Mrs Marlowe’s Cheese Rolls
We are, in this house, very big fans of Kiwi detective series The Brokenwood Mysteries. We started watching it seven years ago, and we relish it every time it’s back on our screens. Jules and I also love Midsomer Murders, so of course watching Mike Shepherd (Neill Rea) and Kristin Sims (Fern Sutherland) solve bizarre, sometimes gory murders in a small New Zealand town would appeal to us. One of the things we particularly love about it, is all the recurring characters, which of course, you would expect in a small town. So, besides our favourite detectives, over the years, we also follow the many small business ventures Frodo Oates (yes, Frodo; it’s a nickname of course, but still) tries his hand at, the many doomed flings Jools Fahey has embarked on since she and lawyer Dennis Buchanan, who has represented everyone and their mother at this point, broke up, or the wide range of eateries Ray Nielson has opened whilst his sister Trudy still owns The Frog and Cheetah... There’s also the pastor, the gay pharmacist who is currently Brokenwood’s mayor, the Antiques dealer... and there’s Mrs Marlowe. We adore Mrs Marlowe! She’s a busy eldery lady who plays the organ at church, visits pensioners at the retirement home and inmates at the Women’s Prison, and takes part into heaps of other hobbies, festivals and clubs, likes a good gossip over a Flat White and always hopes the murders are bloodier than they are in reality! She also bakes mean cheese rolls and always seem to have some with her.
These delightfully cheesy treats are a South Island staple, and definitely a comfort if you’ve just stumbled over a dead body. And I may have wanted to make a batch of those for the past seven years! So here are, finally, Mrs Marlowe’s Cheese Rolls! Happy Brokenwood Mysteries Sunday!
Ingredients (makes half a dozen):
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 small onion
2 heaped tablespoons plain flour
1 heaped teaspoon Dijon Mustard
1 cup semi-skimmed milk
a pinch of salt and freshly cracked black pepper
nutmeg
90 grams/3 ounces Mature English Cheddar
1 heaped tablespoon sour cream
6 slices Soft White Bread
softened butter, for spreading
In a small saucepan, melt butter over a medium flame.
Chop the onion halve finely. Once the butter is just foaming, add the chopped onion, and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, a couple of minutes until softened.
Then, stir in the flour, all at once. Cook out, 1 minute. Sir in Dijon Mustard; cook, 1 minute more. Remove from the heat, and gradually stir in milk until smooth, and lump-free. Return over the heat, and cook, stirring constantly until Béchamel thickens. Season with salt and black pepper. Grate in about two-thirds of the Cheddar, and stir over the flame, with the wooden spoon, until completely melted. Remove from the heat. Add sour cream and grate in remaining Cheddar. Give a quick, gentle stir; you do not want the cheese to melt completely at this stage.
Set aside, and allow Cheddar Béchamel to cool completely at room temperature, an hour.
Preheat oven to 200°C/395°F. Line a baking tray with baking paper; set aside.
Using a rooling pin, flatten Soft White Bread slices. Butter each on one side.
Then, place one of the Soft White Bread slice, buttered side down, onto a cutting board. Spread a heaped tablespoonful of the Cheddar Béchamel onto the plain side, and roll, as tightly as you can. Place the roll “seam” side down onto prepared baking tray, and repeat with remaining Soft White Bread slices and Cheesy Béchamel until you have six generously filled rolls.
Bake in the middle of the hot oven, at 200°C/395°F, until golden brown and bubbly.
Enjoy Mrs Marlowe’s Cheese Rolls hot or warm, with dressed lettuce, a glass of chilled Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and a delightful episode of The Brokenwood Mysteries, of course!
Mrs Marlowe (Elizabeth McRae) and Mike Shepherd (Neil Rea)