Cheese, milk's leap to immortality, is probably food world's most versatile quick change artist. You'll find cheese in savory dishes and sweet, it can be complex or simple, it's quite the complicated commodity. On this episode we made one of my favorite cheese dishes - the Crown Roast of Cheese.

Crown Roast of Cheese

This is delicious with a salad and a good chardonnay or pinot grigio.

You'll need:

-4 tablespoons butter
-7 half-inch-thick slices bread (sourdough is nice, but any kind will do)
-1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
-2 eggs
-1 cup milk
-1 teaspoon salt
-1/4 teaspoon paprika
-Pinch of cayenne
-1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

Preheat the oven to 350¡F, and grease your casserole dish (butter will do nicely). Butter all slices of bread. Cut two slices twice on the bias (from corner to corner), creating eight triangles-set these aside. Cube the remaining bread (there should be about 4 cups). Layer the bread cubes in your buttered casserole dish alternately with the grated cheese until you've run out of both cheese and bread.

In a small bowl, beat the remaining ingredients together and pour over the casserole, then place the triangles of bread around the edge, forming a crown. Bake for 25 minutes and serve immediately.

Serves 4 as a main dish, 6 as a side

This recipe is also available I my new book Brini Maxwell's Guide to Gracious Living, available right here on this site!

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