Cheese us, Christ!

Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake

2011-09-04T07:05:00.000-07:00

It was high time I featured a desert here. With Labor Day coming tomorrow signaling the end of summer, I decided to honor the lemon. I found this recipe in The Yogurt Bible.

I can't remember the last time I made a cheesecake by hand. It's been so long, in fact, that I had to borrow a 9 inch spring pan from my mother. This is not your usual cheesecake. When I think of cheesecake, a dense cheesy slab of sweet creamy goodness comes to mind; thick and leaving you stuffed. But this one is light and bursting with the refreshing flavor of fresh lemon. The shortbread cookie crust helps out too. Also, it's more of a tart thickness even though it's made in a full size spring form pan. You don't have to limit this to blueberries. I'll try this again with fresh raspberries or a canned cherry pie filling. Whatever you decide, this is a delicious desert that will be gone before you reach for the second slice.

Preheat oven to 300 F.

9 inch springform pan, ungreased

CRUST:
1 1/2 cups shortbread cookies or graham cracker crumbs (put through food processor)
1/4 cup butter, melted

CHEESECAKE
2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 cup lemon yogurt
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
1tbsp grated lemon zest
1tsp vanilla extract
2 cups fresh blueberries

1. Crust: in a bowl, combine cookie crumbs and butter and press in to bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of spring form pan. Bake in a preheated over for 6 minutes or until firm but not browned. Let cool for at least 10 minutes.

2. Cheesecake: In a large bowl, combine cream cheese and sugar. Using an electric mixer, beat on low speed for 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating for about 30 seconds after each addition. Beat for 2-3 minutes on low-medium speed until well combined. Add yogurt, condensed milk, lemon zest, and vanilla and beat for 2 to 3 minutes on medium speed.

3. Scrape cheesecake mixture over crust in spring form pan. Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes or until the edge is firm. The center may be cracked and slightly wobbly. Turn off the oven and let cheesecake cool for 30 minutes in the oven with the door ajar. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and let cool completely. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. Serve garnished with fresh berries.

Blue Cheese and Walnut Wafers

2011-08-21T11:43:00.000-07:00

Finally, a slice and bake for cheese lovers! Come to think of it, I'd probably still be a good Catholic girl if the communion wafers where made out of Blue Cheese.

I came across this recipe somewhere on the Internet and it grabbed my attention as soon as I saw "blue cheese." I'm in love with the stuff. It's the butter to my toast, the apple of my eye, the peanut butter to my jelly. This was way too easy to make. If you've got a food processor, you've got this one in the bag. Serve them up next to a platter of red grapes, smoked almonds and a nice glass of wine. At first I couldn't imagine that the amount of ingredients used would produce two logs yielding 4 dozen wafers, but it really does. The wafers can be stored in an air tight container for up to a week but I can't image why, on God's green earth, you'd have any left after 15 minutes.

Two side notes:

1. I couldn't put walnuts in mine since I've had to cut them out for health reasons. But if you're okay with them, I'd triple the amount because too many walnuts is always a good thing!

2. When I made the logs and wrapped them in plastic, I stored them in the freezer until I was ready to slice them.

1/2 cup butter (1 stick) softened
6 oz crumbled blue cheese at room temperature
1 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts

Mix together the butter, flour and blue cheese in a food processor. The mixture will start to pull away and form a soft ball of dough.

Remove the dough and place it in a bowl. Mix in the walnuts. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 5 minutes.

Remove from the refrigerator and divide in to two balls. Form each ball in to an 8 inch log and cover well with plastic wrap. Chill for an hour.

Slice each log in to 1/4 inch slices. Place slices on an ungreased or parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 350 for 12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Cheesy Herbed Popovers

2011-08-01T17:38:00.000-07:00

I can't say that I was always a fan of Emeril Lagasse but it was his recent cookbook, Farm to Fork, that made me give him a second look. There are so many tasty recipes in the cookbook and of course I gave the ones with cheese the highest priority. So last night I decided to whip up a batch of his cheesy herbed popovers. These were so simple to put together. While the rest of the dinner was cooking, these popovers were in the oven doing their magic as only popovers can do. Light, cheesy and perfect!

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
4 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups whole milk
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons chopped mixed herbs such as parsley, basil or chives
2 ounces of shredded cheddar cheese

1. Pre heat oven to 450 F

2. Brush the cups of a standard 12 cup muffin tin with some of the melted butter. Divide the Parmesan evenly among the cups.

3. Combine the eggs, salt, pepper, milk, cream and the remaining butter in a blender and blend until well combined. Add the flour and blend for 15 seconds, until smooth.

4. Add the fresh herbs (no more blending) and fill each muffin cup half way with the batter. Divide the cheddar among the cups and fill the muffin cups to the top with the remaining batter.

5. Bake the popovers at 450 for 15 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 350 and bake for 10 more minutes. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DURING THE BAKING TIME!

6. Remove the muffins tin from the oven and unmold the popovers on to a wire rack. Pierce the side of each popover with a small sharp knife to allow the steam to escape (this will help keep them from deflating.) Serve immediately.

Apricots with vanilla blue cheese

2011-07-10T13:18:00.000-07:00

It's been quite a while since I've posted here. Life just gets in the way sometimes PLUS I got hit with an acute case of Diverticulitis a few weeks ago. While I was recovering, my food was limited to a very bland diet which did not include cheese. But I have been dying to get back here.

Yesterday I bought some fresh apricots. I thumbed through my copy of The Great Big Cheese Cookbook and came up with an adapted version of Miniature Blue Cheese Balls with Winter Fruit. Summer is the perfect time to mix up some fresh fruit and cheese. I think these would make a lovely presentation at a summer cocktail party or brunch. The original recipe calls for 30 apricots; I used about 6 which yields 12. Also, I opted for no pecans since I can no longer eat nuts but I think they would add a delicious kick.

Ingredients:

6 fresh apricots
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 tablespoons cream cheese, at room temperature
4-5 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese
a handful of toasted and chopped pecans for garnish
Drizzle of honey

Directions

Wash, dry and cut in half the 6 apricots; arrange on a plate.

In a small bowl, mix together vanilla, cream cheese and blue cheese.

Put a small scoop of the vanilla cheese mixture in to the center of each apricot and garnish with pecans.

Drizzle some honey over the apricots.

Ready to serve!

Easter Cheese Bread

2011-04-23T15:37:00.000-07:00

It seems like an eternity since I've posted here. But with Easter less than 24 hours away, how can I not give cheese the highest praise? This morning I brought a bottle of wine next door to my next door neighbor as an Easter gift. She walked over to her dining room table and handed me a loaf of bread wrapped in tin foil. "It's my mother's recipe for cheese bread," she said. Oh my goodness...she had me at cheese. I couldn't run home fast enough to unwrap it and slice through it. She told me that she has a family tradition of baking several loafs of Easter Cheese Bread just once a year and it is always on the Thursday before Easter Sunday. That would explain the amazing smell coming through our shared wall of our houses two nights ago. And just to make things more interesting, my neighbor once owned a successful Italian restaurant with her brother. They didn't cook for four; they cooked for dozens and that would explain the recipe that she handed to me upon my request:

Easter Cheese Bread

1 ¼ cup oil

15 eggs

14 cups or 4 pounds of flour

3 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon white pepper

3 cups warm water

3 packages yeast

7 cups or 2 pounds of parmigiana cheese

3 teaspoons baking powder

Make a well with dry ingredients and cheese. Put yeast in bowl with sugar and ½ cup warm water. Let sit 10 minutes until bubbly. Then in well, add in beaten eggs, oil and yeast mixture. Knead and mix until combined. Put in greased pot. Grease top of dough. Put wax paper over dough and then a towel. Let rise until double in size. Punch down and divide in to 4 pieces. Shape and put in to greased loaf pans. Let rise until top of pan. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or golden brown. Brush with egg wash (yolk and water). The egg wash will set with the heat of the bread.

I'm certainly not going to make that large of a quantity. I'm playing with the numbers and cutting it down to a third. That should make about 2 loaves. There are other Easter Cheese Breads on the Internet. I found one here and here. I'm going to go with my neighbors' recipe because it was absolutely outstanding.

Toasted up with a slather of butter and some Cranberry Apple Butter...to die for!

Forget the jelly beans and chocolate bunnies. My guests will be lucky if this bread makes it to the table tomorrow night. Happy Easter!

Cheese Danish

2011-02-20T05:46:00.000-08:00

I know, it's not some magnificent cheese that we can barely pronounce that I'm writing about today. But it is Sunday morning and I think Sunday mornings are all about a good cup of hot coffee and a warm sweet treat to go with it. When I asked my husband what he might like for a lazy Sunday morning, he replied, "Cheese Danish." So off I went in to the land of Google and came across Ina Garten's Easy Cheese Danish recipe. The recipe makes 8 flaky and delicious cheese danish. Put them on a plate and watch them disappear. It'll be the best magic trick you've performed since grade school!

Ingredients
* 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
* 1/3 cup sugar
* 2 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
* 2 tablespoons ricotta cheese
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
* 2 sheets (1 box) frozen puff pastry, defrosted
* 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Place the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and cream them together on low speed until smooth. With the mixer still on low, add the egg yolks, ricotta, vanilla, salt, and lemon zest and mix until just combined. Don't whip!

Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry onto a lightly floured board and roll it slightly with a floured rolling pin until it's a 10 by 10-inch square. Cut the sheet into quarters with a sharp knife. Place a heaping tablespoon of cheese filling into the middle of each of the 4 squares. Brush the border of each pastry with egg wash and fold 2 opposite corners to the center, brushing and overlapping the corners of each pastry so they firmly stick together. Brush the top of the pastries with egg wash. Place the pastries on the prepared sheet pan. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry and refrigerate the filled Danish for 15 minutes.

Bake the pastries for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan once during baking, until puffed and brown. Serve warm.

Gorgonzola cheese cheesecake

2011-02-14T17:51:00.000-08:00

I've been wanting to try this Gorgonzola cheese cheesecake since I discovered it in The Great Big Cheese Cookbook last summer. Here's the catch though: I knew I would be going completely over the handle bars if I made the 8 inch size. So this weekend I drove to Kitchen Kapers and purchased a mini springform pan (4.5 inches) for $7.50. I cut the recipe in half and I now have a lovely little cheesecake that will store nicely in the refrigerator for the duration of the week. I'll put a slice on a toasted bagel in the morning. I'll sneak a slice or two before dinner. Hey, maybe I'll give myself a facial with it! And can I just rave about how good a slice goes with a grilled steak? My husband was in heaven tonight when I put a slice next to his grilled flank steak. This cheese cake is so versatile and so easy to throw together. I loved the extra little crunch of the toasted walnuts and the addition of honey gives it a very subtle sweetness. This cheesecake is so sinfully good that I'll probably have to get down and do 100 Hail Marys by the time I finish it off. But it was worth every delicious bite...

2 (8oz) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
2 cups crumbled Gorgonzola cheese, at room temperature
3 eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup sour cream
2 Tablespoons clover or orange blossom honey
Pinch of kosher salt
Pinch of fresh cracked pepper
1/4 cup of toasted walnuts
1/2 cup caramel topping
red grapes and crackers to garnish

NOTE: if you want a smaller mini cheese cake, cut the recipe in half and bake it in a mini 4.5 inch springform pan

1. heat oven to 300F. Spray an 8 inch springform pan with cooking spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper and spray again.

2. In a large bowl beat the cream cheese until smooth. Measure out 1/4 cup of Gorgonzola and set aside. Add the remaining blue cheese to the mixing bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape mixture off the side of the bowl. Add the sour cream, honey, salt and pepper. Beat until combined. Pour in to the pan.

3. Place a shallow pan of water on the bottom rack in the oven and place the cheesecake on the rack above it. Steam from the water will help prevent cracks in the cheesecake. Bake 40 minutes.

4. Remove the cheesecake from the oven. Sprinkle the reserved blue cheese and walnuts over the top of the cheesecake and bake 10 to 15 minutes more, until lightly browned. Cool in the pan to room temperature.

5. To serve, cut the cheesecake into wedges. Drizzle each plate with caramel sauce. Place the wedge on the plate. Garnish with grapes and crackers.

Yukon Gold potato and Manchego cheese tart

2011-02-13T11:04:00.000-08:00

I'm not really sure why this recipe is called a "tart." It's more like a slightly crispy version of Potatoes Au Gratin. All I can tell you is that it's simple to make and delicious to boot. I love the buttery and smooth flavor of the Yukon Gold and the Manchego is a perfect compliment to this dish; not too strong, not too mild. Even my daughter asked for more last night when she finished her first plateful. I think I've got a junior cheese junkie in the making. As is very often the case, I found a nice chunk of Manchego at my local Trader Joe's for less than $5 which covered the amount needed for the recipe and some left over. Manchego melts very nicely. It's a wonderful choice to add to quesadillas, potatoes dishes and omelets.

Let me give you a little background on Manchego:

Manchego (officially Queso Manchego) is a cheese made in the La Mancha region of Spain from the milk of sheep of the Manchega breed, which is aged for between 60 days and two years. Consider this cheese "The Don Quixote cheese."

Manchego has a firm and compact consistency and a buttery texture, and often contains small, unevenly-distributed air pockets. The colour of the cheese varies from white to ivory-yellow, and the inedible rind from yellow to brownish beige. The cheese has a distinctive flavour, well developed but not too strong, creamy with a slight piquancy, and leaves an aftertaste that is characteristic of sheep’s milk.

RECIPE:

* 1 tbsp olive oil
* 6 Yukon Gold potatoes
* 1 tbsp chopped parsley or oregano
* 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
* 1/2 cup freshly grated manchego cheese
* salt to taste
* freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Heat the olive oil in an ovenproof non-stick skillet over medium heat.
3. Peel the potatoes and cut them into very thin slices.
4. Layer half of the potatoes in overlapping slices to cover the bottom of the pan.
5. Sprinkle with the oregano or parsley, garlic, manchego cheese, salt and pepper (be careful not to sprinkle the cheese on the side of the pan, or it may stick).
6. Add the remaining potatoes in overlapping slices and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
7. Cover the skillet with foil and place it in the oven and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
8. Remove the skillet from the oven, remove the foil,carefully loosen the edges of the potatoes and turn the tart onto a plate or platter. (NOTE: at this point I sprinkled some parmesan cheese on top and put it under the broiler for a few minutes until brown and crispy.)
9. Cut the tart into wedges and serve.

Cotija Cheese

2011-02-03T17:36:00.000-08:00

A few days ago at Trader Joe's I found a nice slab of Cotija (Ko-Tee-Ha)cheese.

This is a Mexican cheese that is semi-hard and crumbles like Feta. It's flavor is somewhere between Feta and Parmesan. Slightly salty but not overpowering, it works nicely as a topping on tacos, enchiladas, salads and pasta.

I needed to make a quick meal for myself tonight so I boiled up some Linguine and tossed it with olive oil, garlic, baby spinach and fresh tomatoes. The grand finale was a little mountain of crumbled Cotija cheese. Perfect and satisfying!

panko crusted eggplant stacks with red wax gouda

2011-01-31T09:47:00.000-08:00

Today I'm showcasing Red Wax Gouda. I'm a shameless cheese stalker at Wegman's Cheese Department and I think they offered me samples of three distinct types of Gouda just to get me to eat something and leave the poor cheeses alone. I settled on the Red Wax Gouda because I loved the mild semi-soft creamy taste of it. I got a nice sized wedge of it for $2.80.

Gouda is an excellent choice if you like semi-soft mild cheese. Not soft enough to spread with a knife but soft enough to cut in to chunks and it melts nicely if you're using it for cooking. In fact, I think that this is a candidate for one outstanding macaroni and cheese dish. But today I decided to make Panko Crusted Eggplant Stacks with Red Wax Gouda for lunch. Oh. My. God. It's so simple, really.

Start off with a nice eggplant and cut it in to some nice semi-thick slices. Coat the slices with an egg wash, dip them in to some panko crumbs and saute them in olive oil on medium high heat until they are brown and crispy. Drain on paper towels and set aside.

Preheat oven to 400.

In the meantime, cut a fresh tomato in to thick slices. Cut your gouda in to some thick slices as well. Line a cookie sheet with foil and let the stacking begin. Eggplant-tomato slice-gouda slice-eggplant, etc...

Today I got a little adventurous. I made two eggplant stacks. On one stack I put some olive tapenade in between the layers and on the other stack I put some prepared pesto in between the layers for some extra kick. You can find both of these delicious products at Trader Joe's.

Here is the stack with the olive tapenade:

Here is the stack with the pesto:

Place the stacks on the foil lined cookie sheet in to the oven and bake at 400 until the cheese melts. About 10 minutes. While the stacks were baking in the oven, I took a handful of wild baby arugula and tossed it with a handful of toasted walnuts and a splash of raspberry walnut vinaigrette. Amazing Grace. Seriously.

Brazilian Cheese Bread

2011-01-06T10:44:00.001-08:00

I'm not kidding you when I tell you that this is the easiest recipe I've ever followed. If you have a blender and a muffin tin, you can look like a culinary rock star here. I think these will make a weekly appearance at our house and I would choose them over the Cheddar Cheese Puffs that I made on Christmas.

I seem to be on a cheese bread kick lately. Brazilian Cheese Bread is simply addictive and absolutely delicious. You can play around with different cheese to produce different tastes. I chose to use Parmesan cheese and I added a few turns of fresh cracked black pepper. When these delectable little beauties are baked, the result is a light and airy texture with a nice chewy texture in the bottom of the bread. The recipe calls for tapioca flour which can easily be found at a health food store or Whole Foods store. Once you have secured the tapioca flour, the rest is easy. The best part is that you could whip up the batter and put them in the oven about 20 minutes before serving dinner and you have yourself nice hot cheese bread to serve up. It looks like you spent so much longer but all it involved was a blender and a greased muffin tin. BONUS: tapioca flour is gluten-free for those who eliminate gluten from their diet.

Ingredients

* 1 egg (room temperature)
* 1/3 cup olive oil
* 2/3 cup milk
* Scant 1 1/2 cups (170 grams) tapioca flour
* 1/2 cup (packed, about 66 grams) grated cheese, your preference.
* 1 teaspoon of salt (or more to taste)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a mini-muffin tin. Put all of the ingredients into a blender and pulse until smooth. You may need to use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the blender so that everything gets blended well. At this point you can store the batter in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until all puffy and just lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool on a rack for a few minutes.

Eat while warm or save to reheat later.

Enough batter for 16 mini muffin sized cheese breads.

Note that Brazilian cheese bread is very chewy, a lot like Japanese mochi.

Cheddar Cheese Puffs

2010-12-26T07:00:00.001-08:00

For Christmas Eve this year I decided to make a huge pot of Minestrone soup and some finger foods to set around the coffee table. It certainly had a nice informal feel to it; each of us could grab a bowl of soup and park ourselves by the Christmas tree. I decided to try my hand at Cheddar Cheese Puffs and they turned out to be a delicious accompaniment to the soup. Perfect for dipping.

These cheese puffs were so easy to make. If you can boil water, you can make these incredibly addictive cheese puffs. It's actually the water in the dough that steams and creates air pockets while the puffs bake in the oven. The result is something like a popover without having to use a popover pan. When you serve these at the table, people will think you probably mastered fancy French cooking when all the while you know it was as simple as boiling water!

The recipe came from Simply Recipes. You can go on over here if you want the step by step pictures.

Ingredients

* 1 stick butter (8 Tbsp or 4 ounces)
* 1 cup water
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup all purpose flour
* 4 large eggs
* 1 cup (4 ounces) grated sharp cheddar cheese
* 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme (or rosemary)
* Freshly ground pepper

1 In a medium sized saucepan, add the water, butter, and salt, and bring to a boil over high heat.

2 Reduce the heat to medium and add the flour all at once. Stir rapidly. The mixture will form a dough ball that will pull away from the sides of the pan. It helps to use a wooden spoon to stir as the dough will be rather thick. Continue to cook for a couple minutes.

cheddar-cheese-puffs-4a.jpg cheddar-cheese-puffs-5.jpg

3 Remove the pan from the heat and let cool for a couple of minutes. Stir so that the dough cools more evenly. You want the dough to be warm, just not so hot that when you start adding eggs they cook as they hit the dough. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring after each addition until the eggs are incorporated into the dough. (Do this part in a mixer if you want, or by hand with a wooden spoon.) The dough should become rather creamy.

4 Stir in the grated cheese, thyme, and a few grinds of pepper.

5 Preheat oven to 425°F. Spoon out small balls (about a heaping tablespoon) of the dough onto a Silpat or parchment lined baking sheet, with at least an inch separating the spoonfuls. Place in oven and cook for 10 minutes at 425°F. Lower heat to 350°F and cook for another 15-20 minutes, until puffed up and lightly golden.

Makes about 2 dozen.

Paneer

2010-12-19T11:40:00.000-08:00

I have long been a fan of Indian cuisine. On Friday night, Breen and I went for some Indian food. Usually I order the Dal Makhal but recently I've become absolutely smitten with Paneer in curry sauce. Paneer is a type of Indian cheese which is usually served up in main dishes in the form of dense little cheese cubes. So I had the bright idea right then and there in the restaurant to make Paneer myself the next day.

It starts off with a half gallon of milk (I used whole milk) in a heavy bottom saucepan heated until it boils. After the milk boils a half cup of hot water and a quarter cup of lemon juice is added. This addition causes the milk to separate and solid curds are formed.

After the curds are formed, they get rinsed in a cheesecloth lined strainer.

When you squeeze as much water out as you possibly can, the dense ball of curds gets pressed down with something heavy for 2 hours.

After 2 hours you have a nice block of Paneer which is ready to be cut in to cubes and added to a favorite curry sauce.

That's it. It really is easy and delicious! Try it with a can of coconut milk simmered with curry and a nice handful of toasted almonds on top of some Basmati rice.

Ingredients:

* 8 cups (half gallon) milk
* 1/4 cup lemon Juice

Method:

1. Mix lemon juice in half cup of hot water and put aside.
2. Boil the milk in a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, making sure not to burn milk.
3. As the milk comes to a boil, add the lemon juice gradually and stir the milk gently. The curd will start separating from the whey, turn off the heat.
4. Once the milk fat has separated from the whey, drain the whey using a strainer line with cheesecloth, or muslin cloth.
5. Wrap the curds in a muslin cloth, rinse under cold water, and squeeze well. This process takes out the sourness from the lemon.
6. To take out the excess water, press the wrapped paneer under a heavy pan for about 1 hour.

Tips:

If paneer will be used to make any dessert dish:

1. The most important part of making paneer for dessert is how much water to take out from the paneer.
2. To check if right amount of water is out of the paneer, take a little piece of paneer on your palm and rub with your fingers. After rubbing the paneer for about 15-20 seconds, you should be able to make a firm but smooth ball.
3. For making sweets, paneer can be refrigerated for 1 to 2 days.
4. Paneer from half-gallon milk will make about 15 to 20 rasgullas.
5. I suggest 2% milk for rasgullas, rasmalai, chamcham or any other dish in that category.
6. For sandaish, burfee or any other such dish use regular milk.

If paneer will be used for making main dishes:

1. Before Pressing the paneer knead it enough so paneer is not crumbly.
2. Press the paneer instead one hour, two hours making firmer.
3. Cut the paneer to desired shape. Paneer can be refrigerated for a few days or kept frozen for months.

Cheddar Pepper Palmiers

2010-11-24T09:46:00.000-08:00

Recently I saw a post for palmiers dusted with sugar. I made a mental note to make them. Then, a few days later, I randomly came across a recipe for Cheddar Pepper Palmiers. For those of you unfamiliar with palmiers, they are a simple and delicious pastry made from puffed pastry. They get their name from the shape of a palm leaf.

I served these hot from the oven last night as a nice addition to a big platter of spaghetti and meatballs. They were finished off very quickly. There was a time when I was afraid to use puffed pastry because it seemed too delicate and complicated. But now that I'm an old pro using phyllo dough, the puffed pastry was so simple that a kindergartner could have made these. And let me just say that if I had been in charge of catering The Last Supper, I would have filled big baskets at the table with these Cheddar Pepper Palmiers and let the fellows dig in.

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup finely grated sharp Cheddar; 3 1/2 ounces
1/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 puff pastry sheets (from a 17.3-ounce package); thawed if frozen

Directions

Toss Cheddar, Parmigiano-Reggiano, pepper, and salt in a bowl.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese mixture onto a work surface. Unfold 1 pastry sheet and place over cheese. Roll into a 10-inch square, then sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese mixture all over top of pastry, pressing lightly to adhere. Fold sides of 2 ends to meet in center, then fold once more into center and press ends together. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 1 hour (or freeze 15 to 30 minutes). Repeat with remaining cheese and second sheet of pastry.

While dough chills, preheat oven to 400F with racks in upper and lower parts of oven. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Working with 1 piece at a time (keep remaining chilled until ready to use), unwrap pastry and cut, seam side up, into 1/4-inch-thick slices, arranging them 1 inch apart on baking sheets. Bake, turning palmiers over and switching position of pans halfway through, until golden and pastry is cooked through, 18 to 22 minutes total. Transfer palmiers to rack to cool. Repeat cutting and baking remaining pastry on cooled sheets.

Make ahead: Dough can be assembled up to 3 days ahead. Palmiers can be baked 1 day ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature.
about this recipe

Palmiers are French pastries in the shape of palm leaves. This miniaturized savory version is made with cheese and a hint of black pepper, and make an ideal accompaniment to a glass of wine.

Cheese Cranberry Cookies

2010-11-21T08:31:00.000-08:00

With Thanksgiving only four days away, I tried to think of something fitting to express my thanks for the creation of cheese. I was on the fence at first when I came across this recipe but I'm glad my faith in fromage saw me through. It is right to give thanks and praise to the Cheese Cranberry Cookie. The delicious taste of the cheese complimented with a bite of sweet cranberry filling makes think of a perfect little Thanksgiving meal rolled in to one cookie. Minus the turkey. But let's be honest. Who cares about turkey when you've got these on the table?

Let me just say that if the priests would start using these instead of the stale communion wafer, I'd go back to church every Sunday.

I found the recipe in an old copy of The Encyclopedia of Creative Cooking edited by Charlotte Turgeon that my mother gave me. It's a bit retro in feel but I like that. Besides, with a cookbook crammed with 2000 recipes, there's bound to be a few dozen I can't live without. Just two quick notes:

1. I toasted the pecans before putting them in the filling for extra crunch and flavor.
2. I sifted a bit of confectioner's sugar on them when they got out of the oven.

Now drop down and give me three Hail Marys for the amount of these you will consume in less than a half hour.

Recipe:

2 cups of sifted flour
2 cups of grated cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of butter or margarine
1/4 cup of milk

Preheat oven to 400*

Mix flour, cheese and salt. Cut in butter with pastry blender or your hands. Add milk. Roll dough in foil. Chill. Roll thinly on lightly floured board. Cut in to desired shapes. Spread half the shapes with filling. Cover with remaining shapes. Press edges well together. Place on a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Bake about 10 minutes. Yields 30.

Filling:

3/4 cup of cranberry jelly
1 1/2 cups of chopped pecans
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Break up jelly with fork, add other ingredients and mix well.

Cauliflower and Cheddar Cheese Soup

2010-10-04T08:37:00.000-07:00

This is my first soup of the season and it comes from The Great Big Cheese Cookbook. Today is one of those chilly and rainy fall days here in Philadelphia. It only seemed fitting to make a nice warm soup while I hibernated inside for the day. The best part is that I had everything on hand. I made a few modifications to the recipe. Instead of using a head of white cauliflower, I purchased last week a gorgeous head of Fiesta Cauliflower which is a beautiful shade of orange. Also, because I was using orange cauliflower, I substituted the carrots for a few strips of roasted red peppers. This was a relatively quick and easy soup to put together. The most labor intensive part is the chopping on the front end. After that, it's as simple as cooking the chopped items in the broth and then putting it through the blender after it cools.

Did you know how good cauliflower is for you? Cauliflower is a member of the cruciferous vegetable family. Cruciferous vegetables are considered to be "super veggies" that are packed with vitamins, fiber and disease fighting phytochemicals. When I'm not using it in soup, I love to eat my cauliflower roasted and baked in a gratin with black olives and a mustard cream sauce. Thank God my taste buds have changed over the years because I remember when I was growing up the only vegetable that I was willing to eat was corn.

Here's a few facts about the fiesta cauliflower:

1. It has so much beta carotene that it actually turns the cauliflower orange.
2. It has 25% more Vitamin A than white cauliflower.

Happy eating!

Ingredients

4 cups chicken broth or water
2 cups chopped potatoes
3 1/2 cups cauliflowerets, divided
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrot
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups (6 oz) cheddar cheese
1/4 teaspoon dill
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter

Combine the broth, potatoes, cauliflowerets, onion, carrot, garlic and salt in a large saucepan. Bring slowly to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for 20 minutes. Puree in a blender.

Return the puree to the saucepan and over low heat, gradually add the cheese, dill, dry mustard and pepper. Stir until the cheese melts.

In a small bowl whisk together the milk and flour until smooth. Slowly pour in to the hot soup, stirring until well blended about 5 minutes.

Saute the remaining 1 1/2 cups of cauliflowerets in butter until crisp and tender. Add to the soup.

Spring salad with candied walnuts and blueberry vanilla goat cheese

2010-10-04T06:37:00.001-07:00

If you need one more reason to run out and buy the Blueberry Vanilla Goat Cheese from Trader Joe's, this is it. Last night I made a spring salad with candied walnuts and blueberry vanilla goat cheese. This was such a delicious and refreshing salad that I'm sure to make again. One of the things I loved the best was the tiny little wild blueberries that imparted themselves in to the salad mix. If you can't find this cheese and/or don't have a Trader Joe's near you, crumbled goat cheese or gorgonzola would do the same minus the delicious vanilla flavor and little blueberries.

Ingredients

1/2 cup walnut halves
1/4 cup sugar
3 cups mixed greens
1/2 cup crumbled blueberry vanilla goat cheese
1 tablespoon raspberry vinaigrette
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

1. Place walnuts and sugar in a skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves into a light brown liquid and coats the walnuts. Remove walnuts from skillet, and spread them out on a sheet of aluminum foil to cool.
2. Place in a large salad bowl the mixed greens, cheese, vinaigrette, vinegar, and olive oil. Toss gently; add candied walnuts, and toss again.

Blueberry vanilla goat cheese

2010-10-03T09:30:00.000-07:00

For the love of Christ, don't walk....sprint like a madman....over to your local Trader Joe's for a log of their blueberry vanilla goat cheese! Studded with tiny wild blueberries soaked in vanilla, this goat cheese is worth every last Hail Mary you'll have to do for the sin of eating the entire log by yourself in one sitting without offering to share it with anyone. When I passed by the cheese section at Trader Joe's the other day, I knew there was no way it wasn't going in my cart. At $4.29 for an 8oz log, you just can't beat it. I decided to pair it with a plate of fresh sliced pears. The creamy vanilla/blueberry/goat cheese goes together so well with the texture and slight sweetness that only a pear can bring. But of course, I'm also going to try it crumbled in to a bed of baby field greens with a light vinaigrette and some candied walnuts. Why are you still reading??? Get yourself over to the store now!

Cheddar Crunch Apple Squares

2010-09-22T05:06:00.000-07:00

Holy Moly, was this ever good! I'm not quite sure why this recipe was named "squares" and not "crisp" but either way you'll still love it. This recipe comes from page 447 of The Great Big Cheese Cookbook which, in my opinion, is a must have cheese book. The final outcome produces a mild flavor of vanilla, cinnamon, coconut and cheddar cheese while the apple filling adds to its delicious sweetness. Think of it as an "apple pie with cheddar cheese" kind of dessert. It could not have been an easier recipe to throw together. Thanks to the invention of the food processor and the can opener, you can have this dish ready for the oven in minutes and people will think you labored much longer. I know that some people out there are allergic to coconut so just be aware that it's optional but does provide a wonderful little toasted crunch. Also, if you want to serve it as a warm crisp, let it cool down a little and scoop it right out of the dish. If you want it served in firmer squares you'll have to refrigerate it until it completely cools.

Ingredients:
1(12 oz) box of nilla wafers
1 1/2 cups of flaked coconut
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
1 stick of salted butter, softened
2 (21 oz) cans of apple pie filling
ice cream or warmed honey to serve

Preheat oven to 375

Using the food processor or rolling pin, crush the wafers in to crumbs and combine with coconut, cinnamon, cheese and butter to form a crumbly mixture.

Press half of the crumbly mixture firmly in to the bottom of a greased 13x9 baking dish.

Spread the apple pie filling on top of the bottom crust. Top with the remaining crumb mixture. Do not press down.

Bake for about 40 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from oven and place the pan on a wire rack. Place the rack in the refrigerator to cool completely. Cut in to 2 inch squares and serve with ice cream or warmed honey.

Swiss Bacon Dip

2010-09-12T13:26:00.000-07:00

Life was very busy over the summer and hence the reason for so few posts here. But fall is finally upon us and I know this because the NFL officially started Sunday afternoon games today. I love this time of year. Today I decided to make a hot swiss bacon dip for us to nibble on while the games got underway. Oh my lord was this good stuff! I'm sure even Jesus could smell it all the way from heaven.

I found this recipe from Rachael Ray. I added some horseradish to the recipe and I think it made the dip extra delicious. I never could resist any kind of hot dip. The flavors of the bacon, swiss, dijon, scallions and horseradish make this dish memorable. Oh, and the almonds. A big handful of slivered, smoked almonds making a crust over the whole thing! Slice up some fresh red peppers and add some crackers for dipping. Absolutely heavenly!

Ingredients:

* 8 slices center cut bacon, chopped
* 8 ounces softened cream cheese
* 1/2 cup mayonnaise
* 2 rounded teaspoons prepared Dijon style mustard
* 1 1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese, available on dairy aisle
* 3 scallions, chopped
* 1/2 cup smoked almonds, coarsely chopped
* Baby carrots and a selection of spiced flat breads, cocktail sized pumpernickel or rye breads, or sliced whole grain baguettes, for dipping

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Brown bacon in nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Drain crisp bacon bits on paper towels.

In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, Dijon, Swiss and scallions with cooked bacon. Transfer to a shallow small casserole or baking dish and bake until golden and bubbly at edges, 15 to 18 minutes. Top with chopped smoked almonds. Place dip on a platter and surround warm casserole with breads and carrots for dipping.

Variation: Swiss and Bacon Dip with Horseradish - Stir in 2 rounded teaspoons prepared horseradish when combining cheese and bacon.

Crook's Corner Shrimp and Grits

2010-08-04T04:42:00.000-07:00

A few years ago I had the pleasure of having brunch at Humble Pie in Raleigh, North Carolina. An old warehouse converted in to a hip urban eatery, the food was fantastic and the Bloody Marys too. My order of shrimp and grits was so memorable that here I am years later writing about it here. In fact, the shrimp and grits are so good at Humble Pie, they are listed on the menu as "broth of the Gods." I did some research and found the recipe from Crook's Corner, another popular North Carolina restaurant in Chapel Hill. I grew up eating grits with my father who was raised for part of his childhood in the south. We used to smother ours with butter and fresh pepper. Then I discovered that cheese is the secret ingredient that elevates plain grits to something godly.

We had this for dinner last night and there wasn't a trace of it left by the time we licked our bowls clean. I wish the photo did this dish more justice. Trust me, it was incredible; all of the flavors completely enhanced each other from the sharp cheddar and Parmesan in the grits to the mushrooms, bacon, scallions and shrimp that sat in a broth that was indeed worthy of God coming over here for dinner. I think part of the success in this dish is the addition of some hot sauce. I don't like things too hot but a few splashes in both the shrimp mixture and the grits made this really spectacular. You can go over here to see the rave reviews on this dish.

RECIPE

Ingredients

* 2 cups water
* 1 (14-ounce) can chicken broth
* 3/4 cup half-and-half
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup regular grits
* 3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
* 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (or to taste)
* 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
* 3 bacon slices
* 1 pound medium-size shrimp, peeled and deveined
* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 cup sliced mushrooms
* 1/2 cup chopped green onions
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 1/2 cup low-sodium, fat-free chicken broth
* 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
* 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce (or to taste)
* Lemon wedges

Preparation

Bring first 4 ingredients to a boil in a medium saucepan; gradually whisk in grits. Reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes or until thickened. Add Cheddar cheese and next 4 ingredients. Keep warm.

Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp; remove bacon, and drain on paper towels, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon, and set aside.

Sprinkle shrimp with pepper and salt; dredge in flour.

Sauté mushrooms in hot drippings in skillet 5 minutes or until tender. Add green onions, and sauté 2 minutes. Add shrimp and garlic, and sauté 2 minutes or until shrimp are lightly brown. Stir in chicken broth, lemon juice, and hot sauce, and cook 2 more minutes, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of skillet.

Serve shrimp mixture over hot cheese grits. Top with crumbled bacon; serve with lemon wedges.

Harold's strawberries and cream with buttery basil cookies

2010-08-03T04:15:00.000-07:00

This was one of the first recipes I came across when I was initially researching cheese books for this blog. It comes from Laura Werlin's Cheese Essentials; a book, in my opinion, that is a must have for every person interested in learning about cheese. It's small enough that you could stow it away in your handbag yet filled with such great quantities of information that you'll look like a cheese rock star when you step in to a cheese shop and begin to discuss the varieties of surface ripened cheeses.

The recipe was created by Harold Dieterle, a former Iron Chef winner. Immediately I was hooked by the idea of baking a cookie with basil as an ingredient. I've also been interested in finding a dessert recipe that stars cheese in a main role. The sweetness of the vanilla infused strawberries, the creamy earthiness of the brie and the indescribable pleasure of a soft, buttery basil cookie all work together to make this worthy of an Oscar. And the cookie, oh the blessed cookie! Light, buttery, slightly sweet with a nice hint of basil. It's one of the best things I've tasted in such a long time and such a simple thing to make too. What an excellent way to use up the abundance of summer strawberries and fresh basil. Serve this up for dessert at your next dinner party and your guests will be oohing and ahhing for sure.

Side note: the recipe calls for a nice big wedge of La Tur cheese, which is a surfaced ripened creamy cheese. So creamy in fact that it could be eaten with a spoon. It is said to be the crown jewel of all surface ripened cheeses. Unfortunately, my local cheese shop doesn't carry it so I ended up with a nice wedge of double cream brie. Next time I'm going for the La Tur even if it means putting on my cheese radar and driving 30 miles to find it.

RECIPE

For the cookies:
2 egg whites
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
1/3 cup flour
2 teaspoons of fresh basil, julienned and one sprig for garnish
2 tablespoons sliced almonds, lightly toasted

For the strawberries:
3/4 cup of water
1/3 cup of sugar
2 cups strawberries, stems removed and quartered
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cheese:
8oz of La Tur cheese (or similar soft brie style cheese)

To make the cookies:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In the bowl of a stand mixer, with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until frothy, about 2 minutes (a hand mixer will do the job too). Slowly add the sugar until soft peaks form, about 5 to 10 minutes. Slowly drizzle the melted butter in to the egg white mixture and mix for 1 minute. Add the flour and basil and mixed until incorporated.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mound tablespoons of the batter 2 inches apart on the sheet. Place about 2-3 almonds on each cookie. Bake until golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Cookies are best when eaten that day but you can also store them in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Makes 16 cookies.

To prepare the strawberries:
In a medium size saucepan, combine water and sugar over high heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil. Let cook 1 more minute. Turn off the heat and let cool to room temperature, about 45 minutes. This is your "simple syrup."

Measure out 1/3 cup of the simple syrup. Reserve the rest for another use. Put the strawberries, simple syrup and vanilla in a saucepan you used to make the simple syrup. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes. Turn off heat and let come to room temperature. The strawberries will continue to release liquid as they cool.

To assemble:
Place 2 cookies on either side of 8 dessert plates. Place a slice of cheese in the middle of the plate. Using a slotted spoon, put a few strawberries next to the cheese. Garnish with a sprig or two of fresh basil on each plate. Serve right away.

Blue Cheese, pear, bacon and sage pizza

2010-07-29T10:30:00.000-07:00

What better way to kick off this new blog than with a simple recipe involving my all time favorite cheese. There are numerous types of blue cheese but my favorite is Saga Blue and boy was I happy when I found it crumbled in the cheese department yesterday at my local grocery store. If you can't find Sage Blue, most stores carry 4 oz containers of Gorgonzola or standard blue cheese.

I've wanted to try this pizza recipe for quite some time. I love the idea of the pungent blue cheese mixed with the mellowness of a Bosc pear and the smokiness of bacon. The sage was a last minute idea because I happen to love it AND I have enough of it growing out in my front yard for a lifetime. Also, since it was just me for lunch today and I wanted something a little lighter than pizza dough, I opted to build my pizza on a soft tortilla wrap and it was just the right personal size for me with one wedge leftover which I'm sure my husband will devour when he comes home from work later. The end result was a marvelous taste explosion for my taste buds.

Recipe:

Ingredients
One 10 inch round soft tortilla wrap
One ripe Bosc pear; cored and sliced in to thin slices
2 oz Crumbled Blue Cheese
One fresh sage leaf, finely chopped
3 slices of bacon; cooked and crumbled

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Cook bacon in a pan until well cooked; drain, set aside and crumble
3. Sprinkle some Blue Cheese on the tortilla wrap
4. Put a little of the fresh sage on top of the cheese
5. Place pear slices on top
6. Finish off with a little bit more of the Blue Cheese, remaining sage and bacon
7. Place on a cookie sheet and warm in the oven for about 10 minutes
8. Remove from oven and cut in to four wedges
9. Feel free to fold the finished pizza wedges in half for easier eating and enjoy!