cheese | Adventures in Thyme

Shrimp Fondue

November 20, 2014 by Ginger Leave a Comment

There’s little on a cold blustery day more comforting than peering into a bubbling pot of cheesy goodness with something enticingly dippable in one’s hand. Tonight we’re offering a simple, and delicious, bit of cheesy heaven. Although a fondue pot is helpful (and a wonderful addition to your kitchen), you don’t need one for this recipe – any small pot will do. Enjoy!

Into your fondue pot melt:

1 8-oz package of cream cheese (we use a dairy free variety due to a bovine milk intolerance in our house)
1 cup sour cream (again, we use a dairy free variety)
4 oz of pecorino cheese (a sheep milk cheese but you can substitute parmesan)
1 cup of marinara sauce
3 Tablespoons vodka
2 Tablespoons olive oil (garlic infused is really yummy)
Dippable suggestions: French bread; shrimp; lobster; crab; crudité.

The fondue pot will eventually bring this mixture to a boil and then keep it at a constant temperature for easy dip-ability. If you’re using a stovetop pot, watch it carefully so as not to over boil or burn. Be sure to stir regularly while this is heating so it doesn’t stick and burn.

We served our shrimp with capellini pasta as the fondue can easily be spooned over the pasta as a sauce. Yum!

Stuffed Burgers

June 11, 2014 by Ginger Leave a Comment

Stuffed Burger

They say that necessity is the mother of invention, we needed dinner, and this burger was the result. I had many of the ingredients on hand and a quick scan of Food Network recipes laid the groundwork for this dish. Let’s get grillin’!

This burger is best done in sections, so I’ve divided them up by the order to best use your time:

1.) Ingredients you’ll need in later burger assembly are baby spinach, prosciutto (or bacon), sliced tomato, crunchy onion rings, hamburger bun or roll.

2.) For the spread, mix together: 1 cup mayo, ½ cup pecorino, ~a dozen fresh basil leaves (finely chopped). Set aside.

3.) For the filling, mix together: 1 cup feta (we used sheep’s feta from Costco), ¾ cup chopped sun dried tomatoes (you can find these oil packed in jars in the Italian aisle at your grocery store. I wrap whatever amount I intend on using in paper towels and squeeze gently to remove the excess oil). Set aside.

4.) For the burgers, mix together: 2lbs hamburger (we used 93/7), 3 eggs slightly beaten, ½ cup Kellogg’s Corn Flake Crumbs (these are gluten free), 2 tsps each of Rosemary/Thyme/Basil, 1 tsp salt, pinch of ground pepper, 3 gloves minced garlic. Because these burgers will contain the filling you made earlier, you need to make two thin halves per burger, then gently encase filling in each (if you like feta, form about ~2 Tablespoons into a disk, if you don’t, use about 1 Tablespoon), and cook to desired doneness.

When the meat is done, add some of the Spread you made to each side of the bun, and begin to layer: spinach, meat, prosciutto, tomato and onion rings. This is a big burger, bite carefully.

Enjoy!

Roasted Cornish Game Hens

April 16, 2014 by Ginger 1 Comment

Cornish Game Hens

Perhaps today’s post will encourage you to think “outside the chicken coop” to the Cornish Game Hen. Admittedly, this is not a wild game bird, there’s only a 50-50 chance it’s an actual hen and to be perfectly honest it’s a hybrid chicken! Nevertheless, let’s take a trip down a culinary country lane and whip together this delicious roasted bird:

2 to 4 Cornish Game Hens

1 pound soft, white goat cheese
1/4 cup dried cranberries, chopped
2 sprigs fresh Rosemary, chopped
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon ground Black Pepper
3/4 teaspoon Cinnamon

Seasoning:
1 tablespoon Seasoned Salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Olive oil
tooth picks
kitchen twine

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Wash and clean the game hens and pat dry with paper towels. Pay extra attention to the cavity if you are opposed to any bits of organ meat.

To make the stuffing: combine the goat cheese, cranberries, rosemary, salt, pepper and cinnamon. Blend gently with a fork.

The seasoning for the game hens is made by combining the seasoned salt, paprika and cinnamon in a small bowl. Blend with a fork or your fingers.

Stuff the body cavity of each game hen with the cheese mixture. Fill them completely. There should be enough stuffing for 4 game hens. Once the game hens are stuffed, use the toothpicks to hold the body cavity closed and tie the legs together with the kitchen twine. You can use the twine to help hold the cavity closed as well. Turn the wingtips behind the bird so they won’t burn while it is cooking. Gently coat the game hens with olive oil and liberally sprinkle with the seasoning-salt mixture.

Place the game hens, breast up, on a cooking rack and bake for 1 1/2 hours or until a thermometer in the middle of the stuffing reads 165 degrees. Let the game hens rest for about 15 minutes and serve.

If the game hens are very small, you can serve one per person. If they are larger, cut them in half and serve half a game hen per person.

Note: When handling poultry, be sure to wash your hands often and discard any partially used ingredients that might have been touched after you have touched the poultry without washing. Be sure to thoroughly wash your cutting boards and any utensils used with the raw poulty. We use a clorox solution for extra peace of mind.

Say Cheese!

January 2, 2014 by Ginger Leave a Comment

Mascarpone and crackers

Happy New Year! Have you made your resolutions? Me too. Let’s throw them out the window and begin 2014 making homemade mascarpone. Yes, it’s fattening, but who the hell cares?! We don’t need no stinkin’ diets! Bring on the curds…

This recipe is marvelously easy, all it takes is 1 quart of half n’half (do not get ultra-pasteurized), tartaric acid and a fine strainer or cheesecloth. You can substitute this acid with lemon juice, but if you have a brewing store in town, definitely make the journey to your local purveyor of booze-making equipment and support your neighborhood retailer. You might find your first new hobby of 2014. If you do go to a brewing store, check out the supplies of netted bags used in brew making, these also work wonderfully to strain curds and they are relatively inexpensive.

To the recipe: In a double boiler, bring the milk slowly to temperature, about 173 degrees F, then turn down the temperature to low. Gently sprinkle a generous 1/4 tsp of the tartaric acid over the milk and stir gently with a whisk – these curds need TLC! You should begin to see the whey (greenish liquid) and the curds separating. As the pot begins to thicken with curds, I remove from the heat and let it sit about 8-10 minutes, then carefully spoon into a prepared strainer and cheesecloth. Once you see that the whey is no longer dripping from the strainer (maybe 15 mins), you can add your salt. Then it’s up to you whether this mascarpone needs herbs and garlic, OR cinnamon and sugar, that my friends, is up to your tastebuds.

Enjoy!

Mascarpone – warming the half and half

Mascarpone – curds

Mascarpone – spooning the curds into cheese cloth

Mascarpone – after straining out the whey

Mascarpone, half and half and whey