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Pepper jack cheese!


Smarmotron

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What is it?

"I've caught you Richardson, stuffing spit-backs in your vile maw. 'Let tomorrow's omelets go empty,' is that your fucking attitude?" -E. B. Farnum

"Behold, I teach you the ubermunch. The ubermunch is the meaning of the earth. Let your will say: the ubermunch shall be the meaning of the earth!" -Fritzy N.

"It's okay to like celery more than yogurt, but it's not okay to think that batter is yogurt."

Serving fine and fresh gratuitous comments since Oct 5 2001, 09:53 PM

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what is pepper jack cheese?!

jack is a california cheese i guess (monterey jack)...the really good stuff that is dry aged (a great cheese name is VELLA brand dry aged jack) is almost as good as parmigiano reggiano for grating, flavoring stuff, etc.

most of the stuff in the store is sort of like a cross between the sharpness of white cheddar with the texture of mozzarella (not the fresh stuff, but the stuff for pizza)...semi-soft?!

pepper-jack is full of little pieces of jalapenos and that type of thing for a little extra kick...

now you can look up the real definition on the web and can expose all my b.s. :biggrin:

i agree! it is wonderful, especially in quesadillas...

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Oh, thanks.

Yes, I've had this. It's called "Monterey Jack cheese with chiles" here. :smile:

"I've caught you Richardson, stuffing spit-backs in your vile maw. 'Let tomorrow's omelets go empty,' is that your fucking attitude?" -E. B. Farnum

"Behold, I teach you the ubermunch. The ubermunch is the meaning of the earth. Let your will say: the ubermunch shall be the meaning of the earth!" -Fritzy N.

"It's okay to like celery more than yogurt, but it's not okay to think that batter is yogurt."

Serving fine and fresh gratuitous comments since Oct 5 2001, 09:53 PM

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I like to make grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches with it....and melt it on the top of chicken enchiladas for some extra kick. But most that I have tried (in TX and CA) are pretty hot...not for wimpy chile palates. Well, not hot for me at all, but I recently discovered (at a family reunion) that I can take a lot more heat than most people! It is shocking how little heat many people can take.

Let me throw out a question...my palate can take much more heat than it could 15 years ago. So is tolerance to heat an acquired thing? And if so, how does it come about? Do we just burn out our taste buds? Or is it a mental readjustment?

Lobster.

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Let me throw out a question...my palate can take much more heat than it could 15 years ago.  So is tolerance to heat an acquired thing?  And if so, how does it come about?  Do we just burn out our taste buds?  Or is it a mental readjustment?

You can definitely build a tolerance for the heat of chiles, the same way you build up tolerance for any sort of pain (after a while, the pain receptors need more and more stimulation to fire). Stop eating chiles for a while and you'll return to your original, lower, tolerance level.

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A popular misperception is that those who indulge in lots of hot, spicy chile peppers can somehow ruin their sense of taste; to somehow “burn out” their tastebuds. Nothing could be further from the truth. Chileheads are able to detect many more flavors than their mild mannered brethren, whose senses have been overwhelmed by heat. Capsaicin itself does not interact in any way with the tastebuds, instead these chemicals stimulate the pain receptors that cause the sensation of pain, and in particular, heat. Capsaicin, like any other substance that affects the nervous system can be made to develop a tolerance, requiring larger and larger quantities to elicit the same effect.

The fact that capsaicin does not interact with taste buds can be demonstrated simply by recalling instances where after chopping peppers you have neglected to wash your hands and inadvertently touch the eyes or other “sensitive” parts of the body. I’ll guarantee those heat receptors will be signaling “Hot! Hot! Hot!!!” to your brain. I’ll further advise you to consider whether those particular body parts happen to be sporting taste buds…

As for whether chile aficionados can taste more or less than those more moderate folks, consider the cuisines that feature lots of hot and spicy dishes such as Thai, Indian and some parts of China. Many of these foods besides having staggeringly large quantities of hot chile peppers, also have many layers of flavors from various spices, herbs and condiments. To those who are not used to even moderate heat, these secondary nuances of flavor are overwhelmed by the sheer fiery blast. To those who have cultivated a taste for hot, spicy foods, all of these flavors can be detected and appreciated. After developing a resistance to capsaicin, it takes much more of it to cause further stimulation of the heat receptors. People who enjoy hot peppers have not learned to endure the pain, the truth is they don’t feel it as much. They can even appreciate the different flavors of different peppers such as the citrus-like flavor of habaneros or the smoky rich flavors of a smoke dried jalapeno, or Chipotle chile.

=Mark

Give a man a fish, he eats for a Day.

Teach a man to fish, he eats for Life.

Teach a man to sell fish, he eats Steak

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Thanks for that, Mark.

But the habaneros I get taste like stale laundry smells. Or mebbe those are the Scotch bonnets.

"I've caught you Richardson, stuffing spit-backs in your vile maw. 'Let tomorrow's omelets go empty,' is that your fucking attitude?" -E. B. Farnum

"Behold, I teach you the ubermunch. The ubermunch is the meaning of the earth. Let your will say: the ubermunch shall be the meaning of the earth!" -Fritzy N.

"It's okay to like celery more than yogurt, but it's not okay to think that batter is yogurt."

Serving fine and fresh gratuitous comments since Oct 5 2001, 09:53 PM

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For all you "hotheads" that can never get enough punishment - I've recently discovered "Habanero Jack Cheese" that is sold at one of the Amish dairy stands at Reading Terminal Market here in Philadelphia. Woo-Hoo! It will definitely remind you where your taste buds for heat are! I"ve been using it judiciously shredded into quesadillas with some mozzarella to tone it down a bit. Good stuff! :wub:

Katie M. Loeb
Booze Muse, Spiritual Advisor

Author: Shake, Stir, Pour:Fresh Homegrown Cocktails

Cheers!
Bartendrix,Intoxicologist, Beverage Consultant, Philadelphia, PA
Captain Liberty of the Good Varietals, Aphrodite of Alcohol

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But the habaneros I get taste like stale laundry smells. Or mebbe those are the Scotch bonnets.

Habaneros and Scotch Bonnets are essentially the same thing, both C. Chinense. They are more likely to be called Scotch Bonnets in the Caribbean islands and Habaneros in the South American mainland.

Jim

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Pepper jack cheese is perfect. I am a "chile head" in that I love spicy things, but I appreciate subtlety when I see it: and pepper jack cheese is subtle (to a chile head). It has a little zing, and is redolent of peppers. It's just the perfect cheese.

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It's just the perfect cheese.

Well...

No.

Real parm or grana or camembert or Stilton or tallegio or ten year old cheddar or pecorino or simply dozens of cheeses are miles above it.

But it's nice. I often use it in grilled cheese sandwiches with bacon.

I'd like a chile Monterey jack that has been smoked.

"I've caught you Richardson, stuffing spit-backs in your vile maw. 'Let tomorrow's omelets go empty,' is that your fucking attitude?" -E. B. Farnum

"Behold, I teach you the ubermunch. The ubermunch is the meaning of the earth. Let your will say: the ubermunch shall be the meaning of the earth!" -Fritzy N.

"It's okay to like celery more than yogurt, but it's not okay to think that batter is yogurt."

Serving fine and fresh gratuitous comments since Oct 5 2001, 09:53 PM

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Hm. That seems not so polite. I apologize if my phrase "miles above" provoked you to use such language. About mere cheese.

Well, I still think that "pepper jack" is quite nice.

Certainly only a few of the cheeses I had mentioned would be good grated on pasta. Or grated at all. Or could be grated.

"I've caught you Richardson, stuffing spit-backs in your vile maw. 'Let tomorrow's omelets go empty,' is that your fucking attitude?" -E. B. Farnum

"Behold, I teach you the ubermunch. The ubermunch is the meaning of the earth. Let your will say: the ubermunch shall be the meaning of the earth!" -Fritzy N.

"It's okay to like celery more than yogurt, but it's not okay to think that batter is yogurt."

Serving fine and fresh gratuitous comments since Oct 5 2001, 09:53 PM

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It's just the perfect cheese.

Well...

No.

Real parm or grana or camembert or Stilton or tallegio or ten year old cheddar or pecorino or simply dozens of cheeses are miles above it.

But it's nice. I often use it in grilled cheese sandwiches with bacon.

I'd like a chile Monterey jack that has been smoked.

I agree with Jin.

Um... Where does one find Monterey Jack that has been smoked? I don't think I have ever seen it. sounds good.

Linda LaRose aka "fifi"

"Having spent most of my life searching for truth in the excitement of science, I am now in search of the perfectly seared foie gras without any sweet glop." Linda LaRose

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Sorry fifi, I haven't seen smoked chile Jack. I was just thinking about it. But I think it would be tremendous. Like caccacavolo, it would hold up quite well and it seems the flavour profiles would line up very well.

"I've caught you Richardson, stuffing spit-backs in your vile maw. 'Let tomorrow's omelets go empty,' is that your fucking attitude?" -E. B. Farnum

"Behold, I teach you the ubermunch. The ubermunch is the meaning of the earth. Let your will say: the ubermunch shall be the meaning of the earth!" -Fritzy N.

"It's okay to like celery more than yogurt, but it's not okay to think that batter is yogurt."

Serving fine and fresh gratuitous comments since Oct 5 2001, 09:53 PM

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Sorry fifi, I haven't seen smoked chile Jack. I was just thinking about it. But I think it would be tremendous. Like caccacavolo, it would hold up quite well and it seems the flavour profiles would line up very well.

That settles it. Next time I crank up the Weber Smoky Mountain, I will smoke some. From what I have learned so far of the temperature profiles, I think I can pull off some smokiness before the temp gets too high. I also have some tricks in mind to keep it from getting too hot.

Linda LaRose aka "fifi"

"Having spent most of my life searching for truth in the excitement of science, I am now in search of the perfectly seared foie gras without any sweet glop." Linda LaRose

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I am another pepper jack fan, sometimes I will eat just pepper jack and some breadsticks as my lunch.

My favorite usage was last winter a friend and I made a pepper jack-spinach fondue, this was wonderful!

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

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:cool:

I like it a lot, for melting on quesadillas and mixing (grated) into white sauce for pasta sometimes. It's fun.

But I'm with Jinmyo as far as liking the great old classics better. You might see pepper jack in my fridge once a month or so -- but there will always, always be a chunk of three-year Parmigiano and a wedge of Gorgonzola or Stilton, plus a sizable piece of Emmenthaler.

:biggrin:

Edited by Lady T (log)

Me, I vote for the joyride every time.

-- 2/19/2004

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I am another pepper jack fan, sometimes I will eat just pepper jack and some breadsticks as my lunch.

My favorite usage was last winter a friend and I made a pepper jack-spinach fondue, this was wonderful!

Laurie Colwin has a recipe in Home Cooking for Creamed Spinach with Jalapeno Peppers, which she says is "so good it made me want to sit up and beg like a dog." It calls for Monterey Jack plus jalapenos. I've done it with Pepper Jack (and still added extra jalapenos, of course). She's right.

I made some adaptations and posted it in the Recipe Archives as: Laurie Colwin's Creamed Spinach with Jalapeno Peppers.

Edited by Suzanne F (log)
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One of my favorite Jalapeno Jack recepies involves the cheese, pulled pork, slice of onion and a dollop of Hoboken Eddie's Mean Green hotsauce prepared with hearty bread on a Pie Iron.

Butter one side of each of the slices of bread and fit into pie iron. Layer with pulled pork, onions, hot sauce and jalapeno jack cheese. Close and lock pie iron, place in fire or over stove. Flip every minute or so. When smoke starts coming from side of iron, open and check for doneness. Remove when golden to dark brown, let sit for a minute and tear into it! :cool:

=Mark

Give a man a fish, he eats for a Day.

Teach a man to fish, he eats for Life.

Teach a man to sell fish, he eats Steak

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I am another pepper jack fan, sometimes I will eat just pepper jack and some breadsticks as my lunch.

My favorite usage was last winter a friend and I made a pepper jack-spinach fondue, this was wonderful!

Laurie Colwin has a recipe in Home Cooking for Creamed Spinach with Jalapeno Peppers, which she says is "so good it made me want to sit up and beg like a dog." It calls for Monterey Jack plus jalapenos. I've done it with Pepper Jack (and still added extra jalapenos, of course). She's right.

I made some adaptations and posted it in the Recipe Archives as: Laurie Colwin's Creamed Spinach with Jalapeno Peppers.

and we thought we were being original! :angry:

I am going to have to give that a try, looks great!

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

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