Herbed Goat Cheese Toasts January 8, 2010
Posted by Teresa in : Snacks/Party Food , add a commentVery yummy, a little expensive, but hey! Great for a treat, very rich…
Herbed Goat Cheese Toasts
Ingredients
170 g fresh chevre-style goat cheese
1/2 cup ricotta
1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs (basil, oregano, parsley, thyme, tarragon,
. etc) If using dried, use 4 tsp instead.
1 egg
1 baguette-loaf French bread
sea salt and fresh ground pepper
In bowl, mash together with a fork: goat cheese, ricotta, and herbs. Season with salt and pepper, then beat in egg. Cut the baguette into diagonal slices 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick. Toast slices lightly to firm them up, spread with goat cheese mix and broil lightly and serve. Serves 8 – 12 as an appetizer.
Bacon and Cheese Puffs! Gads! January 8, 2010
Posted by Teresa in : Snacks/Party Food , add a commentBacon and Cheese Puffs
Although this recipe seems a bit strange when you are making it, these little nibbles are truly scrumptious! Go buy bacon now, start crisping it (“Ready Crisp” bacon works great) or use leftover ham! And they aren’t even deep fried…..!
Ingredients Supplies/Equipment
1 cup water heavy saucepan
1 cup white flour wooden spoon
4 eggs cookie sheet
1/3 cup butter
1 cup crisp bacon, or ham, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups sharp (old) cheddar cheese, grated
4 oz can jalapenos, or less (optional)
1/2 – 1 tsp dry mustard
Make sure you have enough bacon or ham already crumbled or chopped. Combine water and butter in heavy saucepan and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, grate the cheese and chop the jalapenos (if you’re using them). As soon as the butter-water mixture boils, remove from heat and add flour at once. Beat with a wooden spoon until well mixed. Return to medium heat and beat until moisture leaves sides of pan and mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat and one at a time, crack an egg, beat lightly, and add to pot to form a smooth mixture — be patient and beat thoroughly. You may build muscles! Stir in cheese, ham or bacon, mustard and jalapenos. Drop by small teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 400°F for 15 – 20 minutes. Reheat if frozen in 350°F for 5 – 10 minutes. Be careful; they are addictive!
Cheese Straw Heavenliness December 23, 2009
Posted by Teresa in : Snacks/Party Food , add a commentOh, these are the best things ever! I am making a batch at this moment, and realized I haven’t posted them here! Oh, they are so delicious! The recipe comes from 101 Cookbooks. My notes are in blue.
Buckwheat Cheese Straws
The buckwheat flour here gives these cheese straws a depth that others made from all-purpose flour don’t have. That being said, you could certainly give these a shot using all whole wheat pastry flour, spelt flour, or unbleached all-purpose flour. Or experiment with other flours in place of the buckwheat flour.
1/2 cup buckwheat flour — Of course, I don’t have buckwheat flour, so I run buckwheat (easy to get in grocery stores) through my food processor for a couple of minutes. The crunchy bits left just add to the flavour!
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour – I use the “best for bread” kind we can get in Canada.
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped – I also made these with rosemary once – yum!
8 tablespoons (4 ounces) unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
3/4 cup (2 1/2 ounces) white cheddar, shredded on a box grater — I used aged cheddar
1/2 cup ice cold water
Combine the flours, salt and thyme in a bowl of a food processor. Put the 1/2 cup water in the freezer. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles little pebbles in a beach of sandy flour (about 20 quick pulses). Alternately, you can cut the butter in using a knife and fork. Transfer to a mixing bowl and toss in the cheese. Sprinkle with ice water and use your hands or a spoon to stir it through and bring everything together into a ball of dough. Flatten the ball into a 1-inch thick square patty, wrap well in plastic, and place in the freezer for thirty minutes (or outside in a Canadian winter for five). 
In the meantime, preheat your oven to 400F degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat, and place a rack in the middle of the oven.
I find it easiest to work with one half of the dough at a time. Remove the dough from the freezer, cut in half, re-wrap the half you won’t be using immediately, and place it back in the freezer. If the dough gets too warm it is difficult to work with. On a well-floured surface roll out the remaining dough into a rectangle roughly 6×12-inches and 1/4-inch thick. Use a knife to cut 1/2-inch wide strips, each about 6-inches long. Now take a strip of dough and gently pinch it all along its length so that it is easier to roll out into a straw shape roughly 12-inches long. If the dough is giving you trouble, consider chilling it a bit longer. Place each straw on the prepared baking sheet, and repeat with the remaining strips, leaving at least 1/2 inch between each straw.
Bake the straws one pan at a time for about 8-10 minutes, or until the straws look set, and the cheese is golden where it is touching the pan. Flip each straw and bake for another 2-3 minutes on the other side. Keep in mind if your straws are on the thin side, they’ll bake in a flash, if they are slightly thicker they will need to go longer. Remove from oven and let cool, they will crisp more as they cool.
Sometimes I bake off half the dough, and keep the other half in the freezer for another day, but feel free to bake all of it – repeating the process with the second half of reserved dough.
Makes about 4 dozen straws.
Thank you, Heidi, for such a delicious recipe!!
Best Nachos Ever… mmm Bacon! April 15, 2009
Posted by Teresa in : Snacks/Party Food , add a commentHere’s another great recipe from Michael Smith… oh, you’ll never want to go back to regular nachos!
Ease of Preparation: Easy
Ingredients:
- 6 slices bacon, roughly chopped (I think I used almost a whole package!)
- 2 x onions, finely diced (I only used 1)
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and minced (I used canned ones, and they seemed fine)
- 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
- 1 bag restaurant style tortilla chips
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add bacon.
3. Let brown and then add onions and jalapeno and cook until they have softened and are beginning to caramelize.
4. Cool slightly and then pour into a bowl and add grated cheese.
5. Toss to combine.
6. Spread the tortilla chips in a single layer on a large baking sheet and top each one generously with a spoonful of the cheese mixture.
7. Bake for 10 minutes or so until chips are golden and cheese is melted and bubbling.
