recipephile

Getting Creative With Cheese Platters

Last night I hosted some friends for a 40th birthday party and worked all day preparing the meal.  As is the case with any dinner party I host there is usually a cheese platter with sliced baguette for people to munch on before dinner.  And as usual, I spent about 5 or 6 minutes before the party arranging the cheese on the platter.  When I was done I took one look and thought -- that is kind of boring and the cheese looks a little lonely.

So I started thinking about what else I could do with the cheese. Hmmm... what would complement each of the cheeses on the platter, I thought to myself. So... next to the chevre I added some clementine wedges.  The D'Affinois Blue was paired with quince jelly and the Jarslberg was accompanies by Alexander Valley Gourmet Manhattan Style pickles and a homemade roasted garlic mustard.

The guests devoured the cheeses and loved the pairings.   So next time you create a cheese or crudite platter think about how you can do it a little differently.  Get creative.

Tofu Cream Cheese...

Many of the cafes at the big corporations based in Manhattan have incredible food. Hearst Corporation is one of the best and if you ever have a chance to check it out I highly recommend you do.

This morning I arrived early for meetings and meandered into the cafe for some healthy breakfast. Most of the foods they serve are organic so I am usually assured that whatever I am eating is going to be good for me.

I settled on one of my favorite breakfast meals, a simple toasted piece of wheat bread with a little bit of cream cheese and sliced tomatoes. Among the vast selection of cream cheeses was tofu cream cheese from Tofuti.  1 Tbsp of Tofuti cream cheese has 51 calories and 5 grams of fat. I probably use about 2 tsp per piece of bread and often only have one slice. The flavor is somewhat nutty and the texture is very smooth.

This is a perfect little breakfast treat so next time you are in a natural food store give it a try.

Great Cheese - Crescenza From Bellwether Farms

Last night I had a group of good friends over fora little dinner get together.  As always, I pull together a plate of cheeses, olives and veggies to satiate my hungry guests and they sip on glasses of vino. 

While strolling through the grocery I happened upon a cheese that reminded me of something I had tried years ago.  The cheese from days gone by was written about in a posting titled Crispins Cheese Discovery. It was amazing and smooth, just like a big hunk of delicious butter melting in a warm saucepan.

Crescenza, as the cheese is named comes from Bellwether Farms in Petaluma, CA.

On the Web site they tell a wonderful story about its origins...

"The recipe for our Crescenza was learned on a trip to Northern Italy in the spring of 1996. One of our customers, Carlo Middione, recommended we try this cheese. We were introduced to a small cheese maker a little west of Milan who processed about 100 gallons of milk at a time and made a variety of cheeses from each batch. Her creamery was a two person operation located on her family’s dairy. The dairy was large and sold most of its milk to some large customer but she ran the small creamery and cheese shop herself. We spent the day with her and were able to help her make her cheeses. After returning to the US, I began working on the Crescenza. It took about 6 months before I was able to adjust the recipe to account for the higher butterfat and solids of the Jersey cow’s milk we were using. The secret of this cheese is balancing the acid development with moisture level in the correct he cheese to have it ripen properly."

I paid about $9 for 1/2 lb., which I felt was a little pricey, but well worth the cost.

Check this delicious soft-ripened cheese out for yourself and if you cannot find it in your hometown then order from the site.

Enjoy!

Making Mozzarella Cheese...

Books that inspire me to learn and experience new things make me happy.  My latest read is Animal Vegetable Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver with Steven Hopp and Camille Kingsolver.  Part memoir, part journalistic investigation, this book (released May 2007) tells the story of a family was changed by one year of deliberately eating food produced in the place where they live. Barbara wrote the central narrative; Steven's sidebars dig deeper into various aspects of food-production science and industry; Camille's brief essays offer a nineteen-year-old's perspective on the local-food project, plus nutritional information, meal plans and recipes.

One of Camille's entries talks about the ease of making Mozzarella cheese.  Hmmm.... I called Jeffery immediately to discuss.  Could we do it? I mean... can we really make our own cheese?  We had to find out.  So we logged on to New Enlgand Cheese Making Supply Company and ordered rennet, citric acid and a dairy thermometer.  Those three tools plus a gallon of milk and about a 1/2 hour is really all that you need.  You can find the recipe here, but I have also included it below.

Keep in mind that there is animal rennet and vegetable rennet. We used animal rennet in our cheese, but you can also use vegetable rennet if you are vegetarian.

When the cheese was all done we made a pizz with heirloom tomatoes, our cheese, grated parmeggiano reggiano cheese, olive oil and salt and pepper.  The dough was purchased from one of my favorite pizza joints in the Castro, Marcello's.

Recipe for mozzarella cheese:

Measure out additives before you start, in clean glass or ceramic cups.  Use unchlorinated water.

- 1 gallon pasteurized milk (NOT ultra-pasteurized)
- 1 1/2 level tsp. citric acid dissolved in ¼ cup cool water
- Stir the milk on the stove in a stainless steel kettle, heating very gently.  At 55°add the citric acid solution and mix thoroughly. At 88° it should begin to curdle.
- ¼ tsp. liquid rennet diluted in ¼ cup cool water

Gently stir in diluted rennet with up-and-down motion, and continue heating the milk to just over 100°, then turn off heat. Curds should be pulling away from sides of pot, ready to scoop out. The whey should be clear.  (If it’s still milky, wait a few minutes.) Use a slotted spoon to move curds from pot to a 2 quart microwaveable bowl. Press curds gently with hands to remove as much whey as possible. 

Microwave the curds on high for one minute, then knead the cheese again with hands or a spoon to remove more whey.  (Rubber gloves help – this gets hot!) Microwave two more times (about 35 seconds each) kneading between each heating. At this point, salt the cheese to taste, then knead and pull until it’s smooth and elastic.  When you can stretch it into ropes like taffy you are done. If the curds break instead, they need to be reheated a bit. Once cheese is smooth and shiny, roll it into small balls to eat warm or store for later in the refrigerator.
 

My Mom Wanted Me To Point Out -- Dry Ricotta

My mom read the recipe for the baked ricotta and she wanted me to point out that you need to use dry ricotta, not the store bought ricotta in a tub that is wet.  You can buy dry ricotta at a gournet cheese store or at your local Italian food shop.

Thanks Mom!

My mom is the one on the left and that is her friend Elsa.

Baked Ricotta Cheese With Rosemary and Oregano

A few weeks ago I was in New York City. Despite it being reasonably early in the morning, it was already very humid out and I was dying for an iced tea.  As I strolled out of the local coffee shop I noticed that the Friday morning farmer's market was filling up Union Square.   I lived in New York years ago, and loved going to this particular farmer's market.  It was a little piece of heaven for me in that mess of a concrete jungle.  Sipping my iced tea, I felt the magnetic pull radiating from the fresh fruit and veggies and as I walked toward the market I told myself... "just an apple, that is all you will get, just an apple".

WRONG! While the apple came first, it was followed by some sweet baby onions, arugula, fresh rosemary and oregano - - all organic, and all smelling delicious. And then, loh! The cheese lady appeared in front of me.  Her humble artisanal cheese stand and samples loomed, calling out "try me, try me".  First I sampled the Manchego-like cheese and then the sheep's milk ricotta.  Both were absolutely amazing and worthy of purchase.  As she wrapped them up we chatted about what to do with each.  The Manchego-like cheese, she said, is best served at room temperature as an appetizer, while the ricotta, she swooned, should be served warm.  As the smell of fresh rosemary and oregano wafted from my sachel a recipe began to take shape.

I decided I would chop the rosemary and oregano and mix it with the ricotta, add a drizzle of olive oil, some kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper and then bake in the oven for about 20 minutes.  That is exactly how the cheese was prepared.  I served it with toasted baguette that I purchased from the market and a delicious Rose wine.

You'll need:

- About 2 cups of sheep's milk ricotta (check your local gourmet cheese shop and if they do not have sheep's ricotta you can use cow's milk ricotta)
- 2 tsps each of fresh rosemary and oregano, chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp kosher salt and some freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the cheese, herbs and salt.  Add some freshly ground black pepper (about two or three turns of the pepper mill) and mix well.  Transfer to an oven safe ramekin and drizzle the top with olive oil.  Place in the oven and let bake for 20 minutes.  Remove and serve with baguette toasts and a delicious Rose wine.

Cheese Fondue with Sam and Mag

My sister Amy and brother in law celebrated their anniversary yesterday and my present to them was to spend the afternoon with my nephew Sam and niece Maggie so that they could have some time alone and go to Gary Danko. My plan was to spend the day with them shopping and cooking food for a little movie watching party.  The menu included fondue and homemade pizza.

The three of us headed to Cowgirl Creamery to taste cheese and find the best of three cheeses to include in our fondue.  We tasted many and in between Sam's comments about some of the cheeses being too complex, he decided that he wanted to taste the stinkiest cheese in the shop -- Morbier.  In addition to the Morbier, which did not go into our final fondue, we purchased 1/3 lb pieces of Tomme de Savoie, Pleasant Ridge Reserve and Mezzo Secco. Those were the three that Sam and Mag liked best, but you can use whatever cheeses you want to make your fondue.  Just step up to the cheese monger and start tasting.

To make the fondue you'll need to rub a sauce pot with a clove of garlic.  Break the garlic in half or smash it with the flat side of a knife and rub the entire inside of the pot. Bring  2 cups of dry white wine to a simmer (we used a rich and oaky chardonnay) over medium heat.  Add the cheese (chop it up into little chunks first) and stir until completely melted. In a small bowl whisk together 2 tbsp of flour and 3 tbsp of brandy until smooth and then slowly add this mixture into the melted cheese.  Stir constantly with a whisk and make sure that there are no lumpy bits of flour.  The mixture will thicken as you stir. Transfer to a fondue pot with a Sterno or tea light underneath to keep warm.

We served our fondue with crusty Italian bread, baby carrots, prosciutto and salami. It can also be served with other veggies like broccoli or cauliflower.  My recommendation is to blanch veggies before serving so they are easier to eat.

Enjoy!