NOLA Munchkin's Thunder Cheese

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded

1 cup mayo

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

3-4 green onions, chopped

dash red pepper flakes [to taste, you may want more or omit it altogether] 

dash cayenne pepper  [to taste, you may want more or omit it altogether] 

Mix all ingredients together and chill in fridge. It is quite edible right after it is made also.

My tweaks:

I added 2 seeded and chopped jalapeno peppers and 3 slices chopped crispy bacon. 

Origins:

Our dear friends NOLA Munchkin and Scootr Bud introduced us to Thunder Cheese from Canseco's Market on Esplanade in New Orleans. over a year ago and we loved it! They do too so NOLA gradually let his taste buds decipher the recipe and started making it at home. [MUCH CHEAPER TRUST ME] He was generous to give us this recipe and agreed to let us share it here. 

Cauliflower Mash

I have been reworking this recipe for years trying to get it as close as possible to a mashed potatoes type consistency and finally have it down to a science. After numerous requests it seems time to get it out of my head and onto my blog. 

Cauliflower Mash

*One medium to large head of cauliflower

*One stick of butter (not margarine)

*One container of onion and chive cream cheese

*Heavy whipping cream

*Salt, pepper, and granulated garlic

Equipment: pot with lid, (a steamer basket if steaming is preferred) colander, lots of paper towels, hand-held potato masher, electric hand mixer, large bowl.

Steam or boil cauliflower til done. 

Line colander with two layers of paper towels. 

Drain cauliflower as much as possible, then dump into paper towel lined colander. Cover cauliflower with a couple more layers of paper towels and use the handheld potato masher to begin to press down on the paper towels, pressing as much water out as possible. 

You will need to change out the paper towels frequently and keep pressing until no water comes up through the paper towels as you mash. This will significantly compress your cauliflower by about half, normally.

In an appropriate sized mixing bowl, slice up the stick of butter and dump the butter and the entire carton of cream cheese into the bottom of the bowl. 

Dump the hot cauliflower on top of the cream cheese and butter in the bowl. Season with salt pepper and granulated garlic. Use your hand mixer to begin whipping the cauliflower with the cheese and butter underneath. Add a splash of heavy whipping cream as often as needed to make the mixture creamy. Mix on high to break up all of the chunks. Adjust salt, pepper and granulated garlic as you go. 

*Reheats well in the microwave and freezes well, also. 

**I occasionally swap out the onion and chive cream cheese for garlic and herb cream cheese. I have used generic and Philadelphia brand and the Philadelphia brand seems to taste and melt better.

 

***Mashing out the water in the cauliflower by hand while swapping out soaked paper towels isn't fun but the end result is well worth it! 

It pairs well with Mississippi Pot Roast and as the mashed potato layer in Shepherds Pie. 

Close up view of the fluffiness and consistency.