Preparing to host guests, each housewife is concerned not only with the preparation of the menu and the preparation of dishes, but also with how to decorate them most effectively. After all, beautiful table setting and festive decoration is one of the ways to express your respect for the guests.
Traditionally, salads are served at the festive table . Of course, this appetizer can be laid out in one large salad bowl, but one of the effective ways of serving is portioned. The salad can be laid out in small glass, porcelain or ceramic salad bowls or served in tartlets, which are sold in many stores today. And there is another rather spectacular and unbeatable option - serve the salad in a cheese basket. In addition to the fact that such a serving of appetizers will decorate the table, there is another advantage - the taste of the salad is complemented by the taste of toasted cheese.
The question may arise, what kind of salad can be served in cheese baskets? Yes, almost anyone! In addition, in this way, you can serve other snacks, for example, a mixed seafood or julienne. The main thing is that what you are going to put in a cheese basket is not too liquid.
It should be noted that making beautiful cheese baskets is not so simple. Therefore, you need to practice a bit before you take on the preparation of a festive salad frame. But you can prepare such baskets for cheese salad the day before. Then carefully fold them into a container with a lid and refrigerate. And you need to fill the cheese baskets with salad immediately before serving.
So, let's try to cook this delicious decoration. We need hard cheese, such as parmesan. But you can use regular cheese, but you need to let it air a little and dry in the refrigerator. The cheese should be grated, and it is desirable that it does not crumble in the process, but forms thin, translucent slices. In this case, our cheese baskets will be more beautiful.
It is most convenient to use a frying pan with a non-stick coating for cooking baskets. It must be greased with a thin layer of vegetable oil and heated over a fire. Pour the grated cheese into the preheated pan (about two tablespoons are left in one basket). It is desirable that in the middle of the obtained cheese cake there should be more than along the edges, then our basket will have a thick bottom and openwork edges.
Fry the cheese pancake for five to seven seconds, until it starts to fry at the edges. Then remove the pan from the heat and place it on a towel slightly moistened in cold water (this way we will cool the cake slightly). Now we gently pry the pancake with a spatula and put it on an inverted glass or cup. The edges of the cakes are pressed against the walls of the vessel with a paper towel. So we will give the basket a shape and at the same time remove excess fat. Let the cheese cool, without removing it from the mold. That's it - the cheese basket is ready.
As you can see, cooking it is a little difficult, and it can take a lot of time, especially if a lot of guests are expected.
I must say that cheese baskets can be prepared with different additives. For example, if you mix cheese with finely chopped dill, then the baskets will turn out to be variegated, with green spots. You can add toasted fried sesame seeds, then the baskets will turn out crispy. And lovers of spicy taste can use chopped garlic as an additional ingredient.
If you want to cook denser baskets, you can add a little starch to the cheese. Two hundred grams of it you need to take a full tablespoon with a slide of potato or corn starch.
In a word, a little practice - and you can pleasantly surprise your guests by serving salad in baskets of cheese. Surely, such a dish will make a splash, and the hostess will listen to many compliments about her culinary skills.