Tag: Cheese

Baking · Breakfast · Dessert · Do-ahead · Egg based · Fruit · Holiday Food

Blueberry and brioche brunch bake

Belinda

Another fab Holiday brunch dish prepared the night before. This one oozing with sweet blueberries then covered in a warm blueberry sauce for good measure.

Makes 6 servings

For the breakfast casserole

4 brioche (about 14 oz in all)  or 8 x 1” thick slices of brioche or other white bread, cubed
1/4 lb cream cheese, cut into cubes
3/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1 1/2 tbsp grated orange zest
6 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup pure maple syrup

For the blueberry sauce

3/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
2 tsp unsalted butter
3/4 tsp freshly squeezed orange juice

Lightly butter the bottom and sides of a 12 x 9 x 2 (approx) baking dish

Arrange half the brioche slices or cubes in the bottom. Scatter the cream cheese cubes, 3/4 of the blueberries and the orange zest over the brioche or bread. Top with the remaining brioche or bread cubes.

In a bowl, stir the eggs, milk and maple syrup to blend. Pour this egg mixture evenly over the entire casserole. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 F

Remove the casserole from the fridge 30 minutes before you cook it.
Bake, covered, for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake uncovered until puffed and golden, about another 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the blueberry sauce;

In a large saucepan, blend the sugar and cornstarch, then stir in the water. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture boils, thickens, and becomes clear, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the blueberries. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the blueberries burst, about 10 minutes.
Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and lemon juice and keep warm until the casserole is done.

Cut the baked casserole into 6 squares, and transfer to plates. Pour abut 1/4 cup blueberry sauce over each portion and serve hot.

 

 

Breakfast · Dessert · Do-ahead · Fruit · Holiday Food

Baked Panettone with ricotta and mandarin oranges

Belinda

Go out and buy a lovely fruity panettone and prepare this the night before, for a Thanksgiving or Christmas breakfast. All you have to do in the morning is pop it in the oven and you will think you’ve died and gone to Italian heaven!

Makes 6 servings

1 tbsp butter, preferably unsalted
8 oz fresh whole-fat ricotta cheese
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp Cointreau or Grand Marnier ( or a litte more!)
Six 1/2 inch thick slices of panettone
One 11 oz can of mandarin oranges, drained
6 extra large eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Orange marmalade or maple syrup to serve

Preheat the oven to 350 F
Generously grease a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish with all the butter

In a bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the ricotta cheese, sugar, cream and Cointreau together until the mixture is very dense and smooth

Arrange 3 panettone slices over the bottom of the greased baking dish, covering it completely.
Cover the panettone slices with the ricotta mixture and then arrange the mandarin oranges slices over the ricotta mixture. Cover with the remaining 3 slices of panettone.

In another bowl, whisk the eggs, milk and cinnamon until well blended. Pour this mixture over the panettone in the baking dish.

*At this point the dish can be covered with plastic wrap and put in the fridge over night until you’re ready to bake it.

Bake the casserole until dark golden brown on top, about 30 mins or so.

* If you have refrigerated it overnight, remove the dish from the fridge, uncover it and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking it.

Serve with the orange marmalade or maple syrup or both!

This one was done in a round baking dish

 

Appetizer Vegetarian · Appetizers · Holiday Food

Stilton and apple Welsh rarebit bites

Belinda

Delicious for a Holiday appetizer and SO tasty with one of my favorite cheeses, Stilton

Makes 24 bites

1/2 a thin baguette, cut into 1/2 inch slices
3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 small Granny Smith apple, peeled, halved, cored and thinly sliced
8oz crumbled Stilton or blue cheese, at room temperature
3 tbsp creme fraiche
1 tsp Worcester sauce
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Brush the baguette slices with melted butter; working in batches, grill, flipping once, until golden on both sides, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet. Layer 2 apple slices on each toast and set aside.

Arrange an oven rack 4” from the broiler and heat the broiler to high. Mix the cheese, creme fraiche, Worcester sauce, Dijon, honey, salt and pepper in a small bowl.

Spread about 1 tbsp of the cheese mixture over each toast. Broil until topping is melted and golden brown, about 4 minutes

 

Do-ahead · Fish

Easy roasted tomatoes and shrimp with feta, oregano and fennel

Belinda

This makes about 4 servings depending on what you’re serving it with.

Lovely, easy and light.

5 – 6 medium sized fresh red tomatoes, cut into pieces
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp minced garlic
1 heaped tbsp fried oregano (preferably dried Greek oregano)
1 tsp ground fennel seed
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 lb medium sized raw shrimp, peeled and deveined. (31 to 40 count)
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 cup crumbed Greek feta cheese (or more)
2 – 3 tbsp fresh Italian parsley, for garnish

Thaw the shrimp overnight in the fridge, if frozen.
Preheat the oven to 350 F

Dice the tomatoes into pieces about an inch square and put them in the bottom of a heavy baking dish, large enough to fit the tomatoes in one layer.
Drizzle olive oil over the tomatoes, then sprinkle with the minced garlic, dried oregano, ground fennel seeds and freshly ground black pepper.
Put the tomatoes into the oven on the top rack to roast for 30 minutes.

While the tomatoes are cooking, crumble the feta cheese, squeeze the lemon juice, and clean the shrimp as needed. Take the tails off.
Chop the parsley if you’re using it.

When the tomatoes have cooked 30 minutes, arrange the shrimp over the tomatoes, sprinkle over the lemon juice and feta cheese and put the dish back into the oven on the top rack to cook the shrimp for 8 to 10 minutes
Watch them carefully so the shrimp don’t overcook. They’re done as soon as the shrimp turn pink and are barely firm.

Sprinkle the dish with the chopped parsley if using.

This is lovely served over rice or angel hair pasta or even just with some good quality focaccia or ciabatta bread to mop up all the gorgeous juices

Uncategorized

Baked camembert with roasted garlic

Belinda

Stuck for a quick appetizer? This is positively sexy!!!

Serves 2

2 bulbs of garlic, unpeeled with the tops sliced off
3 tbsp butter
Scant 1/3 cup (or 3 fl oz) olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 squidge of honey
2 large fresh rosemary sprigs
3 bay leaves
 7oz to 9oz Camembert, plastic wrapping, label on cheese and lid removed but still in it’s wooden box, at room temperature
1 French baguette, ripped into 4 inch pieces and sliced horizontally

Preheat the oven to 400 F

In a roasting dish add the butter, oil, a pinch of salt, a couple of twists of black pepper, the honey, the rosemary and bay leaves. Mix it all together then add the garlic bulbs, cut side down on top of all that great stuff and bake in the oven for 40 to 45 minutes.
After 30 to 35 minutes, cut a large cross in the top of the Camembert and add it to the oven.
Make sure the plastic covering and lid is removed and anything else other than the cheese and the bottom box that it came in. Add the French baguette to warm up too

Serve by slathering some warm gooey Camembert on a slice of baguette then squeezing out a couple of the caramelized cloves of garlic on top!

Do-ahead · Egg based · Meat

New Zealand bacon and egg pie

Belinda

This is the ultimate NZ recipe and a dish I would “kill” for! Nothing brings back those memories of picnics more than this. It’s also the best bacon and egg pie you could ever eat, as the eggs are left whole and when you hit one of those rich canary-yellow yolks, it’s like winning the lottery, aside from the big chunks of bacon.

Serves 12, (or in my case, 1)

1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
2  9” by 11” sheets of frozen puff pastry, thawed and chilled
20 eggs
1 tbsp heavy cream
8 oz grated mature cheddar cheese
1lb sliced bacon, roughly chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oven to 400 F
Whisk together the ketchup and Worcestershire sauce in a small bowl; set aside.
Using a rolling pin, roll one sheet of puff pastry on a floured work surface to form an 11” x 14” rectangle;  transfer to a 9” x 12 1/2” baking pan and let the excess hang over the sides.

Separate 1 of the eggs and place the egg yolk in a small bowl; stir in the cream, and set egg wash aside.
Place the remaining egg white evenly on top of the pastry, crack the eggs and drop them on top of the pastry, spacing them evenly apart, and sprinkle evenly with bacon, drizzle the ketchup mixture evenly over the eggs and bacon and sprinkle over the cheddar cheese.  Season with salt and pepper.

Fold the dough hanging over the edge of the pan, back over the ingredients and brush with some of the egg wash; roll the second pastry sheet into a 10” x 13” rectangle and place on top of the eggs and bacon, tucking the edges into the sides of the pan.
Cut 4 slits in the top of the pastry with a paring knife then brush completely with egg wash.

Bake until golden brown and the eggs and bacon are cooked through, about 1 hour; cut into squares and serve

 

Appetizers · Do-ahead · Holiday Food · Meat · Pasta · Vegetable-related

Pumpkin stuffed with Fontina, Italian sausage and macaroni cheese

Belinda

This is a recipe from a book I purchased recently called ‘Melt” based around different macaroni and cheese recipes. It’s terrific and this is a real winner.

Serves 4

1 sugar pumpkin or other sweet variety (not a carving pumpkin), about 5 lbs
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 lb mild Italian pork sausage, skins removed
4 oz elbow macaroni
5 oz fontina cheese, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
2 oz gruyere cheese, cut into 1/4 inch  cubes
4 scallions, diced
1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 tsp fresh sage, chopped
1 cup heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 350F

Cut out a circle from the top of the pumpkin – the way you would to make a jack-o’-lantern  and set aside.
Scoop out the seeds and strings as best as you can. Generously salt and pepper the inside of the pumpkin, pop the top back on it, place it on a rimmed baking dish (since the pumpkin may leak or weep) and bake for 45 minutes.
 
Meanwhile, warm the olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat.
Crumble the sausage into small chunks and cook until lightly browned.
Remove the sausage from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool.
Discard the drippings or save for the gravy.
 
Also while the pumpkin bakes, cook the pasta in a large pot of salted, boiling water until al dente.
Drain through a colander and rinse with cool water to stop the cooking process.
 
In a bowl, toss together the fontina, gruyere, sausage, pasta, scallions and herbs.
When the pumpkin is done baking, take it out of the oven and fill it with the macaroni and cheese mixture.
Pour the cream over the filling.
Place the top back on the pumpkin and bake for 1 hour, taking the top off for the last 15 minutes of cooking so the cheese on top of the filling can get properly brown.
If the top cream still seems a bit too wobbly, give it another 10 mins in the oven.
The cream may bubble over a bit, which is fine. If the pumpkin splits while baking, as occasionally happens, be thankful you set it in a rimmed baking dish and continue to bake!
Allow the pumpkin to rest for 10 minutes before serving. Be careful moving the dish, as the pumpkin may be fragile. 
You can serve this dish two ways;
Cut it into individual servings or just scoop out the insides, including some of the
pumpkin flesh for each serving. 
Season to taste and enjoy!

Appetizers · Holiday Food · Vegetable-related

Roasted butternut squash, spinach and feta tartlets topped with pine nuts.

Belinda

Once the cooler weather arrives, I just love cooking with pumpkins and squashes.  This is a twist on the Greek dish, Spanakopita but has the addition of roasted butternut squash and pine nuts to add sweetness, along with the spinach and feta cheese. So good!!
You can also add sweet potato instead of the squash and replace the dill with other chopped herbs, like parsley or basil or use sun dried tomatoes, or some diced bacon with the onion. If you don’t like feta cheese, try parmesan or mozzarella or even a blue cheese.

6 sheets filo (phyllo) pastry, thawed
2 cups peeled, diced small butternut squash
5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 bunch fresh spinach (around 8 oz) stems removed, chopped
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh dill
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
1 tbsp melted butter
2 tbsp raw pine nuts

Preheat the oven to 350 F
Toss the diced squash with 1 tbsp of olive oil, place in a single layer on a baking tray and cook for 15 minutes.
While the squash bakes, heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat.
Cook the onion for 6 minutes, then add the spinach and cook for 4 minutes, stirring regularly.
Stir in the dill, salt and pepper and remove from the heat.
Stir in the crumbled feta and baked squash (keep the oven heated to 350 F) and set aside.
Combine the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil with the melted butter in a small bowl.
Place 2 filo sheets side by side on a work surface and brush each sheet evenly with the butter-oil mixture.
Place 2 more sheets on top and brush with butter-oil, then repeat once more.
Cut each stack into six 5 inch squares, for a total of 12 stacks with 3 sheets each.
Lightly grease a standard 12 cup muffin pan with butter-oil mixture.
Place each square filo stack into a muffin cup, pressing gently to mould the pastry into the bottom.
Spoon 1/4 cup of the spinach-pumpkin filling into each and fold the extra pastry back over the filling, roughly crumpling around the edges so that the filling is still exposed.
Brush the edges with the remaining butter-oil mix.
Sprinkle pine nuts in the middle of each tart.
Bake for 18 minutes, then remove from the oven and transfer the tarts from the muffin pan to a cooling rack.
Let cool slightly then serve.

Variation ; Instead of making 12 muffin-size tarts, you can make four individual pie-sized tarts or one larger pie

Grains · Nuts

Chestnut risotto with butternut squash

Belinda

It’s my favorite time of year for being in the kitchen with all the wonderful comforting dishes to make!

Serves 4

6 cups chicken or turkey broth
1/4 cup Riesling or other wine on the sweeter side
1 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp butter, divided
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1/2 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 1/2 cups (10 oz) Arborio rice
2 cups peeled, roasted chestnuts, or jarred chestnuts, finely chopped
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp chopped fresh marjoram
1/2 to 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley

Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover and keep warm.

Meanwhile, heat the oil and 2 tbsp butter in a heavy, large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, chestnuts and squash. Cook until the onion is translucent, stirring often, about 10 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, being careful not to burn it.

Add the rice to the onion-squash-chestnut mixture and coat the grains with the butter, cooking for about 2 to 3 minutes until the rice is translucent at the edges but still opaque in the center.
Add the wine and cook, stirring, until the liquid evaporates.

Add 1 cup of the warm broth, simmer until almost absorbed, stirring often for about 4 minutes.
Add more broth, 1 cup at a time, allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding the next one, until the rice is just tender, stirring frequently, about 25 minutes total.
Stir in the thyme and marjoram.
Remove from the heat, stir in the remaining 1 tbsp butter, cheese and parsley.
Season the risotto with salt and pepper and serve

Appetizer Vegetarian · Appetizers · Do-ahead

Marinated feta cheese with olives and capers

Belinda

Perfect to have on hand for when people drop by. (not that they do in LA!)  It’s a great starter for a dinner party and something you have already made at least two weeks earlier!

12 oz Greek feta cheese, cubed
2 large garlic cloves
1/2 tbsp mixed peppercorns
8 coriander seeds
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp capers, drained
1/2 cup Kalamata olives, drained (or your favorite olive)
fresh oregano or thyme sprigs
Olive oil to cover
A large preserving jar
Toasted french bread and chopped tomatoes at serving time

Cube the cheese
Thickly slice the garlic
Lightly crush the peppercorns
Pack the feta cheese into a large preserving jar with the bay leaf – interspersing with garlic, coriander/peppercorns, capers, olives and thyme and/or oregano sprigs
Pour in enough olive oil to cover the cheese
Close tightly and allow to marinate for 2 weeks

To serve, lift out the cheese/olives etc and place on hot toast, garnish with chopped tomatoes and drizzle some of the flavored oil marinade over it all