For those not familiar with the term, a ‘cheese pull’ is when the ooey-gooiness of cheese is perfectly stretched out and filmed for a food video on social media. It is something commonly seen in dishes such as toasties and pizza.
In fact, it’s so coveted, the hashtag #cheesepull has 980M views on TikTok.
Her trick for maximum viral deliciousness? “Get a bit of cheese string – that is epic. Or Gouda, I love Gouda – it gives you the best cheese pull ever.”
Vernon, 33, is a video-retoucher-turned-chef, and you can see her recipes (and cheese pulls) on Caught Snackin’s social media pages.
Originally started by three colleagues at a creative agency in April 2020, Caught Snackin’ now has 2.3M followers and 42.4M likes on TikTok. It is said to be the UK’s fastest-growing food channel.
In Caught Snackin’s book, the recipes are all about making things as accessible as possible – particularly for people who don’t know how to cook.
“Our recipes include all the basic steps, because we want people to learn the foundations, before becoming creative in the kitchen.”
Giant pan cookie
Ingredients:
(Serves 4)
120g unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
50g light brown sugar
50g caster sugar
1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk
1tsp vanilla extract
160g plain flour
½tsp bicarbonate of soda
Generous pinch of salt
100g milk or dark chocolate, roughly chopped
Vanilla ice cream, to serve (optional)
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4.
2. In a large bowl, combine the butter and both sugars until you have a smooth, thick paste. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla, and mix until smooth.
3. Sift in the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt, and mix once more. You should have a thick, sticky dough.
4. Fold through the chopped chocolate and form the dough into a large ball.
5. Butter an ovenproof frying pan or skillet and add the cookie dough. Flatten the dough with your hands and press it out to fill the base of the pan.
6. Transfer to the oven and bake for 12 minutes until the cookie is golden, but still soft and gooey in the centre, with melting chocolate pieces.
7. Present the cookie in the pan with four large scoops of ice cream (if using) in the centre. Spoon the cookie and melting ice cream into bowls to serve. Alternatively, dive straight in with spoons for the ultimate sharer!
Rustic ravioli lasagne
Ingredients:
(Serves 4)
450ml tomato pizza sauce
500g fresh vegetarian ravioli (such as butternut squash or mushroom filling)
18 mozzarella cheese slices
Drizzle of olive oil
Salt and pepper
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 190°C/gas mark 5.
2. Pour one-third of the tomato sauce across the base of a large oven dish and top with one-third of the ravioli, in a single layer. Arrange six slices of mozzarella across the top and season with salt and pepper. Repeat this layering twice more.
3. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 25 minutes, until golden and bubbling, then serve.
Croque madame croissant bake
Ingredients:
(Serves 4)
4 croissants
4 thick slices of honey-roast ham
100g grated Cheddar cheese
6 eggs
20ml double cream
100ml whole milk
¼tsp salt
¼tsp cracked black pepper
Knob of salted butter
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4.
2. Slice the croissants in half and fill with the ham and half the cheese. Arrange the filled croissants on a baking tray with a shallow lip.
3. Lightly beat two of the eggs in a medium-sized bowl, then stir in the double cream, whole milk, remaining Cheddar and salt and pepper.
4. Pour the egg mixture over the croissants and bake for 12 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling.
5. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat and fry the remaining four eggs.
6. Remove the croissant bake from the oven and serve straight away, with each portion topped with a crispy fried egg.
Caught Snackin’: 100 Recipes. Simple. Fast. Flavoursome. is published by Hamlyn