoonfulsThe book gives no spoon size for the wine and mustard. Read them as tablespoons, which puts about 45 ml wine and 30 ml mustard into 2 lb of cheese — add the liquid gradually and stop when the paste holds together, since cheese moisture varies.
- Made mustard"Made" mustard means mustard already mixed with liquid, as opposed to dry powder. An English mustard is the right register; two tablespoons of it is assertive, which is the point.
- The cheesesCheshire is crumbly, salty and slightly acidic; a farmhouse Gloucester or Double Gloucester is firmer and milder. Both should be well aged and dry-ish. A wet, young cheese will slacken the paste.
- Mortar or processorThe marble mortar is doing what a food processor does faster. Grate the cheese first, then pulse with the butter and wine until smooth; do not let the machine run long enough to warm and grease the mixture.
- Mace"A little bit of mace" means blade mace, the lacy covering of the nutmeg. Pound a small blade to powder, or use a scant pinch of ground mace — it should be barely detectable.
- Potting and keepingNeither version specifies the butter seal that made potted foods keep. Press the paste down hard to exclude air, cover the surface with a layer of clarified butter if you want more than a few days, and refrigerate throughout. Bring back to cool room temperature before serving.
- YieldThe first version makes roughly 2 lb of spread, enough for a large party or several weeks of breakfasts; halve or quarter it. The second makes a single small pot, something over half a pound once the wine is worked in.