Herbed Cheese with Pears, Pine Nuts, and Honey

Makes 32 servings

Ingredients

• · 16 ounces part-skim ricotta cheese
• · 24 tablespoons pine nuts
• · 48 ounces fresh goat cheese, room temperature
• · 8 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
• · 16 teaspoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• · 4 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• · 16 ripe but firm Bartlett pears
• · 16 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons flavorful honey, such as buckwheat, chestnut, or leatherwood

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place ricotta in a fine sieve set over a bowl; let excess liquid drain, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, spread nuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast in oven until lightly browned, tossing occasionally, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a plate; let cool.

2. In a food processor or medium bowl, mix together goat cheese and drained ricotta until creamy and thoroughly combined. Stir in thyme, parsley, and lemon zest; set aside.

3. Slice each pear into six wedges. Divide herbed cheese among four serving plates, spooning it into mounds. Arrange three pear wedges next to cheese on each plate. Sprinkle with nuts; drizzle about 2 teaspoons honey over each portion of cheese and pears. Serve immediately.

Sweet/Sour, Umami, Hanger Steak and Herbs

We had our herb/spices and tasting chapter in class today.

Got organic herbs donated from a local garden and had some dried ones as well - after smelling a few unfamiliar ones, I made a few notes.

• Star Anise- smells like licorice (which I do not like)
• Juniper Berry- smells like a nasty berry
• Cumin - holy damn don't take a big whiff
• Allspice - surprisingly pleasant, reminds me of Christmas and apple pie
• Pineapple Sage - smells like dirty gym socks
• Tumeric - spiced dirt
• Purple (sweet) Basil - much better when cooked, smells a little nasty fresh
• Lemon Basil - amazing delicious lemony basil aroma
• Texas Tarragon - another licorice smell
• Sweet Bay - the forest
• Mexican Oregano - peppery oregano
• Vietnamese Coriander - lemony musky air
• Thyme - ITALIA

After the assault on my nose (and accidentally exhaling into the dried oregano and sprayed it everywhere) - we switched to dill vs sweet pickles. Obviously I scarfed both down.

Then was the dreaded lemon tasting. Added salt to one slice, sugar to another slice, then salt + sugar to another. The salt + lemon was absolutely and utterly dreadful. Sugar and lemon was delicious - I generally do that with my lemon garnish in a restaurant anyway. Salt + sugar wasn't that bad - but the salt totally eff's up the taste.

Next was my favorite part! Cheesssseeeeeeeee tastingggg. I've never met a cheese I didn't like so I was especially excited about this part. We sampled...

• White Cheddar - delicious
• Smoked Gouda - delicious
• Gorgonzola - delicious (even the mold)
• Brie - creamy, pungent but delicious
• Feta - extremely strong by itself! much better with food
• Mozzarella - delicious, creamy, not overpowering
• Manchego - firm and buttery
• Swiss - delicious
• And others I forgot the name

We practiced our knife skills - I still suck at cutting a straight line. I have issues with my Julienne and Batonnet cuts. I had maybe 2 ~perfect cuts out of 2 potatoes and 2 carrots. Mostly plankish, and always one rectangle in with the other end perfectly square. My cubes made from these were rather cute tho! I even minced a potato for shits and giggles.

The class split up and made spinach ravioli on one side and calamari on the other. I, being a masochist, picked the calamari side. The steps to making calamari are much more... disgusting than I imagined but I manned up and did it. Here are step by step pictures in case you are curious.

A. Thaw frozen squid. Cut through arms near the eyes. With thumb and forefinger, squeeze out the inedible beak which will be located near the cut. Reserve tentacles.

B. Feel inside mantle for chitinous pen. Firmly grasp pen and attached viscera; remove from mantle. Wash mantle thoroughly and drain. It is now ready for stuffing. Make rings by cutting across mantle. Arms can be chopped, minced or left whole.

Procedure No. 2 -- Cutting Strips and Pieces

A. Thaw frozen squid. Cut through arms near the eyes. With thumb and forefinger, squeeze out the inedible beak which will be located near the cut. Reserve tentacles.

B. Feel inside mantle for chitinous pen. Firmly grasp pen and attached viscera; remove from mantle.

C. To cut strips or pieces, lay the mantle flat and cut down the center from top to tail. Spread open and wash thoroughly.

D. Cut mantle into size strips or pieces desired. Arms can be chopped, minced, or left whole. E. Soak the calamari in lemon juice until they turn pink. F. Make a batter of flour, salt, pepper and a bit of cayenne. Fry and nom! If that didn't get you in the mood for some seafood, nothing will. Paul (classmate) trimmed some hanger steak of the fat then pound the crap out of it to make it tender. Apparently a cow only has 2 pieces of hanger steak on it so they are rare and expensive. We seasoned the steak with kosher salt and pepper and then pan seared it. I have never in my life grilled/pan seared an entire steak (only strips for stir fry and quesadillas) so I was a little apprehensive. Heated up 1 Tbs of oil in pan (very important to heat oil first!) then seared the steak on both sides. We were supposed to do it medium rare, but 1) that makes me gag and 2) I accidentally overcooked it. Was very tasty but was so full from all the other food I had eaten that morning so I only ate a few pieces. I still prefer rib eyes. The last thing we made was fresh scrambled eggs (classmate has a farm with organic Araucuna chickens she plucked this morning from their bums). Seasoned the eggs with basil, oregano, chives, etc. The eggs were a little undercooked for my taste but the basil was delicious. Reminds me of the eggs I make with tomatoes and onions. Next class is dry/wet methods of cooking. Can't wait.

Mini-cheeseburgers

Ingredients

Chipotle Mayonnaise:

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 2 chipotles in adobo sauce
• 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
• 1/2 lime, juice
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Sliders:

• 1 to 1 1/2 pounds ground chuck, 80/20
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Cheese slices, your choice
• Mini burger buns

Burger Bar (if desired):

• Chipotle Mayonnaise
• Pickles
• Red onion slices

Directions

Chipotle Mayonnaise:
Add all the ingredients to a food processor and puree. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Sliders:
Preheat grill over medium-high heat.

Form the meat into 2 to 3-ounce portions, packed tightly. Season with salt and pepper.

Place the sliders on the grill. Wait until they are nice and crusty on the first side, about 4 to 5 minutes and then flip and cook another 4 minutes. When the sliders are about done, top with desired cheese and close the grill, allowing the cheese to melt.

Place the slider on mini burger buns and top with chipotle mayonnaise and any other desired toppings.

Cheesy Asparagus Rigatoni Bake

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg rigatoni pasta
• 2 c sliced baby portobello mushrooms
• 2 tbsp butter
• 3/4 lb asparagu spears, cut into 3 inch pieces
• 1 can quartered artichokes, drained
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 2 cup low-fat ricotta cheese
• 1 1/4 c shredded italian style cheese (5oz)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 cup milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425. Coat 13x9 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Cook rigatoni in large pot of boiling water 8-10 minutes, drain. Meanwhile, melt butter in large skillet. Add mushrooms, cook and stir until soft. Add asparagus, artichoke hearts and 1 tsp of the garlic; cook 2 minutes until asparagus is crisp-tender. Remove from heat; stir in uncooked pasta. Pour into unprepared baking dish.

3. In medium bowl combine ricotta, 1 cup of shredded cheese, basil, milk, remaining 1 tsp of garlic and salt and pepper to taste; mix into pasta mixture. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup shredded cheese. Bake 20 minutes or until cheese melts and turns golden.

Loaded Twice-Baked Potatoes

Ingredients

• * 4 medium russet potatoes
• * 8 ounces 90%-lean ground beef
• * 1 cup broccoli florets, finely chopped
• * 1 cup water
• * 1 cup reduced-fat Cheddar cheese, divided
• * 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• * 1/2 teaspoon salt
• * 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• * 3 scallions, sliced

Directions

Pierce potatoes all over with a fork. Place in the microwave and cook at 50% power, turning once or twice, until the potatoes are soft, about 20 minutes. (Or, use the "potato setting" on your microwave and cook according to the manufacturer's instructions.)

Meanwhile, brown meat in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Increase heat to high, add broccoli and water to the skillet, cover, and cook until tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain the broccoli; add to the meat.

Carefully cut off the top third of the cooked potatoes; reserve the tops for another use. Scoop the insides out into a medium bowl. Place the potato shells in a small baking dish. Add 1/2 cup Cheddar, sour cream, salt and pepper to the potato insides and mash with a fork or potato masher. Add scallions and the potato mixture to the broccoli and meat; stir to combine.

Evenly divide the potato mixture among the potato shells and top with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Microwave on high until the filling is hot and the cheese is melted, 2 to 4 minutes.

Vegetarian variation: Replace the ground beef with a soy-based substitute or omit the beef altogether and increase the broccoli to 1 1/2 cups and the cheese to 1 1/4 cups.

Fluffy Cranberry Cheese Pie

Ingredients

CRANBERRY TOPPING

• * 1 package (3 ounces) raspberry gelatin
• * 1/3 cup sugar
• * 1-1/4 cups cranberry juice
• * 1 can (8 ounces) jellied cranberry sauce

FILLING

• * 1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• * 1/4 cup sugar
• * 1 tablespoon milk
• * 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• * 1/2 cup whipped topping
• * 1 pastry shell (9 inches), baked

Directions

In a bowl, combine gelatin and sugar; set aside. In a saucepan, bring cranberry juice to a boil.

Remove from the heat and pour over gelatin mixture, stirring to dissolve. Stir in the cranberry sauce. Chill until slightly thickened.

Meanwhile, in another bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, milk and vanilla until fluffy. Fold in the whipped topping. Spread evenly into pie shell. Beat cranberry topping until frothy; pour over filling. Chill overnight.

Yield: 6-8 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1 piece) equals 326 calories, 12 g fat (6 g saturated fat), 17 mg cholesterol, 164 mg sodium, 54 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 3 g protein.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Fluffy-Cranberry-Cheese-Pie