Around three months ago, at the age of 25, I discovered that I like marmite. What had once been the horrible, burnt tasting “wasp honey” I had tasted as a child was now a wonderfully, sticky, salt and slightly bitter nectar. I’ve since become obsessed, using it in pretty much every sauce and stew since then, not to mention spreading it on toast for breakfast the past few months.
A huge revelation for me was how well it paired with cheese. The two melt into each other in a beautiful lava that is a savoury explosion. The moment I discovered this I knew I needed to put the two together in a dip. The dip itself is beautifully easy to put together – just a lovely white sauce bolstered by wine. Most importantly – keep it warrrrrm. It’s meant to be melty and oozy, you don’t want this seizing up.
Ingredients
- Around a cup of grated mature cheddar cheese
- Marmite
- Butter
- Flour
- White wine
- Paprika
- Whole milk
Method
- Melt around 1tbsp of butter in a saucepan and add 1tbsp flour. Stir over a very low heat for 4-5 minutes until smooth, brown and nutty. This is the thickening base of the sauce, but do bear in mind that you’ll also be adding cheese.
- Add 1/2 cup of white wine and stir through, increasing the heat to medium. After a minute or two, add another 1/2 cup or so of milk. When it has reached a decent simmer, it should be nicely thick. If too thick, add more milk. If too thin, cook for a few more minutes until it reduces a tad.
- Stir through the grated cheese and a spoonful or two of paprika. Once it’s nice and cheesy begin adding your marmite a teaspoonful at a time. Stir it through, taste, add more if you please. Maybe you just want a hint, maybe you want the full hit. It’s your choice!
- Serve immediately, keeping it warm if you can.
