Castello has paired up with foodie adventurer Stefan Gates to craft Easter egg recipes with a cheese twist. Stefan has turned tradition on its head with a cheeky take on the classic egg and soldiers, and a chocolate cream

EggTicker and Cider Fondue

Truffled Tickler and cider fondue served in an egg shell with Tickler soldiers fried in beurre noisette.

Ingredients (serves 4)

350g Castello Tickler Extra-Mature Cheddar (grated)

200ml fine strong cider

1 tablespoon of cornflour, mixed to a paste with 2tbsp cold water

½ tsp Worcester sauce

1tbsp truffle oil

Soldiers

8 slices sourdough

200g Castello Tickler Extra-Mature Cheddar thinly sliced

100g butter for frying

Juice of 1 lemon

Method

  1. Put a thick-bottomed saucepan on a medium heat, add the cider and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat, mix in the grated cheese, cornflour paste and Worcester sauce. Stir gently until all the cheese has melted. It should be as thick as Greek yoghurt, so if you need to thicken or loosen it add more cheese or cider. Keep it warm until you’re ready to serve
  2. Lightly toast the sourdough slices, then make four unbuttered sandwiches with cheddar slices inside
  3. Heat a large knob of butter in a frying pan until sizzling, then just as the butter turns brown, add 1 tbsp of lemon juice and turn one of the sandwiches in it to coat and continue frying until slightly crispy. Repeat with the rest of the sandwiches, then slice them into soldiers and put them on plates
  4. Stir ½ tbsp. truffle oil into the fondue, taste and add another ½ tbsp. if you need to (truffle oils can vary in strength). Put each egg-shell in an egg cup and fill with the fondue (there’ll be more leftover for seconds!) and serve

Drinks

Why not complement the savoury eggs with a chilled glass of champagne or an icy beer. Choose one of Matt Day’s suggestions to bring out the tangy taste of the Tickler:

Leffe Blonde Beer (£2.99 widely available)

Tesco finest* 1531 Blanquette de Limoux (£8.49)

Le Mesnil Blac de Blancs Champagne 2004 (Waitrose £33.99)

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Who would have thought cheese tastes great with chocolate? True to form, Stefan surprises with a delectable dessert that is both quick and fun to conjure up. This recipe is the perfect way to enhance both the pineapple, papaya and almond aromas found in the soft cheese, Pineapple Halo.

Creamy Pineapple and Chocolate Eggs

Pineapple Halo mixed with crème fraiche in a chocolate egg with orange zest

Ingredients (for 2 eggs)

2 hollow chocolate eggs

½ wheel of Castello Pineapple Halo

4tbsp crème fraiche

Zest of one orange

Method

  1. Carefully slice the top off the chocolate eggs using a hot knife dipped in water from a boiled kettle. Put them into egg cups
  2. Put the cheese, crème fraiche and ¾ of the orange zest into a bowl and mix it together with the back of a fork. Fill each eggshell with the mixture, and then put the remaining orange zest on top to look like the yolk

Drinks

This naughty but nice chocolate treat works perfectly with one of the following:

Mimosa (Champagne, Grand Marnier, Fresh Orange Juice)

Brown Brothers Orange Muscat & Flora (Ocado £7.49)

Fontana fredda Moscato D’Asti Moncucco (Asda £12.47)

For more information about the Castello range visit: www.castellocheese.co.uk