WHAT TO DO WITH PEPPER JACK CHEESE RECIPES

Steps:

• Grease a baking dish and set aside. Heat the oven to 375°.
• Fry or bake* the bacon until almost crisp. Remove to paper towels to drain. Cook the bacon the day before and refrigerate for even quicker prep time.
• Wash the chicken and pat dry. Put a chicken breast half between sheets of plastic wrap and pound to a uniform thickness of about 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Repeat with the remaining chicken breast halves. Dredge in the flour to coat thoroughly.
• In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter with the olive oil. Add the garlic half, stirring around in the butter mixture. Remove the garlic and discard after about 30 seconds.
• Add the chicken to the skillet and cook for about 5 minutes on each side, until browned cooked through. It should register 165° on an instant read thermometer.
• Arrange the chicken breasts in the baking dish. Spread about 1 tablespoon of thick barbecue sauce over each chicken breast half. Top with a slice or two of bacon. Cut bacon slices in half to cover the chicken. Top the bacon with a slice of pepper jack cheese.
• Bake the chicken for about 5 to 6 minutes, until cheese is melted.
• Sprinkle with cilantro just before serving, if desired.

Steps:

• In a water-bath setup or a double boiler, gently and slowly heat milk to 88°F.
• Add starter by sprinkling it over the milk and allowing it to rehydrate for 1 full minute. After 1 minute, stir in starter using your cheese spoon in slow, steady up-and-down motions.
• Cover milk and allow to ripen at 90°F for 30 minutes, undisturbed.
• Add diced peppers and stir well.
• Immediately add diluted rennet to the milk by pouring it through the cheese spoon and into the milk. Stir the milk in steady up-and-down motions for 1 full minute.
• Cover milk and maintain at 90°F for 30 minutes or until the curds give a clean break.
• Use a curd knife to cut the curd into 1/4-inch cubes; let them rest, undisturbed, for approximately 40 minutes.
• Gradually heat the curds to 100°F, only increasing the temperature by 2 degrees every 5 minutes. Stir lightly but consistently during this time to keep the curds from matting. Maintain the curd temperature at 100°F for 30 minutes, continuing to stir gently.
• Let the curds set for 5 minutes out of the heat, covered and undisturbed.
• Carefully begin to pour off the whey to the level of the curds. Let the curds sit in just enough whey to cover for another 30 minutes, stirring ever 5 minutes during this time, maintaining the temperature at 100°F throughout.
• Line a clean colander with damp cheesecloth and suspend it over a sink or large bowl. Ladle warm curds into the colander. Add salt and mix in lightly by hand.