The Great Nacho Experiment

This one’s for you, Kim.

My good friend That’s What She Said recently grabbed life by the horns, joined the Peace Corps and moved to Cameroon. She left behind not only several beloved friends but lots of good food as well, cheese topping the list of foods she misses most. When she requested that I write about nachos I was initially stumped, nachos not being a food that I eat too often or that I ever order in a restaurant, but I knew that for TWSS’s sake I had to give it a go. Thus the idea for Nacho Night was born. The mission: gather together a group of TWSS’s friends, a couple of bags of tortilla chips, and a wide variety of cheeses, and experiment. On a recent Saturday night I did just that, wrangling up the stellar and incredibly game group of T-bone, Grandmaster Flash, Doogin, Joe-C, Dr. Jones, Cy, Thomas and Lia. The endeavor was met with resounding unanimous approval and I must say from my morning after vantage, detritus covering the counters of my kitchen and the scent of cheese lingering in the air, Nacho Night was an undeniable success. Thanks to everyone for bringing all of the fabulous cheese and toppings and for sharing all of your feedback!

Smoked Cheddar and Swiss

The hickory smoked cheddar and swiss mix was an early favorite. The mellow smoothness of this cheese was interrupted just enough by a punch of smokiness and it melted to a lovely creamy consistency.

Chipotle Cheddar

This was a good tasting cheese but there was some disappointment about the level of spiciness. There were comments across the board expressing a desire for more kick. Joe-C called it “all cheddar, no spice”. It turned a touch greasy in the oven.

Sharp Cheddar and Olive

A good classic combination but nothing thrilling or exotic. Thomas and Lia described it as a “successful American classic. Refined yet simple; can’t miss”. Use this cheese when you don’t want anything fancy.

Gouda

The gouda had an interesting sharp flavor but dried out a bit in the oven. Doogin made the observation that it could have used a secondary flavor; I would suggest tomatoes or peppers.

Feta, Olives and Peppers

The Greek salad nachos were made with feta, black olives and red and orange peppers. Actual Greek salad works well because the salty feta and olives are balanced out by the cucumber’s freshness. When you substitute cucumbers with tortilla chips it turns into salt overload. These nachos would have been better with less feta and olives and more peppers, and perhaps a tzatziki to dip them in.

Brie and Date; Chevre and Fig

One of the highlights of the night was the brie and date combination. I was initially concerned about how the brie would melt over the chips, but I needn’t have worried as it came out perfectly and was a nice mellow accompaniment to the dates, while the saltiness of the chips was perfectly suited to the creamy and sweet flavors of the toppings. Dr. Jones called it “soooo addictivly good!”.

Tart chevre is meant to be eaten with figs. The flavor combination of this round was right enough, but a problem derived from the texture of the cheese. Chevre is heavenly when warmed in the oven but doesn’t melt properly for nachos. We were left with little messy globs that didn’t adhere to the chips.

Gorgonzola

The Gorgonzola nachos were much too salty, mainly due to my mistake of putting on twice as much cheese as was necessary. With a lighter sprinkling and some fresh veggies to counteract the salt they might have worked well.

Chained to the stove

Kraft Singles

The award for most failed experiment of the night has to go to the Kraft single nachos. These moved past the territory of merely “not good” straight through to the realm of disgusting. It reminded one of melted plastic. Grandmaster Flash ventured the opinion that they might go over well if served in a Midwestern diner, or perhaps at a bowling alley. I think he’s giving them too much credit. DO NOT MAKE THESE NACHOS.

Salt and Pepper Kettle Chips with Cheddar and Mozzarella

A last minute experiment was made of some salt and ground pepper Kettle Chips found in the back of Cy and Dr. Jones’s car. Feeling the spirit of adventure we decided to make a go of it and stuck them in the oven with some sharp cheddar and mozzarella. “I wonder if potato chip nachos would be good?” queried T-bone. A minute later she answered herself with a resounding “yes!”. This batch was definitely the sleeper of the night and, even though it was the last one to be made and we were all full to bursting when they came out of the oven, people continued to pick at them for the remainder of the party. They reminded one of a baked potato with cheese, but greasier and crispier.

Whew! I don’t think any of us had eaten so many different kinds of cheese in such a short period of time and let me tell you that it required some stamina. I now have a fridge full of leftover cheese and absolutely no desire to eat any of it. Nonetheless, I thoroughly enjoyed Nacho Night and hope to have more in the future. I need an excuse to try out my idea for elephant ear nachos! Next time…

Oh, the mess…

Big John’s PFI

Tucked away in the back of a parking lot just south of Chinatown, Big John’s PFI (Pacific Food Importers) is not a place you will find unless you know what you are looking for and not a place you would think to go to unless you are in the restaurant business. This should not discourage you from checking it out as it’s a fun place to visit for the layman as well as the professional, although I must admit I am sometimes intimidated by the chefs in their whites, striding purposefully through the aisles while I meander aimlessly, gawking at all of the exotics.

PFI is not really a grocery but rather a small warehouse, packed with bulk food from the Mediterranean. There are shelves and shelves of imported delicacies, from top quality olive oil, whole Moroccan lemons preserved in salted water, jars of caviar, cans of ghee and solid coconut oil to giant blocks of halvah, several varieties of Italian cookies, French chocolates and boxes of Turkish Delight. Local chefs come here to stock their restaurants and the air is alive with the fragrance of spices, sold in bulk in giant white tubs. The deli case up front sells a variety of fresh cut Italian meats and cheeses. The cheese is sold at a one pound minimum and each piece has a helpful little sign featuring a hand drawn cartoon cow, goat or sheep describing the taste and texture. Don’t be afraid to ask for a sample.

If you cook a lot, or if you just really, really like cheese, PFI is a great place to stock up on inexpensive, quality ingredients.

Big John’s PFI

1001 6th Ave S Level B

Seattle, WA 98134

Hours: Monday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm

Tuesday – Friday 9:00 am – 6:00 pm

Saturday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

(206) 682-2022