Cheddar Pub Cheese with Everything Pita Chips

This Cheddar Pub Cheese with Everything Pita Chips is the perfect little appetizer for unexpected guests! It’s loaded with cheddar and beer flavor!

Hello and Happy Monday friends (if that’s even a thing).

So how was everyone’s weekend? I hope you spent it soaking up all that summer has to offer. It was a bit steamy and stormy here on Friday, but then Mother Nature came to her senses and the rest of the weekend was summer picture perfect!

So this week  at the BHK we’re having a little cocktail party. Care to join me?

Cocktail parties are a regular thing during the summer months at our house. Friends often stop by unexpectedly, either by land or by sea, and you know me, I’m totally prepared. This is the kind of stuff I live for. I’ve got a freezer full of olive balls just begging to be popped in the oven at the drop of a hat. And I’ve always got the fixins’ for a killer cheese tray. Doesn’t everyone?

This year I decided that I needed to make my own Cheddar Pub Cheese. We go through pub cheese like nobody’s business. Our good friend Dan turned us onto it a few years back and we’ve been hooked ever since. At the rate I was buying it, I knew I had to start making my own. Is it just me, or do you notice the containers getting smaller and the prices getting higher?

I saw this recipe in the January 2017 issue of Bon Appétit and knew it would be perfect for the cheese tray this summer. It’s a smooth spreadable cheese that’s packed with cheddar and beer flavor. You’ll need flat, room temperature beer for the recipe, but once the beer’s good to go it will only take ten minutes tops til the cheese is ready for the cheese tray. I like to serve mine with my homemade pita chips with everything seasoning, my total fave! Hope you’re a fan too. Enjoy!

Hope you can stop back on Thursday when I’ll be sharing a delicious little cocktail I whipped up with the help of my friends at Powell & Mahoney Craft Cocktail Mixers. Hint: get your cherry pitter ready guys. This one’s gonna be good!

Cheddar Pub Cheese with Everything Pita Chips

Author: MaryAnn Dwyer

Servings: 4 -6 servings

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 14 minutes mins

Total Time 24 minutes mins

Ingredients  

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• 2 cups mild cheddar coarsely grated, room temperature
• 2 cups sharp cheddar coarsely grated, room temperature
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon Colman’s mustard powder
• 1/8 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1/8 tsp. kosher salt
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• 6 ounces flat brown ale room temperature (I used Dundee Honey Brown Ale)
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped chives
• 4 pitas
• 4-5 Tbsp. olive oil
• Everything Seasoning:
• 2 Tbsp. dried chopped onion toasted
• 1 Tbsp. pretzel salt or coarse salt
• 1 Tbsp. black sesame seed I got mine at Williams-Sonoma
• 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds regular
• 1 Tbsp. poppy seeds

Instructions 

• Pulse cheeses and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. Add the Worcestershire, mustard powder, hot sauce, salt and cayenne and pulse until well combined. With motor running, slowly add beer and pulse until mixture is smooth about 5 minutes.
• Transfer to serving bowl. Top with chives.
• Can be made 2 days ahead. Place in an airtight container in refrigerator. Before serving, bring to room temperature.
• Pita Chips:
• Everything seasoning: Place the dried chopped onion on a parchment lined baking sheet and toast in the oven for 3 minutes. Keep a close eye on the onion because it tends to burn rather quickly. You want it to be a nice golden brown. Cool, then place in a small bowl. Add next 4 topping ingredients and stir together. Set aside.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside. Cut each pita into 8 wedges. Brush front and back of each pita chip with olive oil. Sprinkle tops with some everthing seasoning. Place pita chips on prepared sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until lightly browned. They can go from lightly browned to burnt rather quickly, so keep a close watch.

Before your first bite, snap a photo and share!If you make this recipe, I'd love to see! Be sure to follow thebeachhousekitchen on Instagram and tag Mention @thebeachhousekitchen or tag #thebeachhousekitchen!

Adapted from Bon Appétit