Fried Cheese with a Spiced Crust
Instructions:
- Cheese threatens to liquefy under the slightest heat, so cheese strips need a thin dusting of flour before they’re battered and fried: the flour barrier seals in the gooey goodness. Panfrying these sticks lets the coating get deeply browned and extra crunchy. Makes 6 servings (or 12 pieces)
- 1â„2 cup all-purpose f lour
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups plain dried bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1â„2 teaspoon salt, plus additional to taste
- 1â„4 teaspoon cayenne
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 â„2 pound frozen mozzarella, Jarlsberg,
- Cheddar, Emmentaler, or Gouda, cut into thin spears about 3 inches long, 1 inch wide, and 1 â„2 inch thick (see Note)
- Place the flour in a shallow soup bowl and set it on your work surface, the first in a lineup. Crack the eggs in a second soup bowl; lightly beat them with a fork. Finally, mix the bread crumbs, paprika, onion powder, thyme, 1â„2 teaspoon salt, and the cayenne in a third soup plate.
- Dip all the cheese sticks in the flour, just enough to give them a light coating. Set aside on a wire rack.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat, then add the olive oil. Dip a coated cheese stick in the eggs, let the excess drip off, then roll it in the bread-crumb mixture to coat lightly. Slip it into the skillet, then quickly make a few more coated cheese sticks and get them into the skillet.
- Fry undisturbed until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Watch carefully so the sticks don’t burn, lowering the heat if they brown too quickly. Flip and continue cooking until browned on both sides, about 2 more minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, then continue making more cheese sticks. Season with additional salt, if desired, and serve at once.
- Note: Freezing helps cheese hold its shape as you cut and coat it. Place any of these cheeses in the freezer for about 20 minutes before you slice them.