NOT Recipe Sunday, but cheese should never wait.

(I was at Valencia Wine Company last night.  I ordered the large cheese and meat plate.  I wanted to spend the time identifying more than the smoked Gouda, Brie and Swiss but…I was sharing with my husband and his co-worker Mary.  Suffice it to say – I was too busy holding onto the one knife, just to get my due share, to find out.  Today I linger over these…)
 

Grill-Worthy Recipes with Wisconsin Cheese

Longer days, warmer temperatures and the month of May all signify the start of another great grilling season. May is officially National Barbeque Month and nearly 90 percent of Americans plan to enjoy grilled food in their own backyard this summer.*

Fire up the grill and find menu inspiration with these recipes from Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board:
 
Pork Sliders with Wisconsin Blue Cheese Sauce — marinate pork steaks in a sweet and spicy mixture, then grill and top with a creamy Blue Cheese sauce.

Fusilli Chicken Salad with Wisconsin Fontina — toss grilled chicken with pasta, fresh vegetables, Fontina Cheese and a vinaigrette. This recipe is the perfect solution for leftover grilled chicken.

Wisconsin Gorgonzola Ale Sauce — dress up grilled steaks with a flavorful sauce made with onions, amber ale and crumbled Gorgonzola Cheese.

Or, if cheeseburgers are more your style, visit the Cheese & Burger Society microsite at CheeseAndBurger.com, to discover more than 30 mouth-watering cheeseburger inspirations.

High-resolution photography of the recipes is available. For photos, please contact Marlena Deutsch, mdeutsch@stephanbrady.com or (608) 241-4141 x229.For more recipes featuring Wisconsin Cheese, visit www.EatWisconsinCheese.com.

Pork Sliders with Wisconsin Blue Cheese Sauce
Serves 4 (2 sliders per serving)

Ingredients:
Marinade:
3/4 cup whole grain honey mustard
1 tablespoon liquid from can of chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
1 tablespoon cilantro, minced
1/8 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup shallots, sliced
2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
Juice and zest of 1 lime
1/2 tablespoon cracked black pepper

4 8-ounce boneless pork steaks, preferably flatiron cut

Sauce:
1 shallot, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons dry white wine
1 3/4 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups (about – 9 ounces) Wisconsin Blue Cheese
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar or to taste

8 slider buns, preferably rye
2 cups baby arugula

Cooking Directions:
Combine all marinade ingredients. Whisk well to mix. Place steaks in heavy resealable plastic bag. Pour marinade over. Seal and refrigerate overnight.

For sauce, sauté shallot and garlic in butter until limp. Add wine and let boil until wine almost totally evaporates. Add cream, Blue Cheese, thyme, salt and pepper. Turn heat to low and cook until mixture is reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Add vinegar to taste. Pour sauce into blender beaker and puree until mixture is smooth. Cool.

Remove steaks from marinade and wipe dry. Grill outdoors or stovetop until cooked through. To assemble sliders, cut steaks in half. Place each piece on bottom of bun and top with blue cheese sauce, arugula and bun tops.
 
Fusilli Chicken Salad With Wisconsin Fontina
Serves 6 

Ingredients:
1/2 cup balsamic or red wine vinegar
2/3 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh tarragon, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 pound fusilli or rotini, cooked according to package directions and drained
3/4 cup roasted red peppers, julienne cut
3/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) Wisconsin Fontina Cheese, julienne cut
1/2 cup grated Wisconsin Parmesan Cheese

Cooking Directions:
Whisk together vinegar, olive oil, tarragon, salt and pepper. Reserve 1 cup. Pour remaining dressing into a plastic zippered bag, add chicken and marinate 30 minutes or more.
Grill or broil chicken 15 to 20 minutes, turning once until fully cooked. Slice thinly when cool enough to handle.
In a large bowl, toss together pasta, peppers, onions, Fontina, Parmesan, reserved dressing and chicken.

Wisconsin Gorgonzola Ale Sauce
Serves 6

Ingredients:
2 pounds (about 7 cups) yellow onions, diced
1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 cup amber ale
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons chives, minced
2 tablespoons red bell pepper, minced
2 cups (14 ounces) Wisconsin Gorgonzola Cheese, crumbled 
6 porterhouse or strip steaks, grilled to desired doneness.

Cooking Directions:
Sauté onion in oil over low heat until reduced by half, caramelized and golden brown, about 20 minutes. Stir in ale, and season with salt, pepper and thyme; cook over low heat until liquid is reduced by one-third. Stir in lemon zest. Add chives and bell pepper; cook 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in crumbled Wisconsin Gorgonzola Cheese; serve immediately over grilled steaks.