Havarti Cheese - best easy uses?

[laredo]

I am not familiar with this cheese. Am planning to take it to my mother who doesn't cook anymore. Can you suggest easy applications?

Grilled cheese sandwiches??

Thanks!

[kellylee]

Halve a baguette, rub with a cut garlic clove, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle on some red chili flake, a little salt and pepper, cover in thinly sliced havarti and broil until bubbly. Yum! Serve with tomato soup?

[tzurriz]

I love it on really good crackers, topped with fresh salsa. I know, it's a strange combination, but it works.

[DonShirer]

You might try sourcing the real thing from a specialty cheese shop. Some Havarti I've found on supermarket shelves has been on the blah side. Grocers also seem to stock the flavored varieties with dill, etc. mixed in. I usually prefer the plain version.

[laredo]

Thanks very much to everybody.

Delicious ideas! Now I'm starving!

[Veggo]

It's in my rotation for cheeseburgers. Its fine flavor and meltability are a daily double. With crackers, havarti with dill or horseradish is good. Let them get to room temp.

[Emme]

i'm not sure if this constitutes easy, but i use it in baked mac'n'cheese with cheddar, gruyere/emmantaler, evaporated milk, egg, and a little panko and parmesan to finish...

[Joebob]

Boil leeks. Cut in half the long way. Place cut sides up in an oven-proof dish. Top with havarti slices. Broil until melted, brown and bubbling.

[Terrie H.]

When I was at the University of Maryland in the late '70s, there was an old drug store that still had a lunch counter, but they had gone healthy and current with their food. They served what I still consider one of the best open-faced sandwiches ever. Multigrain bread with sunflower seeds, tuna salad that had little mayo but a good amount of seasoning, topped with a thin slice of tomato and a handful of sprouts, then topped with a good amount of sliced Havarti. Put under the broiler so the cheese was melty but the tuna wasn't hot.

And then you would get a freshly made lemonade they squeezed just for you. Guess you can imagine where my freshman 15 came from...

[Breezychow]

First, TASTE IT. There is "young" Havarti and "Aged" Havarti. The young is very mild, but obviously the aged is much stronger.

Both melt well, but you'd still be advised to taste what you have before using it.

[luciaannek]

Havarti is my personal fave for breakfast sandwiches.

[biondanonima]

I like the way havarti melts, so yes, grilled cheese would be excellent. It would be nice in an omelet or scrambled eggs as well. It gets pretty soft at room temperature, so it has a nice texture for eating plain or with crackers, or on sandwiches, etc. You could throw it into your mix for mac and cheese, fondue or any other cheese sauce as well.

[MRS]

I second biodanonima's suggestions. I would think about cutting it thin for easier, even melting depending on what you are melting it on. I love to eat it on a grilled veggie sandwich, too. very smooth.