Cassell's dictionary of cookery

Cheese, to Keep. — When a whole cheese is cut, and the consumption small, it generally becomes dry and loses its flavour after it has been used a little while. In order to prevent this, a small piece should be cut for use, and the remainder rubbed with butter, wrapped in a clean cloth, and placed in a covered jar, which should be kept in a cool and rather damp place. If these directions are attended to, a whole cheese might be purchased at a time, and the goodness preserved until it is finished. This will be found to be much more economical than buying it in small quantities. Cheese which has become too dry to be presented at table maybe used for stewing, or grated for macaroni. The mould which gathers on cheese should be wiped off with a damp cloth. If any mites appear, a little brandy should be poured over the part. Cheese with Macaroni. — Put a quarter of a pound of pipe macaroni into a saucepan with a little salt, and suflicient boiling milk and water to cover it. Let it boil until it is quite tender but firm, then put a layer of it into a well-buttered dish, and over that sprinkle some bread-crumbs and a mixture of Parmesan and Cheshire cheese. Place three or four lumps of butter on it, and repeat until the dish is full, being careful to have bread-crumbs at the top. Pour a little butter warmed, but not oiled, over the crumbs, and brown the preparation before a clear fire, or with a salamander, but do not put it in the oven, or it will taste of oil. Serve with salt and mustard. Ribbon macaroni may be used if ._,preferred, and it will not require so much boiling. It may be boiled in water without the milk, and a little butter added instead. Time to boil the macaroni, about one hour and a half. Probable cost, Is. 8d. Sufficient fur four or five persons. Cheese with Macaroni (another way). — Boil a quarter of a pound of macaroni in milk and water until it is tender but firm, then drain it and place it at the bottom of a well-buttered pie-dish. Whisk well the yolks of two eggs, and slir into them a breakfast-cupful of cream and half a cupful of the liquid in which the macaroni was boiled. Stir this gently over the fire until it thickens, but on no account allow it to boil. Pour it on the macaroni, and sprinkle over the top three table-spoonfuls of grated cheese. Brown the mixture before a clear fire, or with a salamander, and serve. Time to boil the macaroni, one hour and a half. Probable cost. Is. 8d. Sufficient for four or five persons. Cheese with Macaroni (another way). —Drop a quarter of a pound of macaroni in some boiling milk and water, and let it simmer gently until it is quite tender but firm. Put four ounces of grated cheese in a breakfastcupful of boiled cream or new milk, and place the mixture in a saucepan with a blade of mace, three or four grains of cayenne, a piece of butter, and a little salt. The cheese must be quite free from rind, and should be stirred constantly until it is quite melted, and we would recommend a mixture of cheeses, as Parmesan, if used by itself, soon gets lumpy. When it is dissolved, add the boiled macaroni to it, first putting it in a sieve for two or three minutes to drain. Let it simmer for a few minutes longer, then put it into a dish, strew over it some finely-grated bread-crumbs, and brown in a hot oven, or with a salamander.