​Beer Battered Cheese Curds: A Recipe that Defines Wisconsin

What’s better than cheese curds and beer? Cheese curds with beer!

When I was 27, I spent a year in New Zealand. During that time, one of the things I missed the most about home was deep fried cheese and good beer.

Not that New Zealand is an outlier in the craft beer trend. I have tried some pretty good craft ales while over there, but the ales of New Zealand don’t compete against the diverse varieties of Wisconsin’s own craft breweries. I'm a personal fan of ambers, lagers and ales.

(If you’re going to drink in New Zealand, you’re better off with their wine. I recommend a Sauvignon Blanc from the Marlborough region, which you can find at your local grocery store).

As for the deep fried cheese, well, my Kiwi friends thought I was crazy.

“You’ll give yourself a heart attack,” one of my flatmates cried when I told her deep fried cheese was a Wisconsin staple.

“Hasn’t happened yet,” I replied.

So I made homemade mozzarella sticks for a potluck one evening. I took a big block of New Zealand mozzarella and cut it into sticks, battered them up, and fried them in some vegetable oil. The whole flat smelled like home.

Friends, I had maybe two sticks before they disappeared. They were a big hit at the party.

If beer and cheese curds on their own represent what it means to be a Sconnie, then combining them can only elicit the Ultimate Sconnie Culinary Experience.

This recipe is not the recipe I used in New Zealand, but it comes pretty close to capturing the essence of Wisconsin.

BEER BATTERED CHEESE CURDS

Ingredients

For the batter:

8oz Wisconsin craft beer (preferably an IPA)

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 egg

1 tablespoon salt

For the main event:

1 cup vegetable oil (or another oil of your choosing)

1 12oz bag Cedar Grove Fresh Cheddar Cheese Curds, chilled

Directions

Whisk together beer, baking powder, flour, egg and salt in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Let rest a couple minutes.

Fill a 12-inch frying pan with oil and place on medium heat.

Mix cheese curds into batter until evenly coated. Place one-by-one into hot frying pan, but don’t overcrowd. Fry curds in batches, flipping them as they turn golden brown.

Place finished cheese curds on a dish with paper towel to catch the grease.

Eat warm. Delicious on their own or with Honey Acres HoneyHot Mustard!