Browsing Tag

cheese

Appetizer Recipes

Cheese Appetizer Plates, the Secret to Success

Savory Tv loves cheese as an appetizer.  Are you planning a cheese tray for your holiday party, and looking for tips beyond the ordinary as we are?   We love this helpful video from cheesemonger and author of The Cheese Primer Steven Jenkins, as he discusses the perfect cheese appetizer plate with Serious Eats,  which includes a combination of sheep, goat, and cow cheeses.   He recommends staying fairly mild to please all of your guests, and to choose no more than 3 to 4 cheeses, and ensure that all are different from each other in both texture and flavor.    Steve says to opt for cheeses that are unique, primitive, or rustic in appearance.  In the video, he chooses a few of his favorites, including a Poitu Chevre (goat – France), a Tomme de Cabrioulet (raw goat – France), Torta del Casar (sheep – Spain), Serpa (raw sheep – Portugal), and a Smokey Blue (cow – US) from Oregon’s Rogue Creamery that has been smoked with hazelnut shells.

What is a cheesemonger exactly?    Basically a cheese expert.  Although not having the strict educational requirements as a sommelier has for wine, cheesemongers often are top experts in their field, and are well respected and appreciated in the culinary world.   In our world of chain stores and the sad decline of Mom and Pop, cheese mongers can be tricky to find if you are not in a large metropolitan area.  Our best advice is to Google “cheesemonger” (or “cheese shop”) and the name of your city, and to search the message boards at Chow.com.   You can also ask your favorite restaurant chef if he has suggestions for a reliable source.  The best shops will encourage tasting and help you with wine pairings.

For more cheese suggestions, absolutely check out these great cheese plate tips and recipe ideas from chef Michael Chiarello.  Michael recommends soft and aged goat cheeses, Teleme, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Gorgonzola, Camembert, to serve with bread, and offers wine pairing and plating suggestions.

Do you have a favorite cheese that your party guests love?   Let us know please in the comments section!

Appetizer Recipes French Recipes

Cheese ambrosia! Chef Jacques Pépin shares a favorite family appetizer

Author and Master Chef Jacques Pépin and his daughter Claudine show us their family French recipe of fromage fort, meaning “strong cheese” in English. This creative appetizer utilizes all of the random small pieces of cheese that you may have stashed in your fridge! Use camembert, swiss cheese, goat cheese, brie, or whatever you happen to have available. Combined with white wine, garlic, and pepper, the end result is a warm cheese blend that may be served on baguette toast or crackers for a heavenly appetizer or snack.

Watch the video for the details, and visit the Food and Wine Magazine site for more delicious recipes.

Fromage Fort
Chef Jacques Pepin

1/2 pound cheese pieces
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup dry white wine
Black pepper
Salt

Put 1/2 pound of cheese pieces in the bowl of a food processor, add 1 garlic clove, about 1/4 cup of dry white wine and a big grinding of black pepper. Salt is usually not needed, but taste the mixture and add some if it is. Process for about 30 seconds, until the mixture is creamy but not too soft, and then pack it into small containers. The fromage fort is now ready to use. You may serve it cold or spread on bread and broiled for a few minutes. Broiling will brown the cheese and make it wonderfully fragrant.

Ingredient Spotlights

Savory Ingredient Spotlight – All About Asiago Cheese

Welcome to our second edition of the Savory Ingredient spotlight, featuring…drumroll please…Asiago cheese!

If Asiago had human personality traits, I would call it vibrant, outgoing, multifaceted, and cheerful, strong, and sincere. If you don’t know Asiago personally, consider befriending it, you may just fall in love.

Asiago is officially known and certified as Asiago D.O.P, which stands for Denominazione di Origine Protetta, in english, Protected Designation of Origin. By European law, the certified cheese is only produced in specific areas of Italy, which are the provinces of Trento and Vicenza, and the town of Asiago. Asiago is made with cow’s milk, and raw unpasteurized milk is typically preferred among cheese enthusiasts, as it tends to have a deeper, more complex flavor. Asiago is know as a mountain cheese, (as are Emmentaler and Gruyere), and the high alpine meadows upon which the milk cows graze contain specific grasses, plants, and flowers, all which contribute to the distinct flavor of certified Asiago cheese.

Asiago has two main varieties, fresh and ripened. The Asiago “Pressato” is the fresh variety, is made with whole milk, and aged for 20-40 days. Pressato has a softer, sweeter, nuttier taste than its older relative, “d’Allevo”. The more mature, ripened Asiago d’Allevo is produced with skim milk, and aged for up to two years. Asiago d’Allevo is firmer and slightly granular in texture, and has a stronger, more acidic, savory flavor.

When purchasing Asiago, look for the D.O.P designation, and choose cheese that is amber rather than brown in color. The presence of small holes is an indicator of a top quality Asiago.

In the following film clip, Lou DiPalo of DiPalo Selects, an online supplier of Italian specialty foods, visits master cheesemakers in the town of Asiago Italy, and they discuss the qualities of the superior DOP cheeses, and observe the making of Asiago Pressato. Give it a view!

Burger Recipes Grilled Recipes

Burgers with spicy blue cheese

Julie from Le Gourmet TV meets up with Luke from Rosenborg in the LCBO Events Kitchen.They trace the origins of Danish Blue cheese, explore the wide range of blue cheese available on store shelves, and prepare a couple of simple and tasty recipes from the Rosenborg website.


Ingredients

1lb. (454 g) ground lean steak/beef
1 small onion, chopped finely
Small bunch fresh parsley or other herb of
your choice, finely chopped
Salt and black pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 pack (125 g) ROSENBORG® Traditional or Extra Creamy Blue Cheese
2-3 tsp (10-15 mL) wholegrain mustard

To serve :
Bread rolls of your choice and salad leaves for garnish

1. Combine meat with onion, chopped herbs and seasoning, mix well and then use sufficient of the beaten egg to bind mixture. Form into 4 rounds and pat into a burger shape. Heat grill or griddle to medium hot.
2. Combine cheese and mustard and mix well.
3. Cook burgers under grill or on griddle, turning occasionally to ensure even browning and cooking. When the burgers are just ready divide the cheese mix between the four, and spread an even layer on top, return to heat and just allow to start to melt.
4. Serve in or on bread roll with salad garnish.

makes 4