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Recipe of the Month
Peppered Pear and Goat Cheese Scones
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
1 ¼ teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper
½ cup (1 stick) cold, unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 medium pear, peeled cored, and roughly chopped
4 ounces soft goat cheese, broken into walnut-size pieces
½ cup whole of low-fat plain yogurt
2 tablespoons whole milk, plus more for brushing
- Heat the oven to 375° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and pepper. Add the butter and break into pea-size pieces with your fingertips. Sprinkle the pear pieces and goat cheese over the flour mixture and gently toss together, being careful not to break the cheese into smaller pieces.
- Soften the yogurt by whisking in the milk. Pour the yogurt over the flour mixture and gently blend together with a spatula, being careful not to break up the cheese. The dough may look slightly dry and crumbly but it will produce a very moist scone. Divide the dough into six mounds on the baking sheet, leaving about an inch between them.
- Brush the tops with a little milk, and place the baking sheet in the center of the oven. Bake until lightly brown, about 35 minutes. Remove the baking sheet to a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Thank you to Culture Magazine for this recipe, visit www.cheeseculturemag.com for more recipes.
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Previous Months' Recipes:
Fresh Radish Sandwiches with Sunflower Sprouts and Goat Cheese
Thanks to Baetje Farms for this recipe.
Ingredients:
Fresh pumpernickel bread, lightly toasted
Baetje Farms' "Sainte Genevieve" (or similiar) goat cheese, softened to room temperature
Red & White Radishes
Sunflower sprouts
Salt and pepper
Slice the radishes very thinly with a mandoline or slicer. Lightly toast the bread and spread liberally with the cheese. Place the radish slices in a single, overlapping layer on the bread, alternating colors. Top with sunflower sprouts, and a dash of salt and pepper to taste.
Posole (Hominy) with Chiles, Chorizo, and Queso Fresco
Copyright © 2000 by Paula Lambert, The Cheese Lover’s Cookbook and Guide, all rights reserved
3 cans whole hominy grits, 2 cups dried, or 5 cups frozen
1 fresh poblano chile
1 fresh jalapeño chile
1 small onion, unpeeled
1 clove garlic
1 dried ancho chile
1 dried arbol chile, if you want it hot (optional)
1/2 pound chorizo sausage (optional)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/ 4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
8 ounces queso fresco, crumbled (1 cup)
6 fresh cilantro sprigs, for garnish
6 Lime wedges, for garnish
If using dried posole, soak it in water overnight and then boil in salted water for about 2 hours, or until tender. If using frozen posole, boil in water for about 1 hour, or until tender. If using canned posole, just rinse and drain. Preheat the broiler on high. Adjust the rack so that it is 3 inches from the heat source. Roast poblano, jalapeño, onion, and garlic under the broiler. Turn using tongs until the skins are blackened. Remove from the oven and place in a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let steam until cool. Remove the blackened skins, stems, and seeds, discard and coarsely chop.
Meanwhile, remove the stems, seeds, and membranes from the dried chiles and discard. Toast the ancho and arbol chiles in a dry skillet over low heat, shaking and turning the chiles until softened and fragrant. Be careful not to burn. Remove, place in a small bowl, cover with hot water, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let them steep for 15 minutes to soften. Remove chiles from the water, remove and discard seeds, and coarsely chop. The chile arbol will be the hottest chile. (A half of the pepper will be pretty hot, a whole pepper will be very hot.) Use it accordingly. Be sure to wash your hands after handling any of the hot chiles and don’t touch any tender parts of your body because the capiscum oil on the chiles will remain on your hands. Preheat the oven to 350°. Coat a 2-quart baking dish with oil.
Cut the chorizo into rounds and brown in skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and turn using tongs for 7 minutes, or until browned on both sides and completely cooked. Remove and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle the dried oregano over the chorizo. Place the posole in a large bowl. Add the chiles, onion, and garlic, and stir to mix well.. Add the chorizo and stir to combine. Add cilantro and mix well. Season with salt and pepper.
Pour the posole into the baking dish. Sprinkle the cheese over the top. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until the cheese is lightly browned. To serve, garnish with a sprig of cilantro and 1 lime wedge on the side. Serves 6
Chocolate Chevre Truffles
Thanks to KT Hawk for this recipe
Ingredients:
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
6 ounces fresh (mild) goat cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup sweetened cocoa powder (NOT hot chocolate mix), sifted OR shaved chocolate OR finely chopped nuts
Directions:
In the top of a double boiler, or in a metal bowl set over a pot of simmering water (make sure the water does not touch the bowl), melt the chocolate, stirring until it is smooth. Set the melted chocolate aside to cool for a few minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
In a bowl whisk together the goat cheese, sugar, and vanilla until it is light and fluffy. Whisk in the melted chocolate until it is well combined. Cover and chill mixture until it is easy to work with, but not too cold. To form the truffles, take a heaping teaspoon of the chocolate/cheese mixture and lightly roll it into a ball with your hands. Roll the finished truffles in the sifted cocoa powder, set them onto a baking sheet lined with waxed paper, and chill until they are firm, about 30 minutes. The truffles can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Other flavors can be added to this by simply using a different flavor extract or an infused chocolate.
Cheese Bread Soup
Thanks to Russ Salvadalena with Washington State University Creamery for this recipe
24 thin slices of stale or other firm textured bread (sour dough)
2 cups grated Cougar Cheese
6 onions sliced
3 garlic cloves, sliced
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp salt
1 quart water
In a large sauce pan, saute the onions and garlic in the butter. Season with a little salt, then pour in the water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer while you prepare the soup tureen.
Warm an oven proof tureen and cover the bottom with a layer of bread slices. Cover the bread with grated cheese. Repeat, alternating layers of bread and cheese until both are used up.
Pour the onion bouillon into the tureen and put the tureen, uncovered, into a preheated 350ºF oven for 45 minutes to a hour. The soup should be thick enough for a spoon to stand upright in the middle, and there should be a golden crust on top.
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