Finding Inspiration Outside the Recipe Box with Le Gruyère AOP

Like cheese itself—milk, salt, starter culture, rennet—the best recipes involving cheese add up to so much more than the sum of their parts. They fuse cultures, blend unexpected flavors and ingredients, or seem equally ideal for breakfast or dessert. Life is too short—and winter is too long—to get into a cheese rut. 

In a bid to extract ourselves and you from the same-old standard cheese-fare, we’re revisiting Gruyère and looking to cheese producers, chefs, and experts from around the world to keep us sated and inspired, from breakfast until bedtime with unexpected recipes that remind us, once again, how versatile, and surprising cheese can be.  

Gruyère is a light-golden hard Swiss cheese named for the city of Gruyère. Today Le Gruyère AOP is made in Switzerland (PGI Gruyère is made in France). The Alpine cheese is highly meltable, sweet, and slightly salty. In its youth, it tends toward nuttiness, and when fully aged (up to 1 year), it becomes sharper and earthier. Use Le Gruyère AOP in recipes and consider saving the Le Gruyère AOP Reserve (aged for a minimum of 300 days) for cheese plates. Read even more about Le Gruyére d’Alpage AOP. 

Gruyère can be a snacking cheese, but its creamy texture and elasticity when heated make it a go-to in grilled cheese sandwiches, fondue, and French onion soup. One of the most widely available Gruyères available in the U.S. is Emmi Le Gruyère AOP. 

About Gruyère

Cows grazing in Switzerland photo credit Petter Backlund

The first records of Gruyère date back to 1115, when dairy farmers in the Swiss alpine village of Gruyères began preserving their milk into wheels of unctuous, sustaining delectation for times of want. The firm, golden cheese is generally aged for six months or more (longer aging deepens the flavors, aromas and colors), and it is made from cow’s milk. The geographical designation “AOP” provides protection for the name of the cheese in Europe, but in the U.S.? Not so much. Read more about the most recent ruling.

Gruyère Recipes

Distinctive, with creamy, nutty flavors, it is a cheese that will appeal to most palates, and can be deployed in many different recipes. These recipes show a technique you might not expect with Gruyère—baking in biscuits and arancini.

Gruyère Raisin Biscuits 

Serves 16-18 

These Gruyère biscuits are savory, with a touch of sweetness thanks to the raisins, making them a delicious option for breakfast. Jennifer Hernandez, a pastry chef and recipe developer, whips up batches to keep her fueled for her busiest baking days. 

Ingredients:
350 grams all purpose flour, about 2 ¾ cups
2.5 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
.5-1 tsp. dried mustard powder
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Fresh thyme (a few sprigs)
4 oz Gruyère AOP
6 tbsp. grams cold butter
1 cup cream, milk, buttermilk, half-and-half or any combination
¼-1/2 cup golden raisins

Directions:

Grate, dice or crumble Gruyère and set aside in the fridge while you’re prepping the rest of the recipe.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, mustard powder, black pepper and thyme. Whisk to combine.

Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, work butter into flour mixture until sandy with some pea sized lumps.

Add cheese and raisins to the dry mixture.

Using a fork to toss, slowly drizzle in the dairy. Mix with a fork until the mixture just holds together.

Empty the bowl onto a clean, dry surface and pat into a mass about 1” thick.

Cut rounds using a biscuit cutter (a 2 1/4 inch cutter works well).

Gather remaining dough and gently press together and cut more rounds. You should end up with 16-18 small biscuits.

Place biscuits on a parchment lined baking sheet and refrigerate.

Preheat the oven to 425° and about 15 minutes after it’s come to temperature, brush the biscuits with milk or cream and sprinkle with a little extra cheese.

Bake the biscuits for 18-25 minutes until golden brown.

Broken Sleep Soup With Gruyère, Smoked Olive Arancini 

Serves 4-6 

Gruyère is a soulful snack on its own, but in this dish, it becomes soul food. 

Chef Katrina Meynink, author of From Salt to Jam, says the Broken Sleep Soup “feeds the soul as well as the belly.” She suggests making big batches so you can snag it from the freezer for a midnight snack. This is also makes a hearty lunch and a great light dinner. 

Ingredients:

2 cups crushed red tomatoes, or marinara sauce 

4 tablespoons mascarpone

basil leaves and oregano leaves, to scatter

For the Arancini: 

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

4 oz smoked kalamata olives, chopped

8 oz arborio or carnaroli rice

1 cup white wine

2 cups chicken stock

3.5 oz Gruyère AOP, grated

3.5 oz Cheddar, grated

2.75 oz flour

2 large organic free-range eggs, lightly whisked

5.5 oz dry breadcrumbs 

Directions:

To make the arancini, heat the olive oil in a pressure cooker or in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until pale and translucent. Add the garlic and chopped olives and cook until fragrant. Add the rice and cook until toasted, about 1–2 minutes. Add the wine and stock. If using your pressure cooker, add all the wine and stock at once and set to the risotto function and cook for 12–14 minutes.

Alternatively, if using the stovetop method, add the stock gradually, and cook for 15–20 minutes, stirring regularly and adding the wine and stock until the rice is cooked through. Stir the cheeses through until melted. Remove the rice and pop in the fridge, uncovered, for an hour or so, or until the rice has cooled, feels lightly sticky and is easy to handle.

Preheat the oven to 360 degrees. 

Roll the risotto into balls, approximately the size of golf balls. Roll the balls in flour, then beaten egg, followed by the breadcrumbs to coat, shaking off any excess. Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake for 20 minutes, turning gently halfway through to get a nice even brown crust.

To make the soup, add the bloody useful red sauce and passata to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring often to prevent catching, until warmed through. If it seems too thick, you can thin it out with a dash of stock. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Scoop into bowls, add a dollop of mascarpone and top with 2–3 arancini per serve. You can halve these and scatter over the top. Add a few basil and oregano leaves and serve.