Montasio Cheese Crisps

Today I’m sharing about the last of the six cheeses that are part of the ‘From the Heart of Europe’ campaign. I’ve really enjoyed coming up with recipes to share about these delicious cheeses, and a few of the cheeses are going to become regular occupants of our cheese drawer.

While this cheese can be enjoyed in a variety of ways such as being served as a table cheese with delicious mango chutney, or in an indulgent fondue, we created a very easy-to-make recipe for cheese crisps. There’s literally just one ingredient… Montasio cheese!

There are so many ways you can enjoy your cheese crisps! Enjoy them on their own as an appetizer, shape and serve with a delicious homemade salsa, as toppers on a salad, or dipping them in a delicious cup of minestrone soup.

— Montasio PDO —

This cheese belongs to the family of Alpine cheeses and was first made in the year 12000 thanks to the ingenuity of the Benedictine monks. (It seems like we owe much of the creation of the cheeses we enjoy today to the Benedictine monks!) Montasio cheese was first made in a convent located at Moggio Udinese which is run by the Clarissa nuns today. Montasio cheese was first documented on price lists from the city of San Daniele and is produced in the Friuli Venezia Giulia and Veneto regions.

Montasio cheeses are aged from 60 days to over 18 months with the younger versions being more soft and delicate, and the aged versions of this cheese having more aromatic and stronger flavors.

Montasio Cheese Crisps

Ingredients —

1 cup of Montasio PDO or Asiago Cheese (grated)

Directions —

1. Preheat oven to 425F. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet.
2. Drop the Montasio cheese in mounds of 1 tbsp each leaving 1-inch of space between each cheese mound.
3. Bake for 6 minutes, watching carefully. You want your cheese to melt and almost stop bubbling. Do not allow your cheese crisps to brown all the way as this will make your crisps bitter.
4. Allow to cool slightly and serve.

The Montasio PDO cheese was provided by my friends at Sopexa and APO Agriform. All thoughts and opinions are my own.