Monterey Jack cheese was first developed around 1892 by David Jacks, a Scot living in Monterey County, California. This mild, versatile cheese also is sometimes called just Monterey, California Jack or simply Jack.
The widely available, unaged version of this cheese has an ivory color, a semi-soft texture, a mild, somewhat bland flavor and contains about 25 percent fat. It also has a high moisture content and melts extremely well, making it perfect for melted cheese sandwiches and many Southwestern recipes. Reduced-fat Monterey Jack, which contains about 16 percent fat, retains most of the same qualities as regular Jack cheese.
Dry Monterey Jack, which must be aged for at least six months, has a yellow color, a firmer texture, a sharper flavor and is most frequently used as a grating cheese.
Tamal Azteca, a layered tortilla casserole with spinach, tomatoes and melted Monterey Jack, is an excellent example of how well this popular cheese works in a Southwestern recipe.
This tasty dish was created by Rick Bayless, chef/co-owner of Frontera Grill and Topolobampo in Chicago. I have modified his original recipe to shorten the preparation time.
TAMAL AZTECA
Prep. time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Cooking time: 50 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Sauce:
1 can (28 ounces) plum tomatoes, undrained
1 can (4 ounces) roasted green chilies, undrained
1 teaspoon canola oil 1 small white onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup vegetable or chicken broth 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Casserole:
8 corn tortillas
3 packages (6 ounces each) pre-washed fresh baby spinach leaves
1 medium zucchini, diced
8 ounces reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese, grated
1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn, unthawed
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1. For sauce, combine tomatoes and chilies in blender; blend to coarse puree. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium high. Add garlic; cook 1 minute. Add tomato-chili mixture; cook, stirring frequently, until reduced and slightly thickened, about 8 minutes. Add broth. Reduce heat to low; simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in cilantro.
2. Meanwhile, heat oven to 350 degrees. Lay tortillas on 2 baking sheets coated with non-stick spray. Lightly spray tops of tortillas; heat in oven 10 minutes. Turn each over; bake 3 more minutes. Remove from oven; set aside. Leave oven on.
3. Steam spinach over boiling water 2 minutes; set aside. Steam diced zucchini until crisp-tender, 2 minutes; set aside.
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4. To assemble casserole, lightly spray a 7-by-11-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Spread a thin layer of sauce evenly over bottom. Cover sauce with 2 of the toasted tortillas. Evenly spread spinach on top of tortillas. Top with 1/4 of the remaining sauce and 1/4 of the cheese. Place 2 more tortillas on top; press down. Spread corn on top; cover with 1/3 of the remaining sauce and 1/3 of the remaining cheese. Top with 2 more tortillas; press down. Top with zucchini, 1/2 of the remaining sauce and 1/2 of the cheese. Top with the 2 remaining tortillas; press down. Spread remaining sauce evenly over top; sprinkle on remaining cheese.
5. Cover tightly with foil; place on baking sheet. Bake 25 minutes. Uncover; bake until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Top with chopped fresh cilantro.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ……… 285 Fat …………. 9 g Saturated fat … 4.3 g
% cal. from fat … 27 Cholesterol … 20 mg Sodium ……… 800 mg
Carbohydrates … 37 g Protein …….. 19 g Fiber …………. 7 g
AMARETTO BREAD PUDDING
Q. his recipe for amaretto bread pudding was published in the Baton Rouge Advocate several years ago and has become one of my favorites for special occasions. In addition to a lighter version of the bread pudding, I am interested in a safer way (without the raw egg) to duplicate the delicious sauce. Thanks for your help.
Vicki Douglas, Marksville, La.
AMARETTO BREAD PUDDING
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 50 minutes
Yield: 12 servings
1 loaf (16 ounces) French bread
1 quart half-and-half
3 eggs 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup sliced almonds
3/4 cup golden raisins, optional
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Amaretto sauce:
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 egg, well beaten
4 tablespoons amaretto liqueur
1. Break bread into small pieces. Place in medium bowl; cover with half-and-half.
2. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Beat together eggs, sugar and extracts in small bowl. Stir into bread mixture. Gently fold almonds and raisins, if using, into bread mixture.
3. Grease 13-by-9-inch baking dish with butter. Spread bread mixture evenly in dish. Set on middle rack in oven; bake 50 minutes or until golden. Cool.
4. For sauce, stir together butter and sugar over simmering water in top of double boiler until sugar is dissolved and mixture is very hot. Remove from heat.
5. Whisk egg into butter-sugar mixture; continue whisking until sauce cools to room temperature. Add amaretto. Cut pudding into squares; spoon sauce evenly over each serving.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ……… 500 Fat ……….. 25 g Sat. fat ……. 13 g
Cal. / fat ……. 45% Chol. ……. 125 mg Sodium ……. 285 mg
Carb. ……….. 58 g Protein …….. 9 g Fiber ……… 1.6 g
LIGHT AMARETTO BREAD PUDDING
A. Some simple changes led to a big reduction in calories and fat for your delicious bread pudding. I replaced the half-and-half with 1 percent low-fat milk, used only 1 egg yolk and cut the sugar by a third. By toasting the almonds, I could use fewer and increase their flavor. By thickening the sauce with cornstarch, I completely eliminated the egg. I made the dish without the raisins to obtain a stronger almond flavor.
LIGHT AMARETTO BREAD PUDDING
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Yield: 12 servings
1 loaf (16 ounces) French bread
1 quart 1 percent milk
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1 egg
3 egg whites
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
3/4 cup golden raisins, optional
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Amaretto sauce: 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
4 tablespoons amaretto liqueur
1. Break bread into small pieces. Place in medium bowl; cover with milk. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Beat together egg, egg whites, sugar and extracts in small bowl. Stir into bread mixture. Gently fold in almonds and raisins.
2. Grease 13-by-9-inch baking dish with butter. Spread bread mixture evenly in baking dish. Set on middle rack in oven; bake 1 hour or until lightly golden. Cool.
3. For sauce, stir together butter, buttermilk and sugar over very low heat in small saucepan. Continue stirring until sugar is dissolved and butter is melted. Combine cornstarch with amaretto, stirring until cornstarch is completely dissolved. Add to butter mixture. Increase heat to medium; stir until mixture boils and thickens slightly. Cut bread pudding into squares; spoon tablespoon of sauce over each serving.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………. 305 Fat ………… 7 g Sat. fat ……. 2.9 g
Cal. / fat …….. 20% Chol. …….. 30 mg Sod. ………. 295 mg
Carb. ………… 50 g Protein …….. 8 g Fiber ………. 1.3 g
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