Broccoli Cheese Melts

[ciara]

Hello

My husband over the last 10 years has asked for Broccoli Cheese Melts -- he used to get them in restaurants as a teen and young adult.....

he told me they were made with a soft malaeable cheeder (ie velveeta)... and whole broccoli, breaded and fryed...i tried this - and there was no way to get the cheese to stick to the broccoli (even if its dry) and then the bread crumbs to stick to the cheese -- long enough to deep fry... (it falls apart before i get it from counter to fryer..)

I know i can make a mixture of cheese and shredded broccoli - freeze that in balls and dip the frozen ball in bread crumbs before frying - however this is not the recipe he is after - as the taste etc is diiferent when its a chopped broccoli mixture.....

can you help?

Web Pot Pourri

[sugar_n_spice]

hi my daughter loves these too! i have tried several ways but to no avail id liek soem recipes too!! thanks for asking

[jywharff]

The only way I thought I can think that you can get the breading to stick to the broccoli, is...dip it in an egg wash..ie..beat an egg and a couple of Tbsp. of milk. Then, put it in a bag with your crumb breading. And, I also think if you steam the broccoli....cool it...then dip it in the wash...then, bread it. This is the one way I can think it will stick. And, it won't be tough.

J.Y.Wharff

[ciara]

ah yes -- that would get the bread crumbs to stick to the broccoli - but then we still have the issue of the cheese needing to be between the broccoli and the bread crumbs... thanks for the info though..

[navywife]

try freezing them once they are breaded before you fry them. This helps the breading stay put. A chef gave me that tip for fried mushrooms and I don't see why it wouldn't work for those too.

[nagymom]

The only suggestion I can come up with (and I did check google for you!) is to chop or shred the cheese and "stuff" it in among the parts of brocolli then partially flash freeze before rolling in the bread crumbs/breading. Then freeze again (I have read that tip too navywife so it must be a good one. ) before frying or however you fix them. I have some fresh brocolli myself so may have to try this.

Good luck with whatever you try and let us know if you ever come up with the right one.

Jayne

[ciara]

thanks for your help nagymom...not sure i am ready to 'go' for it yet... hehe...

[sweeper42003]

Jump right in ... I too have been searching and experimenting with a similar situation since I had fried red tomatoes at a place in Chicago. That was the killer ~ there was cheese (parm) between the tomatoe and the breading. How does one make a batter type dip like how some boxed fish has? Perhaps two types of breading ~ one that is a thicker coating type that stay 'cohesive' and then bread that with more crumb like breading?

I've not heard of the broc but my dad used to slice bread and fry cauliflower (sans the cheese). Yum.

[AmandaTheMom]

Maybe part of the solution is to use sliced cheese rather than grated. You can sort of wrap it around it and then bread that. Don't know, just a guess.

[J. Nieb]

I too have tried to get this recipe for sometime. I hope if anyone out there has it .... that it will be sent out for all to have.
TGIFridays is the place that had them. I have even gone to their site to see if they would give out the recipe, since they no longer serve them. But, they still will not respond. Maybe if we all contact them! They will either give out the recipe, or start to serve them again. It was not small bites of broccoli, but whole pieces wrapped in cheese, breaded and fried. They were the best! Hope one of us can come up with this Wonderful Recipe!
Happy Hunting!