Not too long ago I tried emulsifying a bunch of shredded Colby and Mozzarella Cheese, with a fair amount of Olive Oil, and about a tablespoon of honey, in a double boiler, so as to avoid burning anything.
The cheese did melt and it seemed to start to mix, but some oil (or maybe the honey?) remained unintegrated at the edges. Also I think the oil that "mixed" was only sort of folded into cheese. The cheese was shiny, like the oil formed a film over it, but didn't penetrate it.
When I poured it on one of the dishes I've been working on, the cheese was melty in globs for as long as it retained the heat, but when it cooled it stuck to the food in sort of lumps. The taste and texture in my mouth wasn't bad, especially after reheating. It just really didn't look right.
Of course what I'm aiming for here is a kind of cheese sauce; but please don't take this as an invitation to send me every cheese sauce recipe known to man. I'm looking for something that is mostly composed of these principle ingredients: a cooking oil, cheese, and a teensy bit of a sweetener.
And, I want it to work! Please let's hear some culinary science here. Explain stuff. At the very least there can't be any such thing as a universal emulsifier/liaison. Can there? I mean that would be like a universal solvent.
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