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Celebrate Easter with Shisler’s Cheese House
With Easter coming up this weekend, we have everything you need here at Shisler’s Cheese House. Read on to find out all about our gift options and how to make this Easter extra special for your loved ones.
Our Easter gift baskets are perfect for sharing with loved ones. You can purchase online or in store. Inside you will find Marble Cheese, Dried Fruit Chips, Yogurt Pretzels, Heggy’s Chocolates, Wild Maple Walnut Syrup, and Muddy Trail Mix.
We know that this is the perfect mix of treats. Chocolate for a sweet tooth and marble cheese for savory lovers, with dried fruit and trail mix to keep your energy up after all of the Easter fun. You could even hide each element of the basket to create a treasure hunt. Who says that kids get to have all the fun? Certainly not us!
If you’re looking to give a pure chocolate gift, then you need to look no further than Heggy’s Solid Chocolate Bunnies. These are a real treat with 20 oz of chocolate. They are available in both milk and white chocolate, so you can pick one up for everyone in the family.
If you are looking for some more grown-up chocolate options, check out our whole chocolate section. You’ll find dozens of products that will cater to every taste. Grab some Brazilian coconut or chocolate truffles for those friends that always want to try something new. Pick up a Heggy’s chocolate gift box for that special someone in your life. Take some Heggy’s milk chocolate turtles into work and share some Easter joy with your colleagues. We offer sugar-free treats for your health-conscious friends and caramels for those who just don’t like chocolate (we know it’s surprising, but they are out there!).
If you have your own Easter gift ideas, we can create a custom basket for you. Custom baskets can include anything currently available on the website. This is perfect if you know someone who would prefer cheese and pickles to chocolate, even at Easter. You could create a box full of dark chocolate treats or even pick our healthier options such as our sugar-free chocolates. Call us today for a quote!
If you are ordering online, please check our shipping policy to ensure that your gifts will reach you in time. If you can, pop into the store. We love to meet our customers face to face and help you find the perfect gifts.
We want to wish all of you a fantastic Easter weekend. How will you be celebrating? Let us know in the comments!
How to Use Different Cheeses as Pizza Toppings
After our recipe for great pizza, we decided to show you different ways to use cheese as a pizza topping. Whilst you might always put the same cheese on your pizza, there are so many different ones to try. You can combine them with other toppings to create endless possibilities.
It’s the absolute classic pizza topping. Serve mozzarella simply with tomato sauce and fresh basil. Make sure that you grate it evenly to create the delicious, cheesy effect. If you want to create a really special pizza, drizzle pesto over the top and add some arugula after baking.
Gruyère originated in the Alpine region between Switzerland and France in the eleventh century. Pop gruyère cheese on a pizza with ham and garlic. It’s like the croque monsieur of pizza toppings! You could even try gruyère on a white pizza, using bechamel or a creamy garlic sauce instead of tomato. If you haven’t tried this before then we urge you to give it a go. It works especially well with green vegetables like spinach and asparagus. You could even go Florentine style and add an egg on top!
Blue cheese is a perfect salty pizza topping. Pair it with bacon or red onions for an exciting pairing. Our Danish blue cheese would also be delicious with other cheeses too. Find your perfect four cheese pizza and let us know what it is in the comments. This is certainly a grown-up pizza idea, so serve it with a bold glass of red wine.
Spicy Cheese
Try our super hot ghost pepper cheese to add an extra kick to your pizza. Try it with fresh chilies and pepperoni if you’re feeling spicy. You could cool it down with some vegetables or a sour cream dressing. You could even try adding ground beef with spices to create a taco flavored pizza!
Manchego is a Spanish sheep’s milk cheese with a rich, tangy taste. Try it as a pizza topping with olives or sundried tomatoes. Add lots of herbs for extra flavor – try oregano, rosemary or basil.
Lucerne Cheese has a light and smooth flavor, but is low in sodium and fat. We recommend pairing it with your favorite vegetables. You might not always think of putting vegetables on a pizza but it’s a great option and a way to create a fresher pizza than the average toppings. Our favorites are peppers, courgettes and sweetcorn. You can even try something more unusual like roasted eggplant, artichokes or broccoli.
Next time you have a pizza party, make your own dough, put out some unusual cheeses, and you are sure to impress your guests. Even if you’re not having a party – this is sure to make for a fun Friday night in!
We hope that you have enjoyed these pizza topping ideas and that you’ll love trying something new. Let us know what you’ve tried in the comments.
5 Surprising Cheese Traditions
Of course, here at Shisler’s Cheese House, we love cheese! Today we are going to tell you about five surprising cheese traditions from around the world. Read on to find out why some people like maggots with their cheese and where you might find cheese on the menu for breakfast.
- Cheese Rolling – Gloucestershire, UK
In late May, in the heart of the Cotswold countryside, you will find the shouts and screams of people running down a hill in pursuit of cheese. A 9lb round of Double Gloucester cheese is thrown down the incredibly steep hill and the competitors chase it down. The winner gets the cheese. Supposedly, the competitors are supposed to catch the cheese but as it can move at up to 70 miles an hour, this is almost impossible.
2. Live Insect Larvae – Sardinia
Casu marzu is a Sardinian cheese that starts out as pecorino. It undergoes the digestive action of the larvae of the cheese fly Piophila casei. This makes the texture of the cheese extremely soft. Some people do not eat the larvae but many do. The cheese is considered to have gone bad if the larvae have died, so they will be eaten alive. This is certainly not a cheese tradition for the faint-hearted. Would you try it?
3. Cheese for breakfast – many countries
Whilst it might not be on every breakfast plate in the US, many countries around the world enjoy cheese for breakfast. In Brazil, they enjoy cheese with ham and bread, alongside a cup of coffee. Germans serve cheese with cold meats, bread, and jam. In Turkey, breakfast will often consist of cheese with bread, butter, olives, eggs, tomatoes, cucumbers, jam, and honey. In Sweden, they eat their cheese with fish or cold meats, mayonnaise, and vegetables. We’re not sure about mayonnaise in the morning, but we definitely endorse adding cheese to your table at breakfast time.
4. Maturing cheese in a cave – Somerset, UK
Cheddar Gorge in Somerset is world renowned for the creation of cheddar cheese. But did you know that some of the cheese is aged in the caves of the gorge? The constant temperature and high humidity are perfect for aging cheese. You can even go exploring in the caves and see the cheese maturing for yourself. The cheddar will be firm with a strong, tangy kick after aging. If you can visit, do!
5. Cheese with Fruit Cake – Lancashire and Yorkshire, UK
It has become a tradition in Lancashire and Yorkshire to serve a slice of fruit cake with a slice of crumbly, tangy cheese such as Wensleydale. The combination of sweet and savory is very popular. The cake is packed full of dried fruit and often flavored with brandy, whilst the cheese adds a sharp, salty contrast.
We hope you enjoyed our tour of some of the cheese traditions around the world. What are your cheese traditions? Let us know in the comments!
How To Make Pizza From Scratch
It’s one of America’s most loved dishes: pizza.
The perfect combination of dough, sauce, cheese and your favorite toppings comes together to create a taste explosion. But do you know how to make it from scratch? Read on to find out how.
Make your dough
Whilst the toppings become the star of the show, the dough is arguably the most important part of pizza. Without it, the dish literally falls apart.
You will need:
35oz white bread flour
1tsp sea salt
0.5oz dried yeast (2 sachets)
1tbsp sugar
4 tbsp olive oil
A mixing bowl
A jug
Start with the white bread flour. Sieve it into a bowl and mix in the salt.
In a jug, mix the yeast, sugar and oil with 22 fl oz of lukewarm water. Leave it for a few minutes. It may foam slightly, this is normal.
Mix the water, yeast, sugar and oil into the flour gradually, pulling in more of the flour each time you mix.
Knead the dough for at least 10 minutes, until it is soft and springy.
Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover it with cling wrap and leave it to double in size. This should take about an hour.
After the proving time, take the dough out and knock the air out of it. Knead it again.
Divide the dough into enough balls to make your pizzas. This should make 6 to 8 medium pizzas.
If you are saving them for later, cover them with cling film and keep them in the fridge. Otherwise, go ahead and move onto the cooking stage.
Baking your pizzas
One of the best ways to get restaurant quality pizza at home is with a pizza stone. This allows the top of the pizza to cook whilst keeping the base of the dough crisp.
If you have one of these then first you will heat it in the oven until it is very hot. Do this by placing the stone into a cold oven and then switching the oven on to let it come up to temperature. Be very careful when moving it in and out of the oven.
Roll your pizza dough balls out to make flat rounds of dough.
Whilst the stone is warming, you can get on with the fun part – topping your pizzas!
First add your sauce, then your toppings, then your cheese. Experiment with variations on all 3 to find your favorite pizza. This is such a fun activity for a party because everyone gets to try out their own ideas.
Do not grease or oil the stone, but you can add some cornmeal to stop your pizzas from sticking. When the pizza stone is hot, add your pizza to bake. You can do this using a pizza paddle but it is not necessary if you don’t have one. Wait for your pizza to be lovely and golden before taking it out of the oven.
Let it cool slightly, slice it and dig in.
We hope you enjoy making your own pizzas at home. Let us know what your favorite toppings are in the comments!
Love Cheese? Then You’ll Love These Cheese Desserts!
If you love cheese as much as we do, then you’re probably already eating it at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But have you tried cheese desserts? Read on to find out how you can add cheese to every course of your meal for delicious fun.
1. Cheesecake
This is the classic. When you saw ‘cheese desserts’ your mind probably went straight to cheesecake. It’s a classic for a reason; delicious, easy to make, and a crowd pleaser, cheesecake has a place in all of our hearts. Try experimenting with different biscuits for your base, add flavors to the cheese or even create a glaze to go on the top. The possibilities really are endless!
2. Fritters
Soft cheeses like ricotta make delicious fritters. Combine it with orange and honey in this recipe to create a sweet treat. You can even keep the leftovers and serve them for breakfast!
3. Cake with Goat’s Cheese Frosting
You’ve tried cream cheese frosting on carrot cake, but you can take this to the next level with an apple cake and goat’s cheese frosting. Apple is often combined with cheese because it has just the right acidity and this cake is no exception. Try the recipe here.
4. Dessert Pizza
We love pizza and we love dessert, but have you combined the two?
Try topping puff pastry with a spreadable cheese like mascarpone and delicious fruits like peaches or raspberries. You could even whip up a pizza dough and top it with chocolate spread and marshmallows for a rocky road style dessert pizza. You can find more inspiration here.
5. Cookies and whoopie pies
Instead of sandwiching your cookies or whoopie pies with buttercream, try mascarpone or ricotta. This works especially well with caramel flavors. Trust us, you’ll be convinced!
6. Parmesan pound cake
Are you always on the hunt for a great pound cake recipe? This one is a little bit unusual, with the addition of parmesan, but you’re sure to have fun asking your friends to guess what the secret ingredient is.
7. Rhubarb and ricotta
You might usually think of turning rhubarb into a pie or a cobbler. Instead, simply stew it down and then serve it with a spoonful of ricotta on top. The creaminess of the cheese cuts through the tart fruit; it’s a perfect combination.
8. Strawberries and mozzarella
Fresh mozzarella pairs beautifully with the sweetness of strawberries. Stew the strawberries down and simply spoon them over mozzarella. You can add black pepper or basil to the dish, although you might find that this strays too far from the realms of dessert.
9. Apple Pies with Cheddar
Cheddar and apple is a well-known combination on a cheeseboard, but you can also use cheddar in your apple pies. There are several ways to add the cheese but our favorite is to mix some into the pastry and then grate some over the crust before it goes in the oven.
10. Dessert Grilled Cheese
Grilled cheese can be sweet or savoury. Try brioche with brie and raspberry for a great dessert. Serve it up at a party to wow your guests!
We hope you’ve enjoyed our list of cheese desserts! Which would you try making? Let us know in the comments?
Choosing the Perfect After Dinner Cocktail
Earlier this week we brought you our recommendations for pre-dinner cocktails. Today, it’s the turn of the post-dinner cocktail. When dinner is finished, you want to be able to move away from the table and continue the party. Creating a batch of after-dinner cocktails is the perfect way to show your guests how welcome they are and ensure the fun doesn’t stop.
Read on to find out what we’re recommending to finish off an evening in style.
1. Espresso Martini
Instead of serving coffee after dinner, serve up a coffee cocktail. Your guests are sure to love them and they’re a great pick-me-up if you’re playing after dinner games.
Shake 1 part coffee, 1 part coffee liqueur and 2 parts vodka over ice. Strain into a martini glass and top with a coffee bean.
2. Mint Chocolate Martini
After dinner chocolates are nothing compared to this quick and easy cocktail. Pair the classic chocolate and mint flavours for a sweet treat.
Simply shake 1 part vodka, 1 part creme de menthe and 2 parts chocolate liqueur over ice. Strain into a martini glass.
3. A Grasshopper
Another cocktail that goes for a hint of mint after dinner. You could even replace dessert with this sweet drink.
Shake 1 part creme de cacao, 1 part creme de menthe and 1 part fresh cream over ice. Strain into a martini glass.
4. Irish Coffee
An espresso martini isn’t always ideal for a cold night. Warm up your guests by making an Irish coffee instead.
Make your coffee how you like it and then add Irish whiskey, a teaspoon of brown sugar and a little cream. Serve this in mugs so that guests can warm themselves up.
5. Porto Flip
This cocktail certainly isn’t for everyone. This is for the more adventurous guest. Port is a traditional after dinner drink but this gives it a twist.
Shake 1 ounce brandy, 1.5 ounces port, 0.5 ounce simple syrup and a whole egg together. Strain it into a highball glass and grate a little nutmeg over the top. Challenge your guests to guess what’s in the drink!
6. A glass of something simple on the rocks
This isn’t a cocktail, but it might be one of the best options after dinner. If you don’t want to be distracted by shaking up drinks and you just want to settle into an evening of easy conversation, then decant some high-quality liquors and serve them up with plenty of ice and glasses.
A glass of great whiskey is sure to please, but you can also serve brandy, port or dessert wine. You could even create a platter with our scotch collection of cheeses.
We hope you have enjoyed our post-dinner cocktail ideas. What do you like to serve and drink after dinner? Let us know in the comments!
6 Pre-Dinner Cocktails to Wow Your Guests
Having previously brought you our top tips for planning a dinner party and how to cater for picky eaters, today we’re continuing with our hosting tips. You always want parties to start with fun, so today we are giving you some pre-dinner cocktail ideas to help make that goal a reality.
We’ve chosen cocktails that can easily be made in a pitcher to serve many guests if you like, although all of them offer customization options. We know that you love tips that cut down on preparation time and it even more important when you’re entertaining.
1. Aperol Spritz
Aperol Spritz has the taste of summer. It’s a perfect cocktail choice if you’re serving Italian cuisine, or even if you’re just ordering pizza!
Pour 3 parts Prosecco and 2 parts Aperol over ice. Finish with a dash of soda water and garnish with an orange slice.
2. Gin Gimlet
This classic has been served before dinner for many years and it couldn’t be easier to make. You could even have a variety of gins on hand and let guests pick their favourite.
Simply pour 2 parts gin with 1 part lime juice over ice. Garnish with a lime wheel.
3. Martini
A true classic. There are so many ways to serve a martini, but the basic recipe mixes 5 parts gin with 1 part vermouth. This can be shaken or stirred and garnished with an olive or a twist.
This is another drink that you can serve according to your guests’ liking.
4. Champagne Cocktail
Champagne is the perfect way to make sure that your party starts with a pop! The traditional champagne cocktail is very simple. Put a sugar cube in the bottom of a champagne flute, add 2 – 3 drops of bitters, and top up with champagne.
5. Mimosas
Whilst traditionally a brunch option, they can still work well as a pre-dinner cocktail. Serve a selection of fresh juices so that guests can mix up their own. The classic is one part orange juice with one part champagne, but other citrus juices work well. We especially love grapefruit for a real zing. You can use peach juice to make bellinis and even a green juice can be delicious when topped with champagne!
6. Make your own
Instead of creating a batch of cocktails, put out various ingredients with cocktail shakers and plenty of garnishes. Let your guests create their own cocktails. Make sure you have plenty of glassware on hand, the classic spirits and some unusual ingredients to experiment with. You can even make it a competition!
We hope you enjoy our pre-dinner cocktail recommendations. What do you like to serve to guests before dinner? Let us know in the comments.
Bread: How to Make It
We all love bread. It’s perfect for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Of course, our preference is to eat it with cheese. Today, we’re going to show you three ways to make your own bread.
1. Make it completely from scratch
If you’ve never made bread before, you’ll find that it’s much easier than you think. All you need is flour, salt, yeast, some kind of fat, and water. You can change various elements of this, but we’ll show you how to make a simple white bread.
You will need:
500g/18oz strong white bread flour, plus a little extra for dusting
2 tsp salt
7g/ 1/4oz sachet of dried yeast
3tbsp olive oil or melted butter
300ml/10 fluid oz water
A mixing bowl
A loaf tin
1. Mix the flour, salt and yeast together in a bowl.
2. Make a well in the centre and pour in the water and oil/melted butter a little at a time.
3. Mix everything together until you have a dough. You may not need all of the liquid to achieve this, but likewise, if it is a little stiff you can add more water.
4. Knead the dough for 10 minutes until you have a silky, smooth dough. There are lots of videos available online if you haven’t kneaded a dough before.
5. Put the dough into an oiled bowl and leave it to rise for one hour. It should double in size.
6. “Knock back” the dough. This involves pushing the air out of it and kneading it again briefly.
7. Shape the dough into your loaf tin. If you don’t have a loaf tin, line a baking sheet with parchment and form the dough into a ball. In both cases, leave it to prove for another hour.
8. Bake at 420F for 25 – 30 minutes until it is golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when you tap the bottom.
9. Cool on a wire rack.
You’ll want to dig in straight away, but allow it to cool slightly so that it is easier to slice.
2. Use a bread maker
A bread maker essentially involves putting the ingredients above into the bread maker and letting it do the work. They will usually come with lots of recipes so that you can make different types of bread as well as preparing pizza dough or cakes that you can then bake in the oven.
Often, you can even set a bread maker so that it makes bread overnight and you wake up to the smell of freshly baked dough in the morning.
3. Use a pre-made mix
These are available in lots of supermarkets. Usually, you simply add water, knead the dough and put it in the oven. This is a quick way to make bread but we would recommend making it from scratch if you have time. It only takes a little longer but the taste is incredible.
Once you’ve conquered the technique, you can start changing your creations. Try wholemeal, multigrain or even add herbs and spices.
Now all you have to do is decide how you want to eat your bread. Slather it with butter, add some cheese, dip it in soup: the choice is yours!
6 Ways to Make a Great Hot Chocolate
With a little way to go before Spring, our minds have turned to warming drinks to get us through the last of the cold days. You might have heard of the word ‘hygge’, which is the Danish idea of coziness and contentment. A hot chocolate is definitely a drink that has a hygge feel to it. Today we’re sharing our top tips for making your hot chocolate really sing.
1. Add toppings
There are the classics: marshmallows, cream, chocolate sprinkles. But you could also add cinnamon, sauces, nuts, marshmallow fluff, dried fruits, coconut shavings, or cereals. For extra decadence, try popping a chocolate truffle on the top and letting it melt in. You could even put a scoop of ice cream on the top for extra creaminess. If you add marshmallow fluff, try crisping it with a kitchen blow torch for a s’mores effect!
2. Add a syrup
There are so many syrups available now and loads of them would be delicious in a hot chocolate. Try classics like peppermint, salted caramel or vanilla. You could even try making your own syrups at home with your favorite flavors. We highly recommend trying a bay syrup with your hot chocolate for a grown up twist.
3. Find the best quality hot chocolate
We’re not talking about the powdered stuff in sachets. Get hot chocolate made with real chocolate and you will marvel at the difference. You can even grate chocolate into hot milk to create your ideal drink. Imagine crafting a drink that is essentially your favorite chocolate bar!
4. Try different milks
A hot chocolate made with milk instead of water is the height of luxury, but have you tried different milks? Non-dairy milks are becoming increasingly popular and taste great in hot chocolate. Our favorite is coconut milk which will give you the effect of a Mounds bar in a cup. Almond milk and soy milk also work well and they are a little lighter.
5. Add a glug of your favorite tipple
This is one for curling up on the sofa with your favorite book or movie at the end of the day. Make your usual hot chocolate and then add a little of your favorite spirit. Whiskey or brandy work well but our favorite would have to be Irish Cream. You could try flavored vodkas instead of syrup.
6. Share it with your favorite people
Cozy up with your friends and family and share a hot chocolate. Provide everything above so that you can customize them to your taste. Find your coziest blankets, put on a classic DVD and your warmest slippers and settle in for the night. You can even ask friends to bring over their favorite mug to enjoy their drink in.
We hope you enjoyed our tips to help you stay warm and cozy with hot chocolate. We love bringing a little hygge into our lives and we hope that you do too. How do you like your hot chocolate? Let us know in the comments!
How to Cater for Picky Eaters
We all know them: the people we truly love but who are extremely picky eaters. We’re not talking about people with genuine allergies or intolerances. Catering for them might be a challenge, but it should always be a joy to help people eat something that’s good for them. Today we’re talking about people who just have very specific tastes. When you’re planning a dinner party this can pose a challenge but we’re here to help. Read on to find our tips for catering for everyone at your table.
1. Serve a range of dishes
This almost goes without saying, but it’s the key to pleasing your guests. Serve a wide range of smaller dishes rather than one large dish. If you’re serving something spicy, make sure you have something milder to serve alongside it. Try serving some basic foods such as bread or rice with your dishes.
2. Put sauces and dressings on the side
Instead of dressing your salads or covering dishes in sauces, serve them on the side. This way your guests can make their own decisions about the flavors on their plates. Serve hot sauce for those who love things spicy and a cooling yogurt or mayo for those who like everything to be creamy. Put out dressings that work well with each element of your meal so that guests can mix and match.
3. Ask guests to bring dishes along
This is a great way to lessen the stress of entertaining, but it works especially well if you know you have guests with different needs. Ask them to bring along one of their favorite dishes and you’ll know that there’s at least one thing for everyone there.
4. Create dishes that encourage building your own meal
If you don’t want to serve a huge range of different dishes, try cooking something that can be different for everyone at the table. Tacos or burritos work well for this because guests can choose their own fillings. You could create a salad bar for your diners to choose from. You could serve a dish like raclette where the diners even get to cook their meals to their liking.
5. Make trying new things part of the fun
Of course, you want your guests to go away from your meal satisfied, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t encourage them to step slightly out of their comfort zone. Maybe start with an appetizer of unusual meats or cheeses, or even ask guests to bring along the most unusual ingredient that they can find for you all to sample.
6. Dish up a great dessert!
Almost no-one is fussy about dessert. Serve up a showstopper along with some basics like ice cream and chocolate truffles you’ll satisfy even the pickiest eaters. It’s all the last part of the evening, so they’ll remember your fabulous dessert even if the rest of the meal wasn’t so great for them.
Overall, try not to worry too much. Even if there is are picky eaters at your table they are there because they love you. All they really want is to enjoy your company, so enjoy theirs and don’t put too much pressure on making your meal a success.
