cheese tagged posts

Here is my holiday line-up of make-ahead, easy-assemble, or store-bought hors d’oeuvres, ranging from comforting to exotic, that are so delicious they will make you the talk of the town.

Paneer Tikka Stuffed Mini Potatoes

Makes 32 halves

My Paneer Tikka Mini Potatoes are stuffed with an exotic combination of Indian spices tamed by rich coconut milk, tomato paste, and soft paneer cheese. Mmm…cheese, potatoes, and a touch of the exotic in a make-ahead, freezer-friendly recipe – everything I am looking for in a special occasion hors d’oeuvres.

It’s well worth seeking out Arvinda’s Tikka Masala spice blend for this recipe. Based in Oakville, Ontario, Arvinda’s makes artisanal, premium Indian spice blends, using Canadian grown spices whenever possible, like mustard seed and coriander. Their Tikka Masala is a lively blend of all natural ingredients, including fresh organic garlic from Stratford, Ontario and fresh ginger.   It’s hot but the tiny amount in this recipe will blanket you in a pleasant (not painful) warmth with layers of flavour. You can find Arvinda’s finely crafted range of Indian spice blends in fine food stores throughout Ontario. Check their website for a store near you.

Paneer cheese is a mild, fresh, farmer white cheese. It is now widely available in many supermarkets or Indian grocery stores.

Ingredients:

Potatoes:
16 mini Yukon Gold potatoes, uniformly medium-sized
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ teaspoon coarse salt

Stuffing:
1 cup (scant) finely diced paneer cheese
½ teaspoon Arvinda’s Tikka Masala spice mix
½ teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoons tomato paste
½ cup canned coconut milk, well-shaken

Garnish:
Finely chopped chives, green onion, or cilantro

Directions:

Potatoes:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Cut potatoes in half so that each half will sit upright. Dump on parchment-lined baking sheet. Add oil and salt; toss to coat potatoes evenly. Arrange on baking sheet cut side up and evenly spaced so potatoes aren’t touching each other. Roast in a 375°F oven until just tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet.

Stuffing:

1. Using the pointed end of a vegetable peeler or a small spoon, carefully scoop flesh out of potato into a medium bowl, leaving a thin wall of flesh lining the potato skin. Roughly mash the flesh with a potato masher or fork.
2. Add stuffing ingredients to mashed potato; mix well. Mound stuffing in potatoes halves.
3. If serving immediately, arrange on parchment-lined baking sheet; bake at 375°F until hot throughout and cheese is soft, 7 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle garnish of your choice over top of each potato. Serve warm.
4. Or place in an airtight container, separating layers with parchment paper, cover and store in the refrigerator overnight. Bring to room temperature while preheating oven to 375°F degrees. Arrange on parchment lined-baking sheet and bake until hot throughout and cheese is soft, 7 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle garnish of your choice over top of each potato. Serve warm.
5. Or place in an airtight container, separating layers with parchment paper, cover and freeze up to 2 weeks. Bake from frozen in a 375°F oven, arranged on a parchment-lined baking sheet, until hot throughout and cheese is soft, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle garnish of your choice over top of each potato. Serve warm.

Muhammara: A Seductive Syrian Dip

You’ll find my recipe for a seductively delicious dip, that is festively colourful and healthy. in my post Mississauga Meet Muhammara: A Seductive Syrian Dip. This intriguing little number has layers of flavour and texture: roasted sweet red peppers, crunchy walnuts, acidic tomato paste and lemon juice balanced by sweet and tangy pomegranate molasses, and a warm spicy heat that slowly unveils itself. It’s a breeze to make at the last minute with most items stocked in the pantry, or it can be made ahead and refrigerated for a couple of days. or even frozen for up to 2 weeks. If you would rather purchase ready-made Muhammara, my post tells you where to buy a good one.

Cheddar Cayenne Cookies

Makes 4 logs (about 24 cookies in each log)

Adapted from www.chatelaine.com Cheddar Crisp Appetizers

These savory cookies have a rich, cheddar flavour with a bit of a spicy kick. They are delicious on their own but spoon on Rootham’s Tangy Red Pepper Jelly or Yummies in a Jar Apple Sage Jelly and they become extra special. Make the dough ahead, roll it into logs, and freeze for up to 1 month; then simply take the dough out a few minutes before slicing and baking to serve your guests freshly baked cheddar cookies with pizzazz.

I’ve adapted a Chatelaine recipe by adding a touch of cream for moistness and a cup of grated old cheddar cheese for even more cheddar flavour. I use Stirling Creamery European-Style Churn 84 Salted Butter which has a rich butter flavour from 84% butterfat. Stirling also makes an unsalted version of Churn 84 but it’s hard to find in our region – you might find it in Sobey’s. If you would prefer to use unsalted butter, increase the salt in the recipe to 1 teaspoon.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp table salt
½ tsp ground cayenne pepper (optional)
1 (250 g) container MacLaren’s Imperial Cold Pack Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1 cup Stirling Creamery European-Style Churn 84 salted butter, cut into small cubes
2 tsp Dijon mustard
4 tablespoons 35% cream
1 cup grated old cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt, and cayenne; stir with a wire whisk until evenly distributed.
2. Break up MacLaren’s Imperial Sharp Cold Pack Cheddar Cheese with a fork before dumping it into the large bowl of a food processer; pulse a few times to break down to large crumbs. Add butter, mustard, and cream; process until smooth, stopping machine to scrape down sides with a rubber spatula as necessary. Add grated cheese and flour mixture; pulse, occasionally stopping machine to scrape down sides with a rubber spatula, just until mixture comes together.
3. Scrape dough on to a large piece of parchment paper. Gently form into a ball by kneading gently once or twice. Divide dough into 4 equal sections. Place 1 section on another large piece of parchment paper. Roll dough section gently to form an evenly shaped log, about 1-1/2 inches wide by 6 inches long. Wrap in parchment paper then twist ends to seal. Repeat with remaining dough. Refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours or overnight. Or wrap logs in aluminum foil and seal in a resealable freezer bag, label with baking instructions, and freeze up to 1 month; remove from freezer for a few moments before slicing and baking.
4. When ready to bake, place oven rack on bottom shelf; preheat oven to 400°F. Slice one well-chilled log into 1/4-inch thick rounds; arrange (evenly spaced) on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake one sheet at a time, on the bottom rack, just until edges are slightly golden brown, about 8 minutes; immediately remove cookies from cookie sheet and place on rack to cool. Repeat with remaining logs, removing 1 log at a time from the fridge.
5. Best eaten the day you bake them but still good within a few days after baking, if placed in a sealed container and refrigerated. Serve at room temperature with apple sage or red pepper jelly. Look for Rootham’s Tangy Red Pepper Jelly or Yummies in a Jar Apple Sage Jelly at gourmet food shops such as The Shop For All Reasons in Streetsville, gourmet grocery stores such as Cousin’s Market in Port Credit, or fine cheese shops such as Mill Street Cheese Market in Georgetown (see my Grocery Store Directory). Or click on the product link to go directly to the product website for store locations.

Sorry about the cheesy photo. I got a little carried away with the deer.

Hot Cheddar Dip

Enough to feed a crowd.

Adapted from Hot Cheese Spread from Best of Bridge

I’ve amped up the Hot Cheese Spread recipe from Best of Bridge to replicate the flavours of a dip I served in the ‘80s and loved, but lost the recipe. Artery-clogging but so delicious, I only serve this decadent dip at Christmas.

Make it ahead and store in the fridge for a few days. It makes enough to feed a crowd, so sometimes I split one batch into two if I have two smaller gatherings to attend. I have even frozen it, which isn’t ideal because the oil separates while baking, but once you have drained off the oil, you are still left with a ton of flavour, a lot less fat, and a bit of a stringier dip.

Ingredients:

1 cup slivered almonds
3 cups grated old cheddar cheese
2/3 cup finely chopped green onions (5 or 6 green onions)
1 garlic clove, finely minced
½ teaspoon curry powder
Dash cayenne powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup mayonnaise

Accompaniment:

Baguette crisps such as Ace Bakery Olive Oil & Sea Salt Mini Crisps

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Spread almonds out in a single layer on baking sheet and toast lightly, just until golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Immediately remove from baking sheet to cool.
2. In a medium bowl, mix cheese, onion and garlic together. In a separate bowl, combine curry powder, cayenne powder, and salt. Add soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and mayonnaise; blend thoroughly with a whisk. Fold into cheese. Add almonds. Stir until thoroughly mixed.
3. Pack into an oven-proof serving dish. Bake immediately, or cover tightly and store in the refrigerator for a few days. Bring to room temperature before placing in a 350°F preheated oven. Bake just until hot throughout, about 15 minutes. Wonderful served with Ace Bakery Olive Oil & Sea Salt Mini Crisps.

Tomato Bocconcini Basil Skewers

If you can get your hands on some really good cherry tomatoes and real buffalo mozzarella mini cheese balls, this festively-coloured hors d’oeuvres is easy-assemble and healthy. Click on my post Easy Breezy Summer Apps and scroll down for the recipe and details.

Keep calm and carry on. Love, Olive.

One fall, after taking his daughters on a lovely trip to Provence in the south of France, my father requested a Provençal-style Thanksgiving dinner. After such a memorable trip, we were more than happy to oblige. We spread out the sunny Provençal tablecloths that we bought at the market in Uzès. Then we laid out a delicious feast of roast turkey (and called it Dinde Rôtie), Potatoes Savoyard (Jane Rodmell’s Cottage Life’s Summer Weekends Cookbook), Cauliflower Gratin (Ina Garten’s Barefoot in Paris), Sweet Potato & Sage Brûlée (Lucy Waverman, Food & Drink Holiday 2007), and these pretty stuffed peppers, inspired by Laura Calder’s Tomato-stuffed Peppers (French Food at Home).  Colourful, flavourful, and oh so darling, they pair nicely with a glass of wine and a Provençal state of mind.

Provençal Stuffed Baby Peppers

The brainchild behind this recipe is Laura Calder. I changed her recipe slightly, using baby peppers and cherry tomatoes instead of big ones, my olive purée instead of the stronger tasting tapenade, and added goat cheese for creaminess and a touch of panko bread crumbs for a slight crunch. Make the olive purée ahead of time, so there is less to do at assembly time.

Ingredients:

1 ½ lbs. mini sweet bell peppers, in a colourful medley of orange, yellow, red

1 pint cherry/grape tomatoes in a colourful medley of orange, yellow, red

1 bunch of fresh basil, stems removed

¼ cup Black Olive Purée (see recipe below)

1 small package (130 g) soft, unripened chèvre (goat’s milk cheese)

¼ cup panko bread crumbs

⅛ cup extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Cut each pepper in half, lengthwise from stem to tip, leaving the stems intact on both halves; remove and discard the seeds. Place pepper halves, cut side up, on a parchment-lined, rimmed baking sheet; roast until the peppers are slightly tender but still hold their shape, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove pan from the oven; let peppers cool slightly but leave them on the tray and leave the oven on at 375°F.
3. Meanwhile, cut the tomatoes in half, lengthwise; remove and discard seeds and pulp. Turn halves upside down to drain while peppers are roasting.
4. When step two is completed, place 1 large basil leaf or two smaller basil leaves in each pepper half.
5. Place 1/8 teaspoon of olive purée on top of basil; carefully spread out the purée a little.
6. Place a tomato half, cut side up, on top of the olive purée, choosing a contrasting-coloured tomato for each pepper. If tomato halves are too big, cut them in half lengthwise again.
7. Place ½ teaspoon of goat cheese in each tomato half.
8. Repeat with remaining peppers.
9. Sprinkle the panko bread crumbs evenly over the top of the peppers.
10. Drizzle the peppers evenly with olive oil.
11. Return pan to the oven and bake until cheese is soft and bread crumbs are lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt, to taste. Serve warm.

Black Olive Purée

Inspired by a Patricia Wells recipe (Olive Purée from Nyons, The Provence Cookbook), this spread is similar to tapenade but doesn’t include the strong flavours of capers, anchovies, and mustard which I find overpowering. Here, the olives are the star. I use thyme and rosemary (instead of herbes de Provence) and I throw in a garlic clove just for good measure. Oh, wouldn’t I love to get my hands on the Nyons olives that inspired Ms. Wells to create her recipe! Instead, I use the wrinkly but meaty, sun-dried black olives (such as the flavourful, sun-dried Moroccan olives that Longo’s currently carries in their olive bar). Whatever you do, don’t use totally flavorless canned black olives. Use this spread sparingly because it is quite salty.

Ingredients:

2 cups best-quality sun-dried black olives, pitted

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 clove of garlic

2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil, if required

Directions:

1. Combine all of the ingredients, except for the oil, in a food processor or blender. Blend to a thick paste; if too thick, add oil and blend again.
2. Serve immediately or transfer to an airtight container and cover; store in refrigerator for a few days or in the freezer for longer storage. Defrost before serving. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Here are some quick ideas for easy breezy assembly-only appetizers to download to your dock or deck this summer.  Gather some fresh and seasonal ingredients, make a few simple slices, and then assemble into beautiful and delicious appetizers that will leave you with more time to spend with your happy guests. Who wants to be in the kitchen when you can be down on the dock?

Spanish Twist: Peaches with Serrano Ham, Creamy Blue, & Honey

Wow your guests with a little Spanish flare: Spanish-style serrano ham, creamy blue cheese, and honey compliment juicy peaches, beautifully. Spanish food is hot in Toronto right now. Bring a little Barcelona to your own backyard.

Ingredients:

Peaches – pick out some fragrant, ripe Ontario-grown beauties.

Mild, creamy blue cheese – my favourite is Devil’s Rock Creamy Blue Cheese. The sharpness of this milder blue is softened by the creamy, rich texture of the cheese.

Serrano ham – Spanish-style dry-cured ham (similar to prosciutto). I use the Campesino brand.

Honey – use your best honey. Try some wonderful, locally produced wildflower honey such as Gibbs. Gibbs bees live the good life, on a former Christmas tree farm (in Canfield, Ontario), surrounded by mixed pines, wildflowers, clover, pastures, and hay fields.

Directions:

1. Let the blue cheese come to room temperature to be easier to spread. The serrano ham should also be served at room temperature. Cut the ham into strips narrower than the width of the peach (so both ends of the peach will show through when you wrap it around) and long enough to wrap around the slice at least 1 ½ times.
2. Just before serving, slice the peaches into wedges. Smear a touch of blue cheese on each slice. Wrap with serrano ham. Drizzle with plenty of good honey. Serve immediately.

Balsamic-Drizzled Strawberries Stuffed with Prosciutto & Arugula

My friend attended an evening at a friend’s cottage on Prince Edward Island and came back with this delicious and different approach to the old standby of melon and prosciutto. The arugula adds a slight peppery punch that pairs well with the sweet tartness of the strawberries and balsamic glaze. The prosciutto brings in a touch of salt, leaving a wonderfully balanced combination of flavours in your mouth.

Ingredients:

Strawberries – locally grown and sweet. Strawberries in August? Well yes, if you buy local berries grown on ever-bearing plants that produce wonderful fruit right up until frost.

Prosciutto – buy the best you can find. I use Longo’s Prosciutto di Parma (ask for it at their deli counter).

Arugula – try to find baby arugula. Longo’s Organic Baby Arugula is tiny and perfect.

Balsamic glaze – I use De Nigris Balsamic Glaze. Don’t bother making your own. This glaze is priced right, keeps well, and best of all, comes in a squeezable bottle so you can add some drama to your drizzle.

Toothpicks

Directions:

1. Slice the top off the strawberries to remove the hull and leave a clean cut.
2. Cut a small piece of prosciutto (big enough that you can fold it over once or twice and fit it nicely inside the strawberry); place the prosciutto on the cut side of one strawberry half.
3. Place a small leaf of arugula (folded if necessary but you want a little green sticking out) on top of the prosciutto.
4. Place the other strawberry half on top; secure both halves with a toothpick. Place on a serving platter and drizzle a generous amount of balsamic glaze over top in an artful but haphazard pattern. Serve immediately.

Tomato Bocconcini Basil Skewers

When local tomatoes are in season, you can’t beat this colourful summer classic of juicy tomatoes, soft mini buffalo mozzarella cheese balls, the lovely licorice note of fragrant basil, a generous drizzle of balsamic glaze, and a sprinkling of crunchy sea salt.

Ingredients:

Cherry tomatoes – choose the ripest, most colourful, locally grown cherry tomatoes you can find. And for heaven’s sake, please don’t store them in your fridge.

Fresh basil leaves – hope you are lucky enough to have some growing in your garden!

Mini buffalo mozzarella cheese balls – top quality is crucial here. Bella Casara Mini Buffalo Mozzarella Soft Cheese is made from 100% buffalo milk. It’s locally produced in Vaughan, Ontario by family-run Quality Cheese Inc.

Balsamic glaze – I use De Nigris Balsamic Glaze. Don’t bother making your own. This glaze is priced right, keeps well, and best of all, comes in a squeezable bottle so you can add some drama to your drizzle.

Good quality sea salt

Mini skewers

Directions:

1. Cut the fresh basil leaves in long, wide strips (along the length of the leaf); wrap one strip around each cheese ball and skewer.
2. Anchor a cherry tomato at the bottom of the skewer.
3. Sprinkle with sea salt and drizzle with plenty of balsamic glaze. Serve immediately.

The Details:

 

I can still hear the screen door slam behind me as I run into the loving embrace of my apron-adorned Grandmother where she stands, heart wide open, in her happy kitchen. She left us long ago but her twinkling smile still sparkles in my heart.

I can see her, clear as day, coming in from the backyard with an apron full of ripe cherries she just picked from her cherry tree. I can taste the tartness of the plump, ruby coloured, juicy jewels that she loaded in her cherry pie.

I will always remember the life lessons she taught me, like “two wrongs don’t make a right” or:

Or to share what you have whenever you can. During hard times homeless people knew that if they knocked on her door, they could always count on my Grandmother to share whatever food she had.

Her name was Miriam but they called her May for short, having been born on the 31st of May. Today would have been her birthday. In honour of May’s birthday, I am enjoying a mid-morning snack of a handful of luscious black cherries that are the perfect foil for a small, sinful smear of buttery St. André (a soft ripened cheese crafted in Normandy, France). Olive black cherries with St. André cheese. It’s dessert without the guilt. I will wash it down with a spot of tea in this pretty and very special tea cup that was passed down to me. It was May’s birthday tea cup. Look, it has lilies of the valley and the word “May” printed on it. Isn’t it lovely?

It’s as lovely as May. Love you Grandma…and I saved the tea bag.

St. André cheese: Ile de France (available at Longo’s)

Teapot: Available from cobistyle.

Bouquet of lily-of-the-valley: Thanks to my husband. He surprises me every spring with a hand-picked bouquet. He says I look like May.

I went for a lovely country drive with my Dad last Saturday to The Mill Street Cheese Market, just off Main Street in quaint, historic downtown Georgetown. The pretty little shop is filled to the brim with the best local and international cheeses, cured meats, charcuterie, and gourmet specialty food products, from as close as Caledon to as far away as Europe and Australia. Olive the Mill Street Cheese Market. Whenever I go, I feel like I am visiting a little fromagerie shop in France.

Like a kid in a candy shop, I like to start each visit by browsing every inch of the shelves for little gourmet treasures like preserves, olive oil, pasta sauces, and even artisanal limonade from France and the iconic St-Viateur Bagels from Montreal (you haven’t had a proper bagel if you haven’t had a St-Viateur Bagel).

It doesn’t take long before one of the staff tempts me with samplings of the fabulous cheeses and cured meats that this shop has to offer. Go with an appetite and the time to learn about each product. These people know their cheese and are passionate about sharing their knowledge with you.

The first nibble that I was offered was a little spoon filled with a tiny dollop of Rootham’s Tangy Red Pepper Jelly and topped with a sliver of Aged Farmhouse artisan cheese from Natural Pastures Cheese Company in Courtenay, on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

Wow! The sweet and spicy tang of the jelly was a delicious match for this outstanding aged firm cheese that was rich and flavourful with slightly granular and sweet end-notes. Natural Pastures Cheese Company produces a variety of world-class,  award-winning cheeses. They use fresh, pure milk from grass-fed cows who live stress-free on the pristine farms of the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island.

Rootham Gourmet Preserves Tangy Red Pepper Jelly is all natural and gluten free. It is made in Guelph, Ontario with local Canadian ingredients, including fresh Ontario red bell peppers.

My next sample was Summer Sausage made by Mennonites in Stratford, Ontario. This fine textured sausage is all pork and sold whole, wrapped in a cloth bag which helps to preserve it.

As soon as you roll back the cloth, you are enticed by the piquant aroma.  A thin slice practically melts in your mouth but bursts with garlic, warm spice and smokiness. Irresistible.

I made my way to the cheese counter and tried a sample of a creamy Thunder Oak Medium Gouda made by the Schep family with fresh milk from their Holstein cows, on Thunder Oak Cheese Farm in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Their lovely Dutch cheese is award-winning and free of preservatives or added colouring.  Dill or Jalapeno flavoured Thunder Oak Gouda was also available but I bought the plain medium to pair it with Roothman’s Tangy Red Pepper Jelly.

My final treat was Magie de Madawaska,  an artisanal washed rind cheese made from full cream cow’s milk by Fromagerie Le Détour in Notre-Dame-du-Lac, Quebec.  Soft, creamy, and full of flavour.

Just visiting The Mill Street Cheese Market is a joy in itself but I am pretty sure that you won’t leave the store empty handed. It is conveniently located just off Main Street, a few steps from where the wonderful Georgetown Farmers Market is held on Saturday mornings during the growing season.

If you would like to learn a little more about the producers of these fine products, please visit their websites below.