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Emmental, one of the greatest of all cheeses, has long been a part of our daily life. Its origins are ancient, but it always finds its way into modern kitchens. Historically, Emmental is a cooked pressed cheese whose name comes from the Emme Valley, a region east of the Swiss canton of Bern. Emmental, a staple at all house holds, needs to be consumed at ambient temperature. It is excellent in sandwiches, or as dessert and also as cooking cheese as it melts extremely well.

Red and white wines are equally complementing of this cheese: try it with a Cotes-Du-Rhone or Merlot, or a Swiss Neuchatel or Chardonnay.

Emmental is easy to recognize: made from cow's milk, this smooth, firm cheese comes in over-sized golden-yellow wheels, ranging from 165 to 180 pounds, and has many holes, poetically known as “eyes”. The "eyes" vary from the size of a cherry to that of a walnut. The eyes quality (well distributed, net, round or a bit oval) reflects cheese quality in terms of texture and taste. A very "open" Emmental is a guarantee of a good Emmental. The flavor ranges from nutty to mildly fruity tone.

Emmental has exceptional nutritional characteristics as well: this cheese has one of the highest levels of calcium.

Emmental is considered to be one of the most difficult cheeses to successfully manufacture because of its complicated, hole-forming fermentation process. During its fabrication, the cheese undergoes a total of 6 stages before it is ripe enough to reveal its full aroma. In the traditional ripening process, the cheese must stay in the curing room for minimum 7 weeks, a period during which the cheese-maker watches over his wheels and gives the cheese all the attention it needs. At the first step of maturation, in a cold cellar, the cheese cures slowly and the bacteria inside generate a great deal of carbon dioxide. Because of its large size, gas is kept inside the cheese.

During the second step, the Emmental is placed in a hot cellar, and the wheels develop a smooth, firm texture, rind and a full aroma. It is also the time when the distinctive holes begin to appear. (The carbon dioxide is trapped inside because of the thick rind and produces bubbles.) During the whole maturing process the cheeses also have to be turned regularly. In the past this was done by hand and the strong muscles of the cheese makers were much feared in the wrestling ring. This traditional ripening method allows for the verification of each phase of the maturation process, thus guaranteeing the quality and taste.

Hot Chicken Tortillas with Avocado,
Corn Niblets and Emmental
Preparation time 28 minutes, serves 4

Ingredients:

4 corn tortillas
2 chicken fillets, 4-5 oz. each
1 1/2 c. avocado
1 1/4 c. corn niblets
3 tbsp. lime juice
1 c. grated Emmental cheese
1 tsp. grated lime zest
1-2 tbsp. olive oil
Tabasco sauce and salt

Preparation:

Season the chicken fillets and fry until golden. Put aside.
Peel avocado and cut into 1/2”-wide slices. Marinate in lime juice.
Add corn niblets and lime zest.
Cut the chicken fillets into strips and add to the avocado mixture. Stir in the grated Emmental cheese and olive oil. Add Tabasco and salt. Adjust the seasoning to taste.
Spread the mixture onto the 4 tortillas.
Roll the tortillas and place on a baking sheet.
Bake at 350°F for 7-8 minutes.

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More Emmental Recipes...
	Hot Chicken Tortilla with Avocado, Corn Niblets and Emmental
	Delightful Emmental Salad
	Emmental and Veggie Pâté
	Japanese-style Brochette with Emmental Cheese
	Veal Piccata with Emmental Cheese, Pancetta and Sage
	Braised endives with Emmental cheese and cumin hone

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Emmental

Hot Chicken Tortilla with Avocado, Corn Niblets and Emmental
Delightful Emmental Salad
Emmental and Veggie Pate
Japanese-style Brochette with Emmental Cheese
Veal Piccata with Emmental Cheese, Pancetta and Sage
Braised endives with Emmental cheeseand cumin hone

Japanese-style Brochettes with Emmental Cheese

Ingredients:
4-5 oz. Emmental cheese (cut into 8 even pieces)
1 1/2 lb. pork (8 very thin slices)
8 small celery sticks, cleaned and washed
2 tbsp. soy sauce
2 pinches powdered sugar
1 pinch powdered Espelette pepper
8 skewers

Preparation:

To assemble the brochettes, put a stick of Emmental cheese followed by a celery stick onto each skewer.
Roll the meat and tie each roll with a string. Push a skewer lengthwise through the center of each roll.

Marinate the brochettes:

Place the brochettes in a shallow dish and pour soy sauce over them. Sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar and pepper. Marinate for 30 min.

Cooking:

Drain marinade from the brochettes before cooking them for 7 - 8 minutes either in a frying pan or in a hot oven. Do not use any cooking grease.
Remove the string from the meat and serve the melted Emmental brochettes on a bed of slightly sweetened crushed tomatoes.

Hot Chicken Tortillas with Avocado, Corn Niblets and Emmental

Ingredients:
4 corn tortillas
2 chicken fillets, 4-5 oz. each
1 1/2 c. avocado
1 1/4 c. corn niblets
3 tbsp. lime juice
1 c. grated Emmental cheese
1 tsp. grated lime zest
1-2 tbsp. olive oil
Tabasco sauce and salt

Direction:

Season the chicken fillets and fry until golden. Put aside.
Peel avocado and cut into 1/2"-wide slices. Marinate in lime juice.
Add corn niblets and lime zest.
Cut the chicken fillets into strips and add to the avocado mixture.
Stir in the grated Emmental cheese and olive oil. Add Tabasco and salt. Adjust the seasoning to taste.
Spread the mixture onto the 4 tortillas.
Roll the tortillas and place on a baking sheet.
Bake at 350°F for 7-8 minutes.

Braised endives with Emmental cheese and cumin honey

Ingredients:
100 g of diced Emmental
3 endives
2 tablespoons of peanut oil
1 pinch of cumin
salt and pepper

Preparation:

Wash the endives, then slice them thinly lengthwise. Fry them for a few seconds in a very warm pan with 2 tablespoons of oil. The endives should become translucent. Then, set aside and keep warm.
Pour the honey and add the pinch of cumin into the pan, cook for 3 minutes, or enough to reduce it. Then, add the endives and the diced Emmental cheese.
Brown gently for 2 minutes, add salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

Veal Piccata with Emmental Cheese, Pancetta and Sage

Ingredients:
4 thinly sliced veal cutlets (1 lb.)
8 oz. Emmental cheese
8 oz. pancetta (about 8 slices)
8 sprigs of rosemary
12 sage leaves
1 tsp. oil
salt and pepper to taste

Sauce:
1/4 c. grated Emmental
1 shallot
1/2 c. dry white wine
1 c. cream
1 tsp. sunflower seed oil
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 400°F for 10 min.
Cut each veal cutlet in 2 along its length. In a frying pan, heat a small amount of oil and brown the cutlets. Cook each side for about 3 minutes. Season lightly with salt (because the pancetta is salty) and pepper. Put the unwashed pan aside.

Piccata:

Grease an oven-safe dish and put in the 8 cutlets
Put a slice of Emmental on each cutlet and top with 2 slices of pancetta. Top each piccata with a sprig of rosemary and sprinkle with sage leaves.
Put the dish into the preheated oven and bake 10 minutes or until the Emmental has melted and the pancetta is browned.

Sauce

While the piccata is in the oven, brown the chopped shallot in the frying pan used for the cutlets. Add the white wine, then pour in the cream and sprinkle with the grated cheese to bind the sauce. Let the cheese melt and the sauce thicken before pouring it over the piccata and serving.

Emmental and Veggie Pâté

Ingredients:
10 thin slices Emmental cheese (about 8 oz.)
3/4 c. peeled fava beans
3/4 c. peas
3/4 c. snap beans
1 1/4 c. vegetable bouillon
6 sheets of leaf gelatin
salt and pepper

Direction:

Add seasonings (salt and pepper) to vegetable bouillon to suit your taste.
Soak the sheets of gelatin in cold water. Once they are moist, melt them in the microwave and mix into the vegetable bouillon.
Line the bottom of a terrine with a piece of plastic wrap. Fill the bottom with vegetable bouillon and chill for 5 minutes or until the bouillon sets.
Take the terrine out of the refrigerator. Add a layer of snap beans and pour a bit of bouillon over the beans.
Add a layer of thinly sliced Emmental and a layer of peas. Put terrine back into refrigerator for 5 minutes.
Repeat the process with the fava beans, the rest of the Emmental, the peas and snap beans until the terrine is full.
Chill the terrine for at least 1 hour before serving.
Remove the pâté from the terrine and peel off the plastic wrap. Serve sliced.

Delightful Emmental Salad

Ingredients:
8 thin slices Emmental cheese (5-6 oz.)
2 oz. Emmental cheese, cut into small cubes
2 cups tender greens
2 carrots
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
juice of 1 lemon
5 tbsp. canola oil
salt and pepper to taste

Direction:

Use the slices of Emmental to create 4 large tubes that will serve as containers for the salad. Use 2 wooden skewers to join
the shorter sides of 2 large slices of Emmental to form a tube that will stand up on its own when placed vertically on a plate.
Salad preparation: wash the peppers, remove seeds and cut into strips; peel the carrots and cut into long sticks.
In a bowl, mix the oil, lemon juice, cheese cubes, salt and pepper.
Fill the center of each tube with tender greens, sliced peppers, carrot sticks, and cheese cubes. Pass some of the ingredients through the "eyes" of the Emmental for a truly original presentation. Finally