Fried {Beecher's} Cheese Curds

One of our favorite happy hour places in Bellevue makes these delicious Wisconsin fried cheese curds. I think we managed to make Beecher's fried cheese curds that rival what we get at this particular restaurant, and were perhaps even better. The batter came out perfectly, and we were pretty surprised at how easy it actually was to make this carnival-esque treat.

It's hard to go wrong with anything from the Beecher's store (their macaroni and cheese and grilled cheese sandwiches prepared at their cafe are fabulous and have been labeled among the world's best for good reason).

We made a creamy tomato sauce spiced up with cayenne pepper to eat alongside the cheese curds and some red pepper jelly we had sitting in the cabinet similar to sauces we've eaten at the happy hour restaurant.

We also got a potato baguette from Macrina, some mole salami from Salumi (uniquely spiced with chocolate, cinnamon, ancho, and chipotle peppers like mole sauce) and made a quite delicious version of a meat and cheese board for lunch.

Fried Cheese Curds

from What's Cooking America

• canola oil, for frying
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 cup beer
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 9 ounces of (Beecher's) cheese curds, room temperature

1. In a large pot, heat the canola oil to 375º.
2. Combine egg, 1 tablespoon of canola oil, and beer in a medium sized bowl.
3. In a small bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.
4. Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and mix.
5. Thoroughly coat the cheese curds into the mixture using a spoon.
6. Drop the cheese curds, several at at time, into the hot oil and fry for 1-2 minutes until the outsides are golden brown and puffy. Do not overcook or else melted cheese curd will start oozing out.
7. Remove from oil and drain on paper towel lined plate. Allow to cool for several minutes before eating. Enjoy with a variety of dips, bread, and dried meats.