Thursday, March 25, 2010

Teese Challenge: Mozzarella Sticks



The nice people at Chicago Soy Dairy recently posed a challenge to vegan bloggers: they would send us a couple packages of Teese vegan cheese if we would come up with creative uses and then blog about them. I received my package about a week ago and came up with my first experiment immediately.

When I was a kid, my parents would take us to a 50s-style diner that served breaded mozzarella sticks with marinara sauce for dipping. As a picky child, that was one of the only items on the menu that I would order. As an adult, I wondered if Teese mozzarella would be able to replicate this childhood treat. Sadly, the Teese simply melted into a giant mess (thank goodness I lined the toaster oven baking sheet with foil first!), but it was fun to try.

Thank you to Dark Faerie for the inspiration to try this! She blogged about a similar experiment in 2008.

Thank you to Chicago Soy Dairy for the Teese and the challenge! I've embarked on an entirely whole foods regime for the next month, so expect my next experiment in May.

9 comments:

Tami said...

They still look yummy! I've tried this too, and it seemed to help a little to freeze them before cooking. It doesn't solve the meltiness, but it helps a little.

Hannah said...

I was thinking about doing this too! I wonder if it might be doable after freezing, as was suggested above, coating first in flour, and then frying them instead of baking. Higher temperature = outside cooks, with less time for the interior to melt. Definitely worth playing around with!

Jenni (aka Vegyogini) said...

Tami and Hannah: I do think freezing the Teese first would make a difference, as would lowering the temperature of the oven to help lower Teese's zero-to-molten lava rate. I didn't want to fry them, which is why I chose baking, but I also think frying would make them more likely to retain their shape. Either that or using a different brand of cheese since Teese does melt so thoroughly.

Bianca said...

I bet they were still fun to eat. Teese tends to firm up as it cools, so I would imagine you would eventually be able to pick them up. But eating them with a spoon would be fun!

I wanted to get in on this contest, but I was too late. :-(

Jenni (aka Vegyogini) said...

Bianca: I forgot to say that I didn't actually eat these! They were too much of a mess, sadly, but maybe I'll try again someday. :)

River - The Crafty Kook said...

Oh man, if we weren't travelling I would totally have entered this challenge!

Too bad the sticks melted into one big gooey thing, but it looks like it would be yummy eaten by the spoonful! :D

Enjoy your month of whole foods!

Debra said...

yummy!
Debra @ Vegan Family Style
PS There is a giveaway on my blog- ends in a few days.. check it out!

vko said...

sounds like fun trying & bet they were still yummy though messy! Am super envious over your last post on the expo, how fab!!

Anonymous said...

I used to love those sticks when I was little, too.
Good for you for getting back to whole foods this month. I'm hoping to do the same very soon. Too much baking lately.