Cranberry and Baked Brie Tartlets

These tartlets are the round ones with the red in the center. I made my own signature puff pastry dough, cut out small circles from the dough, and baked them. I also made my own simple cranberry chutney for the filling. Then I cut the pastries in half horizontally, filled them with some cranberry chutney, topped with brie cheese and baked them again until the cheese melted and the tarts were warm.

• Puff pastry circles
• cranberry orange chutney
• sliced of double cream brie cheese

Caramelized Onion and Old Cheddar Mashed Potatoes

Caramelized Onion and Old Cheddar Mashed Potatoes
large white onions, thinly sliced
oil
salt
cracked black pepper
potatoes
butter, melted
cream
grated old cheddar cheese

Heat a little oil in a large, wide pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring often, until onions are caramelized. Season with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, boil the potatoes until tender, drain, and mash. Stir in the onions along with some melted butter and cream. Stir in the cheese, then additional salt and pepper to taste.

Caprese Salad

• Five slices red roma tomatoes
• Ten slices fresh bocconcini cheese
• Three leaves green basil
• Three leaves purple basil
• Red, orange, and yellow cherry tomato halves
• Arugula dressed in balsamic and olive oil vinaigrette
• Microgreens
• Balsamic reduction

Lobster Ravioli 2.0

I made lobster ravioli again; the filling recipe and dough recipes were essentially the same but this time there were several differences in the dish.
#1 I made them at work, not home
#2 The pasta rolling machine broke, so I did most of the rolling by hand which resulted in more work, more time, more muscle, and a slightly thicker dough
#3 I didn't have the little ravioli molds this time, so I hand cut them and pieced them together with round cutters
#4 I paired the ravioli with a different sauce and different sides

Lobster Cheesy Toasts

Lobster Cheesy Toasts
lobster meat pieces, finely diced
lemon zest
tarragon
salt
pepper
goat cheese
cream cheese
cheddar and/or parmesan cheese, if desired 

Mix all together well and spread on lengths of day-old baguette. Toast in the oven until hot and melty and golden.

Lobster Ravioli Catch

• Ravioli - fresh, hand-rolled, homemade pasta dough 
• Lobster Filling - local lobster, goat cheese, lemon, tarragon
• Chanterelle Cream Sauce - butter sauteed local wild chanterelles, redued cream
• Wilted Spinach - spinach, garlic, shallots, white wine
• Lobster Cheese Toasts - lobster, cream cheese, herbs, cracked black pepper

Cheddar and Garlic Scape Tartlets

Homemade puff pastry tartlet
Garlic scape pesto
Locally made cheddar cheese
Roasted sweet cherry tomato
Balsamic drizzle
Fresh basil

Slice the tart in half horizontally. Spread the inside with garlic scape pesto.
Top with the cheese, Toast in the oven.
Top with another dollop of pesto.
To roast the tomatoes, toss in a little olive oil, salt, and pepper and roast just until skin is blistered.
Top the tart with a cherry tomato, drizzle with balsamic reduction, and top with a basil leaf.

Ricotta Ravioli

As mentioned in yesterday's post, I made homemade pasta dough and with it a couple batches of ravioli. Following is the recipe for the ricotta filling I used in the triangular-shaped vegetarian ravioli. 

Herbed Lemon Ricotta Filling
1 container (475 grams)
1 Tablespoon chopped tarragon
zest of one lemon
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 Tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
cracked black pepper
salt

Mix all ingredients together. This is just a base recipe - any desired combination of herbs and spices may be used. I used lemon and tarragon as flavors to pair with the lobster ravioli I also made.

Ricotta Ravioli
Roll pasta dough into sheets using the thinnest setting, keeping sheets covered when not in use. If you have a handy ravioli tray, then the process will be easier. If not, you will need cutters of desired shape and size to cut the individual raviolis out by hand.

Drape one sheet over the ravioli tray, and gently press a small spoonful of filling in each cavity. I'm not sure exactly but I think I used about one teaspoon filling for each ravioli. Brush all the edges of dough with egg yolk or water. I just used water for this and used my finger and found no problems with the dough not sticking or the seal breaking. Gently drape another sheet over, then unmold the raviolis as directed. Place on a baking sheet dusted with flour. Repeat until either all the filling or all the pasta has been used up.

Ravioli can be cooked immediately, chilled for awhile before cooking, or alternatively frozen and cooked from frozen as required. Cook in boiling salted water for a few minutes until dough is cooked through, 

Baby Baked Potatoes

I'm afraid I didn't snap a photo of these hors d'oevures either, but I did make them. It began with 400 baby red potatoes washed, halved and hollowed out with a melon baller.A small sliver from the bottom of the potato was also sliced off so the potato could sit without rolling around. Drizzled with oil, salt, and pepper and roasted on racks in the oven. Cooled and stuffed with rendered diced double smoked house bacon and shredded smoked gouda cheese. Then baked until the cheese was melted and potatoes were crisp.

The spare potato scraps can be saved and turned into round hashbrowns or mashed potatoes and the excess peels can be transformed into potato skins.

Cheater Vegan 'Cheese'

Anyone familiar with vegan cooking, particularly substitutes, if familiar with making vegan 'cheeses' from a base of nuts, most often cashews or macadamia nuts. There is also the pecan and nutritional yeast crumble to mimic Parmesan. Nuts are a great base, because once they are soaked, they can be blended into a delicious creamy texture, flavored, and set with a thickener such as cornstarch or agar agar. Well, I wanted a vegan cheesy spread substitute and I was in a hurry so I discovered a cheater version. It isn't the same as many of the vegan cheeses, but something different in itself. I used an already prepared nut butter in place of the nut cream base. I added seasoning, nutritional yeast, and used ground flaxseed as the thickener. Because I had almond butter on hand, this cheese is very dark in color and has a bit of a stronger flavor. But cashew or macadamia nut butter would provide a lighter color and more neutral flavor.

Home Cheese Plate

One evening my roommates and I were using our new barbecue to grill sausages, and while waiting for the barbecue to heat up and for them to cook, we made a pretty awesome cheese plate using what we had on hand.
Here we have...
Cheeses: mustard black pepper gouda, stinging nettle gouda, dragon's breath blue cheese, chili gouda, smoked salmon cream cheese.
Crackers: multigrain wheat and pita crackers.
Fruit: fresh cherries, raspberry jam, strawberry champagne jam.

Focaccia

Focaccia is a bread we always make in the restaurant to serve at the beginning of the meal with a flavored butter. Sometimes we will serve biscuits, baguette, or another type of bread, but sometimes just focaccia. 
The recipe is nearly no-fail. The dough always turns out light, fluffy, and airy with a crisp crust. It can be left to rise for hours, then is spread into a pan and baked.
Toppings vary by day, but always include sea salt and usually some herbs. Shallots, leek, onion, and cheese are other common toppings. Here is a focaccia I made recently - it has rosemary, cheddar, my secret spice mix, and coarse salt.

Caramelized Whey Cheese

Many people do not realize this, but the leftover whey from making cheese (the liquid, whereas the solids are the curds that are pressed into cheese) can be utilized as well - do not just throw it out! So if you have made ricotta or another easy cheese recently, use the byproduct to make another easy and very tasty cheese product.

This caramelized whey cheese is a very common Norweigan product, and is sometimes referred to as a fudge. It is quite sweet with a smooth, almost buttery texture. It is easy to do but does take some time.
Simply reduce the whey over low heat until it caramelizes and turns brown. For a super smooth, not gritty, texture, add a little sugar to the whey as well. Reduce it until it is caramel-colored; it will not burn easily, just watch so it does not boil over. Then pour into a pan and chill to firm it up, then cut into pieces.

Head Cheese

Head cheese is not a dairy cheese at all, but rather a terrine made of animal flesh (traditionally the head) set it aspic. It is a cold cut that originated in Europe. The process to make it isn't difficult, although it may be a bit of a turn off for some people. Head cheese is also incredibly cheap to make, because when you think about it - no one wants to buy pigs heads. It's not a prime cut at all.

To make head cheese, you take a whole pig head and use a blow torch to burn off any extra hair or fur that may still be attached to the skin. This smells REALLY BAD but you also do not want a hairy terrine. Next the pig head is boiled in a pot of water, vegetables, and aromatics, much like a stock, for six hours until it is tender. The stock is strained (and reserved) and the meat is taken from the head and chopped roughly. You can use as much or as little meat as you wish depending on how much head cheese you want. Pork cheeks and ears have many other great uses, and you may wish to omit the brain and eyes. Also try to trim off as much of the fat as possible, which can be used for something else. Be sure to remove the teeth as well!

The meat is then mixed with some chopped fresh herbs, seasonings of choice, and aspic to bind it, then set into terrine molds and chilled. It is sliced to serve, and it great with some crusty bread.

Around The World Charcuterie Tasting

Recently I participated in a world wide charcuterie tasting. There were twelve different countries involved, with two items from each country. There was a variety of different foods, including sausages, cheeses, pates, smoked meats, and more.

 Most of the items were presented with or accompanied by other components such as breads, vegetables, fruits, preserves, and more.

Some of the dishes included: many different types of sausages, provolone cheese, quark cheese, ricotta cheese, goat's cheese, liverwurst pate, head cheese, meat pie, pita bread, rye bread, and lots more!

Homemade Mozzarella

The other day I made homemade mozzarella! It was much easier than I thought it would be. Most homemade cheeses begin with milk, but this one was slightly different. It starts with fresh cheese curds. The process of making fresh mozzarella involves stretching fresh cheese curds. In order to do this, you have to pour hot water over the curds to make them pliable. I'm talking about boiling water, and then you need to use your hands to stretch the cheese out. So the entire process goes like this:

1. Place cheese curds in a bowl.
2. Boil a pot of water.
3. Pour enough water over the curds to cover. 
4. Use your hands to gather the curds into a pliable mass.
5. Have a bowl of ice water nearby. 
6. Dunk your hands in ice water as needed if the boiling water becomes too much. Go back and forth, back and forth.
7. When the water becomes cooler, drain it out and add fresh boiling water.
8. Keep stretching the curds until it becomes a smooth, elastic ball.
9. Wrap the ball is plastic wrap and chill. Then eat as desired! The cheese is ready to eat immediately, and can be sliced, grated, or melted. It is great on pizza. For a little more flavor, the cheese may be soaked in a brine for a few days. It should keep longer that way as well.

People's Choice Award: Cheesy Pasta with Bacon

This is the dish from yesterday's blackbox competition I promised I would share. In the limited time, space, and pantry I had, I tried to create a dish that the spectators would love, but also one that was refined enough that the judges would enjoy too. It seemed to be successful, I god a gold in the People's Choice Award and silver with the judges. Here is a general recipe as to how I remember making my dish.

1. Grab A LOT of bacon and quickly chop it up. Throw it in a hot pan.
2. Meanwhile, peel and dice five small red onions. Toss it in with your bacon.
3. While that sweats down, mince up some fresh tarragon.
4. Strain the bacon and red onion, reserving the bacon fat. Return the fat to the pan and add a cup of salted butter. Melt it.
5. Add about a cup or two of all-purpose flour and whisk until you have a thick roux.
6. Gradually whisk in one to two liters of whole milk and keep the heat on high, stirring often, to thicken the sauce.
7. While sauce is on the go, cook your pasta noodle sin boiling salted water.
8. Season your sauce with salt, black pepper, dijon mustard, tabasco sauce, garlic seasoning mix. Through some worchestershire and more tabasco sauce into your bacon and red onion.
9. Cube up some cheddar cheese and throw into the sauce, reserving some cheese for the end. Melt it down a bit, then throw in some parmesan flakes as well.
10. Melt the cheese into the sauce, and season it again.
11. Strain your pasta and stir in the sauce and bacon and red onion. Stir in the extra cheddar and tarragon, reserving a little of each for garnish.
12. Taste and adjust seasoning, consistency, and cheesiness and enjoy!!!

Homemade Halloumi Cheese

I am going to be honest, I had never even heard of halloumi cheese before. It is a soft, unripened cheese that is usually brined. The process to make halloumi is relatively simple and only requires milk, and a little rennet; proper temperature monitoring, separating curds and whey, and pressing the cheese. The next day, you have relatively firm, tasty halloumi cheese. Halloumi is actually a good cheese for grilling - it holds up its shape enough but has a slightly melted texture that make sit great for hearty, grilled cheese sandwiches. It also has the ability to be crumbled like feta.

Roasted Vegetable Tartlet

Components:
Rosemary and Thyme Pie Crust
Lemongrass Hummus
Roasted Carrots, Parsnip, and Zucchni
Smoked Oyster Mushroom
Grilled Sweet Peppers
Pesto
Vegan Goat Cheese

The tart shell is a basic pie crust recipe baked in a muffin tin, but it is made vegan by using oil in place of butter.
The tart shell is filled with a hummus flavored with lemongrass paste.
The vegetables are simply thinly sliced and roasted in the oven with oil, salt, and pepper.
This is topped with a smoked oyster mushroom. 
The vegan goat cheese is an awesome recipe I came across that uses cashews, and is flavored with lemon juice and herbs.

Gouda Panna Cotta Plate

The other day I came up with this cold appetizer for service. It consists of: 

• Gouda Panna Cotta
• Parmesan Hazelnut Crustini
• Blue Cheese Aioli
• Poached Pears
• Berry Coulis
• Dandelion Greens
• Chocolate Balsamic Hazelnut Dressing
• Toasted Hazelnut Crumb

I called it 'Hazelnut Cheese Trio'. 
The panna cotta was a leftover I was using up, so sadly I do not have a recipe. I also found the poached pears and coulis, found some dandelion greens, and made crumble and crustini, and a dressing to bump it up.