Posts Tagged ‘Cheese’

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Stilton Blue Dressing Is Always Best With Salad and Grilled Steak

Wednesday, September 21st, 2011
If there’s one thing that augments a good meal, it’s the dressings or condiments that go with the dish.  In the recipe below, the Blue Stilton can be used as the dressing for a salad.  Moreover, it can also be used as a sauce to accompany that sumptuous steak which was just grilled from burning coals.  Use the stilton either as a dressing or a sauce, hopefully not together in one meal, otherwise the taste will just be too overpowering.  But heck, if you can’t get enough of it, then follow your passion.  Here’s the recipe:
 
Rich and Creamy Stilton Blue Cheese Dressing
 
 
2 ½ oz. Stilton blue cheese, crumbled (about ½ cup)
3 tablespoons buttermilk
3 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons mayonaise
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and ground pepper to taste
 
 
Mix the Stilton Blue Cheese and the buttermilk in a small bowl with fork, until mixture resembles cottage cheese with small curds.  Stir in remaining ingredients.  Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.  This dressing can be refrigerated in airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
 
(Note:  whole milk can be substituted for buttermilk.  The dressing will be a bit lighter and milder in flavor, but will still remain as good.  However, always get the best Stilton which can only be purchased at the best cheese place:  the IDEAL CHEESE shop.  And also remember to be aggressive on your seasoning with the salt and pepper because the dressing will be dispersed over the greens.)
 
 
LEAFY SALAD WITH BLUE CHEESE DRESSING
 
 
10 cups loosely packed greens, such as Romaine or curly leaf lettuce
¾ cup Rich and Creamy Stilton Blue Cheese Dressing (recipe above)
 
Wash and thoroughly dry greens.  (Greens can be stored rolled in paper towels and refrigerated in salad spinner for 2 days or zipper-lock plastic bag for 1 week)
 
Place greens in large bowl.  If greens are too large to eat easily, tear them into manageable pieces with your hands.  Pour dressing over greens and toss to coat evenly.  Serve immediately.
 
 
Grilled Steak
 
Your favorite choice of steak (filet mignon, ribeye, strip, t-bone or sirloin). I prefer mine to be at least an inch thick.
 
Your favorite marinade (either dry or wet). I prefer the dry with lots of seasonings.  Or for simplicity, just rub salt and pepper—and let the creamy sauce tickle your palate
 
Steaks should be at room temperature.  Preheat the Grill. Marinate your steak with your favorite rub.
 
Make sure the grill is super hot before placing your cut of steak.  Sear the steak for 3 minutes on each side, then lower heat if using a gas drill, or if charcoal, place the meat on the side.  Depending on how you want your meat cooked, always let the meat rest (meaning it should be off the fire) before cutting it.  Enjoy with the creamy Stilton Blue Cheese sauce. And remember, there’s nothing better than having the best.  Get your veggies from that favorite organic supermarket, the freshest meat from that smiling butcher, and the blue Stilton cheese from the best cheese shop, the Ideal Cheese Shop, and make yourself a meal fit for a King.

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Bufala Mozzarella – Eaten Raw or Cooked

Tuesday, September 13th, 2011

When we think of Mozzarella, immediately we think of this cheese that when heated up, it spreads itself like melting lava covering up the food it is being sprinkled on. However, Mozzarella can either be eaten straight from the package, or cut up for garnishing, or it could also be processed raw which can add flavor to a created dish of a chef. This is one such cheese and below is a recipe that uses Bufala Mozzarella in its’ raw form yet processed in a different way.  Enjoy!

Braised Baby Artichokes with Mozzarella Cream

Bufala Mozzarella

2 lemons cut in half
1 pound of baby artichokes
2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 ½ cups dry white wine
1 cup water
½ large white onion diced
1 small head garlic, smashed and peeled
¼ c. basil leaves, coarsely chopped with some stems
1 bay leaf
¼ c. extra virgin oil
salt and pepper
3 oz. Buffalo Mozzarella plus about 3 tbsp of liquid from the container
Fill a large bowl with water.  Squeeze in the juice from the 2 cut up lemons, then add the whole fruit into it.  While working with one artichoke at a time, peel off the outer leaves.  Cut off the top fourth of the artichoke: peel and trip the stem.  Slice the artichoke lengthwise 1/8 inch thick and drop in the lemon water.  Do the same with the other artichokes.
Drain the artichokes: Discard the lemon.  In a large saucepan combine the artichokes with the lemon juice, wine, water, onion, garlic basil steams and bay leaf.  Bring to a simmer.  Cover and cook over low heat until the artichokes are tender for about 15 minutes.  Drain discarding the basil and the bay leaf.
In a large skillet, heat ¼ cup of the olive oil.  Add the artichokes and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until very soft, about 10 minutes.  Stir in the chopped basil and season with salt.
In a food processor, pulse the Bufala Mozzarella with 3 tablespoons  of oil until smooth.  Spoon the Mozzarella cream onto individual plates, top with the artichokes and serve.
Sometimes though, artichoke can come in expensive. Normally, when this happens, I would substitute it with banana blossoms and use the same process above as not to discolor the vegetable.  This I have done with my dips and entrees, making sure that I put lemon to stop it from discoloration.
Also, you can use other vegetables such  as cauliflower or broccoli which  are steamed instead of boiled, making sure that it is only half cooked to attain the crunchiness of the flowerettes.  And for that perfect garnish, always use contrast colors, such as those found in colored gourmet salts and peppers.
This will really impress your guests especially when you pair it with your favorite wine. Always use the freshest of vegetables when making this dish.  And always get the Bufala Mozzarella from the best cheese shop, the Ideal Cheese shop.  They have the best Bufala Mozzarella you can find anywhere in the market. If it’s cheese (any kind whatsoever) you’re looking for, they are the tops!

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Red Wine and Chicken Gratin with Gruyere: For An Excellent Meal

Tuesday, August 30th, 2011
The definition of gratin is cooking with breadcrumbs and sometimes cheese, but the best cheese for me to use is always the Gruyere Cheese.  Its versatility and flavor makes it the best candidate for a cooked cheese.  Aside from gruyere being the best cheese for fondues, it can also be placed as toppings or bases for an excellent dish like the one below.  Always use the freshest ingredients when making this superb dish.  And when getting cheese, always buy from the reliable source, and I’m talking about the Ideal Cheese Shop.  So order now and let’s get going on this…
Chicken gratin with onion sauce and Gruyere
  • One 3 to 4 pound chicken, cut up
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 tablespoon veggie oil
  • 2 tablespoon butter
  • 2 yellow onions chopped
  • ¾ cup finely chopped shallots
  • 1 ½ cups white wine
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 5 ounces gruyere cheese grated
Season the chicken on all sides.  In a large sauté pan, heat the oil and butter over medium high heat until the butter melts.  Working in two batches if necessary, cook the chicken until it is a rich golden brown all over, roughly about 10 to 12 minutes.  If it threatens to burn, lower heat.  When done, transfer to a plate, tent loosely with aluminum foil and place in warm oven (about 200 degrees.)
Pour off all but 4 tablespoons of fat and place pan over medium heat.  Add the onions and shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until pale gold at the edges.  Raise the heat to medium high and add the wine.  Deglaze the pan and simmer for 2 minutes, scraping the bottom to loosen brown bits.
Return the legs and thighs to the skillet along with any accumulated juices.  Cook to a bare simmer for 10 minutes, turning the pieces after about 5 minutes.  Add the breast pieces and cook for 5 minutes longer.  Check to make sure all the chicken is cooked through.  Transfer chicken to plate.
Whisk the sour cream, mustard, and 1 teaspoon of salt into the pan juices until well mixed.
Preheat broiler.
Evenly distribute half the cheese over the bottom of an earthenware or glass baking dish just large enough to hold the chicken in a single layer.  Arrange the chicken on top of the cheese.  Pour the onion sauce evenly over the chicken and top with the rest of the cheese.
Broil until bubbly and just a little golden in spots.  Serve immediately from the baking dish, spooning additional onion sauce over each portion.
With this dish, you can have those wine rules crumble before you and just take in your favorite ‘reds’.  A ready-to-drink-medium weight red Burgundy with a gentle core of earthy, red fruit flavor is good with this dish.  Or if you like, a Pinot Noir is just as good.  So eat up.
For added tips: always choose fresh chicken over frozen ones – they are moister and are more flavorful.  If you buy it vacuum packed, try to check for water in the package. This will indicate that the bird may have been frozen. To get the most authentic cheeses available, check out the best cheese shop available online.

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