Revisiting Some Recipes

Around the time COVID began, I had a lot of changes occur in my life, things were upside down for a time, and then COVID just continued to mess with our lives. And in all of that, I just lost the desire to invent new recipes, hence the very few recipes in my blog since 2019, and the Newsletter just didn't hold an iota of interest. It is now nearly three years since I posted a Newsletter, so I am allowing it to lapse.

However, there were some really good recipes that had been available only through the Newsletter. I had links to most of them in the Index portion of this blog site, but now that the link to those recipes will expire along with the newsletter, I deleted the links to those recipes, and will hopefully get the majority added back in, as I post them here in this blog. 

Goat Cheese Tarts with Fig and Preserved Lemon Jam

The following recipe was a remake of an older recipe, with a new twist or two, and they were so stupendously good, I have to assure that the recipe stays available! These are little bite (or two) sized appetizers I created to pair with a sampling of white wines at a wine tasting evening. If memory serves, they paired best with a Chardonnay. I realize "Chardonnay" is rather generic for the many and varied iterations of that grape, but a nice, buttery type is the best.

I have long had a medium sized, marble mortar and pestle set, and in casting around for something to simplify the forming of tart shells in my mini tart pans, I thought of the pestle. Being marble, it is therefore good for use with pastry dough. I found that making small balls of the dough and setting them in the wells of the pan, the thicker end of the pestle can be used to do the broad stroke of making the dough into a relative "bowl" shape in each little well. Flipping the pestle and using the narrow end, it is perfect for pressing the dough against the sides of the little wells and up to the top edges. Necessity: the Mother of Invention.

Preserved Lemons

Preserved Lemons

Preserved Lemon is an item that most will not have on hand, unless you are a Middle Eastern, Mediterranean or northern African maybe. I have long been acquainted with the taste of preserved lemon, though I hadn't ever seen them sold anywhere in most of my middle-America travels. Recently though, I spotted Preserved Lemons in a jar on the grocery shelf in southeast Arizona! Imagine my surprise. To make preserved lemons, you need a (preferably sterilized) large-ish glass jar with lid, nice, unblemished and well-scrubbed lemons to press into the jar and sea salt or Kosher salt. Extra lemon juice to top off. Cut halfway into each lemon from one pointed end. Cut into the opposite ends in a crosswise manner, as shown. (Or, simply make two criss-crossing cuts down to near the bottoms of the lemons, but not all the way through.)

Making cuts for preserved lemons

Now, using plenty of salt. pack salt into the cut parts of the lemons, using as much as can possibly be pressed into them. Press these lemons into the clean, prepared jar, packing in tightly so a lot of their juice is pressed out into the jar. Once the jar is filled, or you've used all the lemons that fit, using fresh lemon juice, make sure the lemons are covered with the juice. Cover and let set on the counter for about 3 days, then in the refrigerator for at least 3 weeks more.

To use the preserved lemons, the rinds should be completely softened, when they are ready. Cut or tear off as much as you might need (a quarter lemon, half) and separate the inner flesh and discard. Wash the rind before using. It can be added to salads, fish dishes, or giving a great flavor to something like this Fig Jam, below! 

Goat Cheese & Prosciutto Tarts with Fig & Preserved Lemon Jam

Makes 35 mini tartlets

Goat Cheese Tartlets
with Fig & Preserved Lemon Jam

TART SHELLS:
½ cup finely ground pistachios
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup cold unsalted butter
4 ounces regular cream cheese

FILLING:
6 ounces goat cheese (Chevre or Montrachet)
½ cup heavy cream
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, stripped from stems
½ teaspoon finely ground white pepper
1 pinch salt
3 ounces prosciutto, minced finely

FIG & PRESERVED LEMON JAM:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 large shallots, cut in half and sliced
8 dried white figs (135 grams), cut in small pieces
½ cup white wine
2 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons finely minced preserved lemon, rind only
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, stripped from stems

TART SHELLS: Grind pistachios finely in a spice grinder or food processor. Place the ground pistachios in the bowl of food processor along with the flour and pepper. Pulse briefly to stir. Cut the cold butter and cream cheese into small cubes and add to the processor. Pulse about 20 times, then turn on to process until the mixture comes together. Turn out and form small balls about 1-inch in diameter or slightly less (10 grams apiece). You should have 35 balls. Set the balls of dough into the wells of mini tart pans. Press dough into the wells and up the sides, then freeze. Once frozen, these can keep, well covered, for up to 2 weeks if needed to do ahead.

Making tart Shells, adding chopped prosciutto and cheese filling

FILLING: Place the goat cheese into a bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat until the cheese is relatively smooth, then add all the remaining filling ingredients except the prosciutto and beat until the mixture is smooth. This mixture can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days, well covered, if needed to make in advance. When ready to make the tarts, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove the tart shells from the freezer and divide the minced prosciutto between the tart shells. Pour 1 to 1¼ teaspoons of the goat cheese filling over top of the prosciutto in the shells. Rap the pans a few times sharply on the counter to distribute the filling down around the prosciutto. Bake the tarts for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the filling is set and the shell is golden. Cool and remove from pans. The tarts can also be baked ahead and then frozen. Simply remove the baked and frozen tarts from freezer, set them on a baking sheet and bake them at 350 for 10 minutes to reheat before topping with the Fig and Preserved Lemon Jam, just before serving.

Sauté shallots till golden, add figs and thyme, preserved lemon

FIG & PRESERVED LEMON JAM: Melt the butter in a medium skillet and add in the sliced shallots. Sauté the shallots until they begin to turn golden. Add in the chopped dried figs with all the remaining Jam ingredients and cook until the liquid is mostly gone, and the mixture is sticky and cooked through. If making ahead, place the Jam into a clean container with lid and refrigerate until needed, up to 3 weeks. Using two small spoons, top each tart with a small amount of the ‘Jam’ just prior to serving.

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Magnificent Appetizer for a Formal Dinner

Birthday Dinner Menu

This past weekend was my son's 47th birthday, and as usual I made a dinner. It was a fancier type of dinner, with a lovely table setting, three kinds of wine and four courses. And a menu, shown here. 

My son loves fine food, as do I, along with loving to make it. It is a true labor of love, at times, to put together this type of meal, but once it is done and we are enjoying, and everything tastes SO GOOD, then it truly doesn't matter how long it took to prepare, or how many backaches went into the mix. We all enjoyed the meal, which thankfully all turned out great.

My idea for the savory cheesecake tarts I made as part of the appetizer were based on the recipe for little individual Savory Brie & Rosemary Cheesecakes. I made the original recipe in mini cheesecake pans, but for our birthday dinner I wanted something a little bigger than "mini," plus I wanted them in a different shape configuration; wider and less tall. I have some 3½-inch diameter metal rings, originally bought for making English muffins, but to date, I still haven't made any that way! I have used the rings to make buns, keeping them in shape while they bake. This time it seemed they would be the ideal size for my appetizer cheesecakes. 

Rosemary, Brie & Goat Cheese Tarts with Balsamic Roasted Root Vegetables

One thing I had trouble with was the crust. When I made the original recipe, I used all-purpose flour. This time I wanted to try out a gluten free option and something did not work quite properly. I had to add, and revise as I went along. My suggestion would be to use the original recipe, cut in half.

As for the filling for these savory cheesecakes, I altered the original recipe by using Brie, Chevre and cream cheeses, with some Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. This worked out just amazingly good. To top off these appetizers, I made some Oven Roasted Root Vegetables, making about half the amount, more or less. To make them work with the smaller size of Cheesecake, I cut all the vegetable pieces into ¼-inch cubes. The shallots were cut into chunks about the same size as the golden beet, butternut squash, parsnip, and red bell pepper (not a root veg, but added for color). In keeping with the rosemary theme, I added some rosemary to the original balsamic mixture.

Rosemary, Brie & Goat Cheese Tarts with Balsamic Roasted Root Vegetables

Topped off with a rosemary sprig and a large caper berry, these were not only gorgeous, but they tasted as good as they looked. I served a NV Mionetto Prosecco Extra Dry, which paired wonderfully.

The crusts can be made ahead, formed and frozen. The cheesecakes can be made and baked 1 to 2 days ahead with no perceptible deterioration in quality.

Rosemary, Brie & Goat Cheese Tarts

Serves 6

CRUST:

5 tablespoons unsalted butter
⅓ cup almond meal
½ cup +2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon finely minced fresh rosemary

Cut all ingredients together, form into a ball, wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

Roll out the dough to slightly under a quarter-inch thickness. Whatever size diameter container you will use for baking the cheesecakes is the size you will need to cut out the tart bases. I used 3½-inch rings with no bottoms, using the ring to cut out the base. Set them onto a parchment lined tray or baking sheet and freeze until quite firm, covered well if leaving for more than an hour.

When ready to bake, set the same rings or the tart shells onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Cut pieces of parchment that will line the wall of the ring and extend a bit above the top of the ring. Set the frozen crust inside the parchment. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 12 to 13 minutes, or until set and just starting to turn golden. Set aside to cool slightly. Leave oven on.

CHEESECAKE FILLING:
6 ounces Brie cheese, at room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
4 ounces Chevre cheese, at room temperature
4 ounces plain Greek yogurt
½ teaspoon sugar
2 pinches salt
1 egg plus 2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon finely minced fresh rosemary
Pinch Aleppo pepper or other chili flakes, optional
½ teaspoon coarsely cracked black pepper

Most small Brie rounds come in 8-ounce packages. I remove much of the outer coating of the Brie, leaving about 6 ounces, after trimming.

Using a hand mixer on low speed, beat together the Brie, Chevre, cream cheese and yogurt, just to combine. Add in the sugar, salt, rosemary Aleppo pepper and black pepper, then add in the eggs and yolks. Again, beat on low speed, for as little time as possible, just to make sure all ingredients are properly distributed.

Scoop equal portions of the Brie mixture into the pre-baked tart shells, lined with the parchment. The parchment will allow for easier removal later. Once filled, rap the baking sheet sharply onto a counter surface to eliminate any air bubbles from the filling. Bake the cheese tarts for 20 to 25 minutes, until the cheesecakes are mostly set, with just a tiny bit of jiggle in their centers. Set aside to cool. Once baked and cooled, they can be covered and refrigerated until needed, 1 to 2 days.

When serving, preheat oven to 350, uncover the cheesecakes and set the baking sheet in the oven to warm for about 10 minutes or less. If using the rings with no bottoms, use a spatula to lift the entire cheesecake with its ring onto a plate for serving, then lift off the ring and peel away and discard the parchment, leaving a clean outer edge. Top with any garnish desired, although the little cubed vegetables baked in the Balsamic mixture paired heavenly well.

Oven Roasted Root Vegetables

Makes 4.5 to 6 cups, depending on vegetable amounts.

Oven Roasted Root Vegetables

2 to 4 shallots, 3/4 to 1 cup depending on size, cut into small chunks
1¼ cups butternut squash, in ¼-inch dice
1 large parsnip, peeled, cut in ¼-inch dice
1 medium to large golden beet, cut in ¼-inch dice
1 red bell pepper, cut into ¼-inch dice

DRESSING:
⅓ cup Balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary leaves, minced finely
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon Zahtar, optional
2 cloves garlic, finely minced

Mix all dressing ingredients in a small saucepan to melt and meld flavors. Spray a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray and add in all the prepped vegetables, then pour in the dressing. Stir well to coat, then bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 40 minutes, or until they can be easily pierced with the tip pf a knife. These can be made ahead and reheated just before using.

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Lovely Salads to Try

I have very few salad recipes. I absolutely love salads. Sounds like a bit of a dichotomy. I guess when it all comes down to it, I have some favorites and that's generally where things stop. I just adore cole slaw, and only ever encountered one that I didn't care for. I make a quickie version that I call "Basic Coleslaw," and make it very often. That said, my husbands hates (or at least will not try) raw cabbage, so that is out, for him. So, the other basic salad I make is with dark lettuce mixtures, like baby greens and such. He's not wild about those dark green salads, either, but will tolerate them, and if I put in enough other things, it's all good. So my general mixture for a green salad - either just for the two of us, or multiplied for a crowd - goes something like this:

• baby greens - about 3 cups
• shredded carrot (not too much, or I get complaints there also!)
• sliced celery - 2 - 3 stalks
• green pepper (sometimes red bell pepper) - ½ the pepper, sliced
• sliced almonds - a handful
• craisins - a handful
• Gorgonzola, Feta or Goat cheese crumbles - about half cup
• sometimes, if available, a handful of Sweety-Drop Peppers are amazing in this!
• dressing of choice

We both love this mixture, and generally eat the whole thing between us.

Bosc Pear Salad with Shaved Manchego and Pine Nuts

When it comes to making other things as a salad, some are very good, but take more time to concoct, or have ingredients I do not keep on hand. I often make my own salad dressings, because I have some really good ones. but even there, if I haven't prepared one in advance, then I fall back on one particular store bought dressing we can both agree on. 

That said, I do have a few salads that I have usually reserved for a special occasion. I will place these here in this blog, so they are at long last available, should someone be interested. This first salad, the Wilted Spinach, I have made a lot of times over the years, never once ever remembering to take photos of it. So sorry, but for this one, use your imagination. I can tell you it is one of my husband's favorites: it's very sweet, and has bacon!

Wilted Spinach Salad 

Serves 4

1 cup sugar
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons dry mustard powder
½ cup olive oil
2 - 4 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
⅓ cup brandy
1 pound fresh baby spinach, cleaned and trimmed of long stems

In a small mixing bowl, combine the sugar, Worcestershire, red wine vinegar and dry mustard. Whisk well, then slowly drizzle in the olive oil, whisking constantly. 

MAKE AHEAD: If there is a time crunch, this mixture can be covered and refrigerated for a few days, until needed. Re-whisk, just before using.

Place the spinach in a large bowl. Set aside.

When ready to make the salad, use a medium saucepan and add in the brandy, over low heat. Using a long lighter, set the brandy aflame and allow to flame for about 30 seconds. Put a lid on the pan to douse the flame. Make sure the flame is out before proceeding!

Add in (to the flamed brandy) the salad dressing and the bacon and heat until the sugar is dissolved in the dressing, then pour over the spinach and quickly toss until the spinach is partially wilted. Serve immediately.

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Ken's Arugula, Artichoke & Goat Cheese Salad

Serves 4 to 6

Kens Arugula Artichoke & Goat Cheese Salad

1 box (5 - 6 ounces) fresh baby arugula, or an arugula and baby spinach mix
2 (6-ounce) jars marinated artichoke hearts 
4 to 6 ounces mild goat cheese
1 recipe Lemony Vinaigrette

Drain and lightly chop the artichokes and set aside. Place the whole container of arugula into a large bowl and add in the chopped artichoke hearts and toss with some of the Lemony Vinaigrette. Add in globs of the goat cheese and lightly toss, then serve immediately.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bosc Pear & Endive Salad

This is an elegant presentation and worth the effort to make the pear fans. If time or talent does not permit, feel free to thinly slice the pears and serve that way. The cheese may be Manchego or Gorgonzola, as desired. The nuts may be pine nuts or walnuts or pecans. If the nuts have been lightly candied, such as in Burnt Sugar Glazed Nuts, even better! Serve with a full-bodied Oloroso Sherry for a real treat. 

Serves 4

Bosc Pear and Endive Salad
with Gorgonzola and Pine Nuts

2 Bosc pears, halved, cored, fan-sliced
4 Belgian endive, sliced across in ½-inch slices
¼ pound Manchego or Gorgonzola
4 tablespoons pine nuts or other nut of choice
Sherry Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

To fan-slice the pears, carefully cut pears in half, then using a sharp knife or a grapefruit spoon, core the pear taking the least fruit out possible (figure 1). With a long sharp knife, cut parallel slices about ¼ inch wide (a bit less wide at stem end), stopping about an inch before reaching stem end (figure 2). If making in advance, dip the pears in water with a squeeze of lemon juice to stop browning. 

When ready to use, place a portion of the endive on one side of a salad plate. Dip the pear fans into the Sherry Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing, then fan over the endive (figure 3). 

Top with the cheese of choice. If using Manchego, use a potato peeler to peel thin slices. Place cheese over the endive. Top with the nuts of choice.



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

With a Little Time and Patience

After yesterday's post on making Puffed Pastry, this post will be a snap.

But you'll need yesterday's recipe before starting this one today, so get started!

Pic of my TV screen - the savory pies

This recipe idea started when I was watching a show called "City Bakes," where Paul Hollywood visits various cities around the world and samples their pastries and breads. In the episode where he visits St. Petersburg, Russia, Paul visits a little pastry shop with an impressive array of abundantly decorated savory pies. These just blew me away. They were so beautiful, they took my breath away. Watching with my sister-in-law, who was manning the remote, I had to ask her to STOP, PAUSE, so I could take pics of the TV screen. I wanted to be able to refer to something, when I attempted to recreate one of these pies. And I absolutely planned to recreate one! 

Free Form Puff Pastry Turkey Pie

The first part was making a puffed pastry (see yesterday's blog post for that recipe). While the recipe on the TV show did not absolutely specify a puffed pastry, it certainly looked like it had many hallmarks of one. So, my plan was to make a slightly enriched version of a puffed pastry. I made that and got it in the fridge to rest for the night.
 

Slice of the Pie

What struck me the most about the pies on "City Bakes" was their ornateness. They were so overwhelmingly beautiful. That said, it is in no way necessary to spend time in that much decoration. The pie could easily be made using a good pie pastry, either in the same manner as with this recipe (below) or as a rustic Galette. But, having made a puffed pastry for croissants a few months back, I felt a little more prepared to attempt something like this, in all its ornate glory.

And "glory," it certainly was. In every way, this pie was just stellar. The ornate decorations came out beautifully, over top of the pastry case itself, which was also stellar; the bottom just as nicely browned and as crispy as the top, puffed beautifully and with such an enchantingly lovely golden brown. 

The next part was the filling for this pie. The filling came out just an absolute delight of flavors. I used leftover turkey breast for the filling meat, but in this recipe, chicken - even just a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket - would do. My mixture was inspired, if I do say so myself, because it had all the flavor I had hoped for.

I have been trying to get some good greens and other vegetables into our food, things my husband has never been wont to eat in past. Kale, not having huge flavor, per se, is easy to cut into a very fine chiffonade and slip into soups or other foods such as this turkey mixture. A chiffonade is easily accomplished by stacking leaves and rolling them, cigar-like, then slicing across the "cigar" very finely. Basil in chiffonade is lovely over a tomato salad or tomato soup. Kale, while usually found curly, is a little more challenging to roll and slice this way, but it can still be accomplished, and the little "threads" of kale all but disappear in the mix.

Hot Pepper Mustard Relish

Since I have many jars of my Hot Pepper Mustard Relish on my pantry shelf, and since it tastes so wonderfully good, I have been using it in recipes, to marked success. While not noticeable as such, it does lend a great under-note. I know not everyone will have this amazing condiment on their shelves, so I will say that if you are one of those who has not yet had the pleasure of trying this mustard relish, I would substitute about 2 tablespoons of honey mustard mixed with 4 tablespoons of sweet pickle relish, or even Chow Chow, if you have it. The piquancy of the mustard, along with the sweetness of the pickle relish, should approximate the type of flavors very well. Let me say that if I had no Hot Pepper Mustard Relish at hand, this is what I would use to substitute.

Free-Form Puff Pastry Turkey Pie

Free Form Puff Pastry Turkey Pie

One 8 x 12-inch pie

1 recipe Puffed Pastry Dough

FILLING:
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
½ teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 cups finely chopped leftover turkey 
     or chicken
2 hard-boiled eggs, finely chopped
4 ounces Chevre goat cheese, crumbled
2 cups kale in fine chiffonade, no stems
¼ cup minced parsley
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, 
     minced
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon white pepper
⅓ cup Hot Pepper Mustard Relish
1 egg + 1 tablespoon water, 
    for egg wash

The day before, make the Puffed Pastry recipe. You will need about half the recipe, so use the other half of the dough and make some croissants - you won't be sorry. If not making your own Puffed Pastry, simply thaw a box of store-bought puff pastry sheets. 

MAKE THE FILLING:  Heat a skillet over low heat and add in the butter and olive oil. Once butter is melted, add the chopped onion and the first ½-teaspoon salt. Stir to coat the onion pieces and allow the onion to cook, very slowly, stirring occasionally, until beautifully golden brown and caramelized. This can take nearly an hour, depending on how low your burner will go. Add in the garlic and stir for 3 minutes more. 

While onion is caramelizing, place the chopped turkey in a mixing bowl, along with the hard boiled eggs. Add in the onion and garlic, once done, and add in all the remaining ingredients except the egg wash. Stir the mixture to evenly distribute the ingredients. Set aside.
 

Free Form Puff Pastry Turkey Pie. Before and after baking.

MAKE THE PIE: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside. Cut off about half of the Puffed Pastry and roll out to fairly thin, about one-sixteenth of an inch. Cut a piece for the base of the pie about 8 x 12-inches. Set this onto the baking sheet lined with parchment. Cut another rectangle, just slightly larger, about 9 x 13-inches. Pour the filling mixture onto the base piece of pastry, pressing into a mound down the middle of the pastry, leaving plenty of edge space clear. Brush the free edges with some of the egg wash. Place the larger rectangle over top of the filling, smoothing the edges to match with the bottom crust and pressing any air out of the center. Press down on the edges to seal them together. Brush the entire top of the crust with egg wash.

Free Form Puff Pastry Turkey Pie - before baking

Cutting decorative strips

With any scraps from the pastry, cut out the decorations. For flowers, if you have small flower shaped cutters, use those, or other small shapes, such as leaves, etc. For the jagged edged designs, use oddly shaped bits, up to 8 inches long and up to an inch wide and slice into the sides at about ¼-inch intervals. Set the jagged edged pieces here and there, curling them or just curving them, overlapping them where needed. Set flower pieces wherever desired. Decorate as much or as little as desired. For the edges around the pie, slice inwards at ½- to ¾-inch intervals. With the tip of a knife and a finger, give each "tab" a twist so the top of the tab is now the bottom. This is entirely free-form design. There is no right or wrong way. When satisfied, brush the top with egg wash again.

Bake the pie in the center of the oven for about 30 to 35 minutes, until nicely golden brown. Using a spatula (or two) slide the pie onto a decorative plate or tray to serve.


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

New Cheesecake Flavors

Some time ago, possibly years already, I heard or read about a cheesecake using goat cheese. I took notes at the time.

For a few days now, I had been wanting to make a dessert, but just couldn't settle on what I wanted. Cake? Cookies? What? And after days of this, I finally thought I should get out all my notes. I have notebooks worth of recipe notes; ideas for another day, another time. 

In looking through notes, I came upon the notes for a cheesecake made with goat cheese. Since it had pretty precise amounts, apparently I copied it from somewhere, for later perusal. This time it fairly jumped out at me, so I took notice. 

Pistachio & Goat Cheese Cheesecake

I have noted in past that when I come up with an idea, I read a lot of different recipes online to see what others have done, and only then make notes on what I want to do for myself. For starters, what amounts to use of the component parts: cream cheese, goat cheese and yogurt. I rearranged the amounts 4 different times before I was content that it would have the flavors I wanted. I wanted a little bit of cream cheese just because I love cream cheese. But, what really grabbed my attention about this whole concept was the goat cheese - because I really love goat cheese. Chevre or Montrachet are the most common goat cheeses I use, but I also love the harder sorts, like goat "cheddar," or other semi-hard goat cheese like "Drunken Goat," Garrotxa, or soft Humboldt Fog and my most favorite of all, Bucheron. So, goat cheese had to make a statement in this cheesecake, period.

After rearranging amounts of goat cheese, cream cheese and yogurt over and over, I finally settled on 8 ounces of cream cheese, with 12 ounces each of goat cheese and plain Greek style yogurt. Then I went to the store to pick up the goat cheese and yogurt, only to find that they had NO plain goat cheese, but only various flavors. I opted to go for the Honey Chevre, and ultimately it was very tasty, so no complaints. I don't know how much actual difference it made in the end.

Then came the eggs. I was using eggs for sure, and with the same overall ingredient amounts I have generally used 3 eggs. As I was unsure of the texture of a cheesecake made mainly with goat cheese and yogurt, I opted for 3 whole eggs and 2 egg yolks. The only other real consideration was how much sugar to use. I briefly considered using another can of dulce de leche, but as I wanted to use pistachios for the crust, I wanted them to stand out in flavor, not get mixed with the caramel-like flavors of dulce de leche. Back to sugar, again by ingredient quantities, in past I have used 1 cup of sugar. However, I was hoping to make a slightly less sweet cheesecake, so while I filled the 1-cup measure with sugar, I planned on using about ¾ cup of the sugar and only adding the remainder if the mixture didn't taste sweet enough.

Best Laid Plans . . .

When it came time to add the sugar I totally forgot about starting out with only ¾ cup worth and instead dumped the whole cup of sugar into the bowl. 😬 Arrrggghhh! Oh well, one cup of sugar it was going to be, after all.

Pistachio & Goat Cheese Cheesecake

As for the crust, I wanted pistachio. Whatever recipe I had jotted into my notes used pistachios in the crust, but the bulk of the crust was made of flour. I wanted to avoid unnecessary additions of white flour, so I went back to the other nut crusts I have made in past. When making my Chestnut Cheesecake, I have made an Almond Crust. When making my Dulce de Leche Turtle Cheesecake, I make a Pecan Crust. So I planned the same preparation, substituting ground pistachios for the other nuts. 

This worked less well than the other crusts, as I had a harder time pressing the nut mixture into the pan. It took a longer time getting all the holes to fill, and then when it baked, it puffed up all over the place, and I had to press it all back into place with a glass while still hot. It worked, and it all came out just fine, but now I wonder if using some flour in the mix, or possibly cookie crumbs, might have made it all easier in the end. For now, it worked. And if at some other date I decide to make this cheesecake again, possibly with different flavors mixed in, I will try something else for crust.

Ultimately, after also opting NOT to use a hot water bath to bake the cheesecake, it came out stunningly well. The cheesecake was so perfect it nearly brought tears. It is so exceedingly creamy and smooth. It has a lovely tang without going overboard. It is slightly sweeter than needed, but that will be remedied another time. For now, I am extremely content with flavor and texture. Here is what I did:

Pistachio & Goat Cheese Cheesecake

Pistachio & Goat Cheese Cheesecake

Makes one 9-inch cheesecake (about 1½-inch deep)

PISTACHIO CRUST: 
1½ cups whole, shelled, unsalted pistachios
2½ tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon almond or vanilla extract
2½ tablespoons softened unsalted butter

CHEESECAKE MIXTURE:
1 (8-ounce) block cream cheese, room temperature
12 ounces plain (or Honey flavored) Chevre or Montrachet goat cheese, at room temperature
12 ounces plain Greek yogurt
¾ to 1 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
3 whole eggs plus 2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cornstarch

FOR THE CRUST: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Process the whole pistachios into relatively fine crumbs in a food processor. Remove about ¼-cup aside for topping later. To the remainder in the processor, add the sugar, extract of choice and butter and process until the mixture will clump. Turn into a 9-inch spring-form pan and press to about 1-inch up sides and evenly over the bottom of the pan. Bake for 8 minutes. If the crust puffs during baking, use a straight sided glass to press back into place while still hot. Set the crust aside to cool while preparing the filling. Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees.

FOR THE CHEESECAKE FILLING: Place the cream cheese and goat cheese into a large mixing bowl and mix, preferably with a hand mixer on low speed until well blended. Add in the yogurt and sugar and mix well to combine. Add in the salt and eggs with yolks and mix well, still with low speed. Add the cornstarch and vanilla extract, mixing to combine. Pour into the cooled crust. Set the spring-form pan onto a baking pan with rim. Set the baking sheet on a middle rack in the oven and bake the cheesecake for about 45 minutes. The center should still be quite jiggly. Remove from oven and cool completely on the counter. As it cools, it will firm up. Sprinkle the reserved ground pistachios around the edges of the cheesecake and set aside to cool. Once cooled, cover tightly and place in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight, before serving.


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

A Rustic Pie for Dinner

The original recipe for this galette (rustic pie) came from Food and Wine Magazine, many long years back. I've been making it over these years, with wonderful results every single time. It does not contain meat, but my husband and I enjoy it enough that meat is not missed. It is filled with all sorts of wonderful flavors, wrapped into a pie pastry and baked. A nice green salad on the side and it's a meal. 

Leek & Mushroom Galette with Goat Cheese

While we have traditionally served it as 4 to 6 meal portion size pieces, it can be served as an appetizer portion, divided into 8 to 10 portions. While we have traditionally eaten it as lunch or dinner, it would also be excellent served for brunch or lunch.

The original recipe did not call for mushrooms, but my husband absolutely loves mushrooms, and I also like them a lot, so I added them in. I chose to use white pepper instead of black pepper, and more fresh thyme by far. Nutmeg is another addition I have found excellent with these flavors. 

Obviously, the better your pie crust, the better the overall flavors will be. I heartily suggest making Never Fail Pie Pastry. It makes 3 or 4 single pie crust portions, but the remainder can be divided into zip-top bags and frozen until needed. It is simple to thaw for an hour and use for any pie-making needs. It is preferable to use a third of the recipe, for a 10-inch sized pie portion, but you can make do with a fourth of the recipe for a 9-inch sized pie if needed, as I did here.  

Leek & Mushroom Galette with Goat Cheese

Leeks?

If you have never used leeks before, they have a far milder flavor than onions. They are of the same genus allium as are onions, shallots, garlic and chives. Instead of forming into bulbs, as with onions or shallots, leeks form a tightly bundled sheath of leaves. In order to keep the lower parts white, they are "trenched" with soil piled up around their base while growing. This also leads to the real possibility of finding mud or grit inside between some of the leaves.

When using leeks, use only the white and lighter green portions, as the dark green portions are much tougher and bitter flavored. The tops can be saved to flavor stock. Once the root end is cut off, and there is a nice white and light green cylinder, cut the cylinder down its length and then fan the leaves under running water to release and clean out any mud or grit. Once clean, slice them across the cylinder into ⅛ to ½-inch pieces, as needed.

Well browned mushrooms - Leeks sliced and sauteed

Galette?

A galette (for this purpose) is just a pie made in a "rustic" manner, meaning "free-form," not placed into a pie plate. The dough is rolled out to a diameter that will accommodate having a 2 to 3-inch border folded up, pleating as needed, to cover the edges of the filling. This can be done with sweet or savory fillings, though the amount of liquids must be kept low, with no deep pan to contain them. 

Leek & Mushroom Galette with Goat Cheese

Serves 4 - 6 as a meal; 8 - 10 as an appetizer 
 

Leek & Mushroom Galette with Goat Cheese

2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
¼ teaspoon salt
6 large leeks (5 - 6 cups, sliced) leeks,
    white and light green parts only
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves 
½ cup dry white wine
½ cup heavy cream
½ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 large egg, beaten lightly
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, roughly chopped
1 pie pastry for 10-inch pie
¾ cup goat cheese crumbles

Heat a large skillet and add in the 2 teaspoons of oil and butter. Add the sliced mushrooms and sprinkle the ¼ teaspoon salt over the mushrooms. Saute, tossing frequently over medium heat until all the liquids have evaporated and the mushrooms are a deep golden color. Pour the mushrooms into a bowl and set aside. Return the skillet to the heat.

Add in the 2 tablespoons butter and the leeks and thyme leaves, adding in ½ cup of water. Cook over low heat for about 15 minutes until the leeks are very tender. Raise the heat slightly and add in the white wine, cooking quickly until it is mostly evaporated. Stir in the cream and cook quickly until reduced slightly, about 3 minutes. Season with the ½ teaspoon salt, the white pepper and nutmeg, then set the pan aside to cool slightly.

Reserve aside 1 tablespoon of the beaten egg. Stir the remaining egg, 2 tablespoons of the parsley and the reserved mushrooms into the leek mixture.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. On a clean surface strewn with flour, roll out the pastry to a 14-inch circle. No need for perfect edges. Set the dough onto a baking sheet or pizza pan that will accommodate a 10-inch diameter galette. Pour the leek and mushroom mixture into the center, leaving at least 2 or 3 inch border of dough all around. Sprinkle the goat cheese over top. Begin lifting the edges of the dough over the edges of the filling, pleating the dough as needed to make a rough circle. Brush the outside of the pastry with the reserved egg. Bake the galette for about 30 to 35 minutes, until golden. Cool slightly and sprinkle with remaining parsley before cutting and serving. 



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Appetizers and an Open House

I wrote last week about creating some new appetizers, with the intent to make them for an upcoming Open House here in town. 

The recipes for two of the four appetizers I made were posted in this blog. The recipes not posted yet were the Cheese & Bacon Stuffed Mini Sweet Peppers, (oh my, they were so delicious), and the little Spanakopita Cups. All four of these appetizers were wonderful, if I do say so myself. All four are cheese-filled, so if cheese is not your thing, then these wouldn't be for you. Cheese just tastes so good. From the little mini strawberry cheesecakes to the Spanakopita Cups, they were all delightful.

The Four Appetizers Served, clockwise from top left: Spanakopita Cups, Cheese & Bacon Stuffed Mini Sweet Peppers, Strawberry Mini Cheesecake Tarts in Chocolate Shell and Buffalo Chicken Rolls

When the realtors hold an open house at one of the realty's high end homes, she occasionally asks me to make appetizers and she will bring an assortment of wines. One of the wines this time was an Australian red blend called "19 Crimes." I can attest that this lighter red went well with all the appetizers, even the cheesecakes! Other wines were Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. She tries to have something available for most tastes. 

Filled Mini Sweet Peppers, just before baking

MAKE AHEAD IDEAS: The Cheese and Bacon Stuffed Mini Sweet Peppers are a wonderfully easy appetizer to make ahead and bake just before serving. If pressed for time, make the filling up to 3 days ahead. For freshness, it is probably best not to cut, remove seeds and stuff the peppers until the day before the event. I did this last part and set the peppers on the baking sheet I would use to bake them, then covered them with foil before refrigerating the whole pan. Just on the off chance that the foil might stick to the cheese filling, I lightly sprayed the foil with non-stick spray before covering them. Once baked, while they are lovely warm or at room temperature, and yet they are still just as good once chilled.

Of the four appetizers, the ones that hold up best once baked are these Mini Stuffed Peppers and the Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes. The Buffalo Chicken Rolls are best if rolled and chilled the day of the event, as the tortillas begin to get soggy. The filling can be made a day or two ahead. It doesn't affect the taste, but only the texture. Similarly, with the Spanakopita Cups, the filling can be made and refrigerated a day or two in advance, but the fillo cups begin to get soggy after a day if filled or baked ahead, though the flavor is fine. It takes no time at all to fill the fillo cups if you own a little 2-teaspoon cookie scoop to fill them. It took less time to fill the 30 fillo cups than it took to heat the oven!

Cheese & Bacon Stuffed Mini Sweet Peppers

Cheese & Bacon Stuffed Mini Sweet Peppers

Makes 40 - 50 half-peppers (from a 1-pound bag) 

4 slices thick-sliced bacon, or 6 - 7 slices regular bacon
1 large shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 ounces soft goat cheese, Chevre or Montrachet
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 ounce freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about ⅓ cup)
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 egg
1½ teaspoons finely minced fresh rosemary
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 (1-pound) bag mini sweet peppers

In a nonstick skillet, fry the bacon until just almost crisp. Remove the bacon to drain on paper toweling. Pour off most of the bacon grease, leaving about 2 teaspoons in the pan. Return the pan to the heat, and on low, cook the shallot and garlic until they begin to caramelize slightly, stirring often, for about 15 to 20 minutes.

While the shallots are cooking, place the three cheeses in a mixing bowl and beat well with a hand mixer until well combined and mostly smooth. Add in the Worcestershire, egg, rosemary and black pepper and mix again to combine. Mince the drained bacon until quite fine (some of the peppers are very small, so no large chunks), then add the bacon to the mixing bowl. Once the shallot/garlic mixture is beginning to caramelize, add these to the cheese mixture and mix again to combine all the ingredients. * Do Ahead: This mixture can be made up to two days in advance and refrigerated. When ready to fill the peppers, remove the filling from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature for ease in filling the peppers.

Cut all the mini sweet peppers in half, lengthwise. Endeavor to keep the stem end on, even cutting down the center of the stem if possible. This makes for a very pretty presentation. There are few seeds in most of the little peppers, but there are some. A small knife works well to make a tiny cut just inside the pepper's stem end, to remove the seed section and pull out any larger membranes. *Do Ahead: If time is pressing, this can be done the day before the event. Fill the peppers and smooth the top with a table knife or a spoon. Set them onto a baking sheet, then cover with foil and refrigerate. 

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 425 degrees, then bake the peppers for 12 to 15 minutes, or until they just start to brown on top. The goal is to "set" the filling without totally cooking the peppers. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Spanakopita Cups

Spanakopita Cups

Spanakopita Cups

Makes about 30

1 egg
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
¼ pound feta cheese, crumbled
4 ounces cream cheese
1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon fresh dill weed, chopped
½ teaspoon garlic powder 2 packages frozen filo cups (30 in all)

You will need only about 5 ounces of the frozen spinach. Thaw, then squeeze all the liquid from the spinach. Re-chop, to ensure very small bits. In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients except the filo cups, mixing well. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Set the filo cups on a baking sheet. Using two teaspoons or a small “cookie scoop,” fill each of the cups. Once oven is hot, set the tray in the middle of the oven and bake for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until the filling is set and the filo cups are browning slightly at the edges. Serve warm or at room temperature.

NOTES: The filling can be made up to three days in advance and refrigerated, covered tightly until needed. If using filo dough strips, set two (2-inch wide) strips together, brush with melted butter, set a teaspoon of filling into the edge of filo dough, as shown in figure a. Begin folding, flag-style, lifting a corner to cover the filling diagonally left, figure b. Lift the triangle and flip upwards, figure c. Flip the triangle diagonally to the right, figure d. Continue, repeating the pattern to the end of the filo strip. Brush the outsides of the packet with melted butter and set on baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes, until golden. The packets can be frozen before baking, then baked when needed


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.