Fun. Fun. Fun.
Fun - playing with cheese this weekend.
Fun - playing with Wild Hibiscus Flowers in Syrup.
Fun - chit-chatting with my customers.
Festive Pesto Pasta Salad
17.6
oz. TFM Ditalini pasta, cooked,
drained and chilled
drained and chilled
½
c. julienne sun dried tomatoes
1
pkg. LeGrand 4 Nuts and Cheese Pesto
6.5
oz. jar Delallo Marinated & Quartered
Artichoke Hearts, drained
Artichoke Hearts, drained
3.8
oz. Mario sliced black olives, drained
6
(¼“ thick) slices Sopresatta, cubed
Combine
all ingredients in a large serving bowl.
Serve.
My taste testers enjoyed this as did I, but I felt it was a tad on the dry side. Friday I left the recipe as is, but Saturday, I opened another package of LeGrand Pesto and added more to the pasta salad. It wasn't as dry for me and more enjoyable. I used Ditalini pasta since that was the pasta I could cook the fastest at the store with the equipment I had. You can use which ever pasta you prefer for salads.
*****************
Continuing with our goal of sampling a cheese that customers may not be familiar with ... Nicole selected Chaumes. I was not familiar with this cheese and went to their website for recipes.
Chaumes and Roasted Garlic and Shallot Spread
6 Tbsp. olive oil
6 cloves garlic, unpeeled
2 shallots, unpeeled
7 oz. Chaumes cheese, rind removed, cut into chunks
2 Tbsp. basil, chopped fine
salt and pepper to taste
Toss garlic cloves and shallots with 2 tablespoons of the oil, and bake wrapped in foil at 350°F. for 35-40 minutes or until soft. Let cool completely. Squeeze the garlic and shallots from their skins and reserve.
Place the cheese, remaining oil, garlic and shallots in the bowl of a food processor and puree until smooth.
Stir in chopped basil and adjust seasoning with salt and fresh pepper.
Makes 1 cup.
*****************
ALWAYS a crowd pleaser.
*****************
Chaumes and Roasted Garlic and Shallot Spread
6 Tbsp. olive oil
6 cloves garlic, unpeeled
2 shallots, unpeeled
7 oz. Chaumes cheese, rind removed, cut into chunks
2 Tbsp. basil, chopped fine
salt and pepper to taste
Toss garlic cloves and shallots with 2 tablespoons of the oil, and bake wrapped in foil at 350°F. for 35-40 minutes or until soft. Let cool completely. Squeeze the garlic and shallots from their skins and reserve.
Place the cheese, remaining oil, garlic and shallots in the bowl of a food processor and puree until smooth.
Stir in chopped basil and adjust seasoning with salt and fresh pepper.
Makes 1 cup.
I enjoyed this as did my taste testers. I do not recall any customer comments - good, bad, or indifferent.
*****************
TFM Smoked Gouda Spread
1
lb. shredded smoked Gouda
¼
c. mayonnaise
1
Tbl. minced red onion
1
Tbl. Tabasco
Mix all ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl. Serve with your favorite crackers or Pretzel Crisps.
ALWAYS a crowd pleaser.
I wanted to sample out Rondin goat cheese again as I had fun toppings I wanted to do this week. Like I said last week - it's a blank canvas.
Topping 1:
Stonewall Kitchen Roasted Garlic Onion Jam with Smoked Almonds
1 round of Rondin goat cheese
1 jar Stonewall Kitchen
Roasted Garlic Onion Jam
1/3 c. smoked almonds,
coarsely chopped
Place goat cheese on a serving plate. Top with desired amount of jam. Top jam with smoked almonds. Serve with your favorite crackers or TFM Original French Rounds.
Customers loved, loved, loved this. A clear winner and it doesn't get any easier than this.
Topping 2:
Earth & Vine Roasted Bell Pepper and Ancho Chili Jam
1 round of Rondin goat cheese
1 jar Earth & Vine Roasted Bell Pepper and Ancho Chili Jam
Place goat cheese on a serving plate. Top with desired amount of jam. Serve with your favorite crackers or TFM Original French Rounds.
Okay I lied with topping #1. It doesn't get any easier than this. E&V's Roasted Bell Pepper and Ancho Chili Jam is always a hit when I sample it out. Go to my recipe index and check out the other recipes I've prepared using this product. They are all delicious. This jam is very popular at the store and sells out frequently. If you haven't tried it, you must.
Topping 3:
Wild Hibiscus and Ginger
1 round of Rondin goat cheese
1/3 c. sliced almonds
2 Tbl. chopped crystallized ginger
2 Wild Hibiscus Flowers, chopped
2 Tbl. Wild Hibiscus Syrup
1 pkg. Stacy's Bake Shop
Banana Nut Crisps
Mix chopped ginger and Hibiscus flowers together. Set aside.
Roll rim of goat cheese in almonds. Place on a serving plate. Top with ginger-hibiscus mixture. Drizzle with hibiscus syrup. Serve with Stacy's Banana Nut Crisps.
I have been playing with Wild Hibiscus Flowers and Syrup in my head for DAYS! When I walked into the store Saturday morning it hit me - crystallized ginger and banana bread crisps. I was excited and held my breath as my taste testers sampled ... I held my breath again as my customers sampled ... FAVORITE! I even had one person e-mail me, "I didn't get a chance to tell you how much I liked that goat cheese/banana thing. It was really tasty!" Okay, they called it a "thing", but the point is they took the time to e-mail me they liked it. Yeah, me!
Topping 4:
Stonewall Kitchen Cherry Berry Jam
1 round of Rondin goat cheese
1 jar Stonewall Kitchen
Cherry Berry Jam
Place goat cheese on a serving plate. Top with desired amount of jam. Serve with your favorite crackers or TFM Original French Rounds.
*****************
Topping 1: Stonewall Kitchen Roasted Garlic Onion Jam with Smoked Almonds
1 round of Rondin goat cheese
1 jar Stonewall Kitchen
Roasted Garlic Onion Jam
1/3 c. smoked almonds,
coarsely chopped
Place goat cheese on a serving plate. Top with desired amount of jam. Top jam with smoked almonds. Serve with your favorite crackers or TFM Original French Rounds.
Customers loved, loved, loved this. A clear winner and it doesn't get any easier than this.
Topping 2:
Earth & Vine Roasted Bell Pepper and Ancho Chili Jam
1 round of Rondin goat cheese
1 jar Earth & Vine Roasted Bell Pepper and Ancho Chili Jam
Place goat cheese on a serving plate. Top with desired amount of jam. Serve with your favorite crackers or TFM Original French Rounds.
Okay I lied with topping #1. It doesn't get any easier than this. E&V's Roasted Bell Pepper and Ancho Chili Jam is always a hit when I sample it out. Go to my recipe index and check out the other recipes I've prepared using this product. They are all delicious. This jam is very popular at the store and sells out frequently. If you haven't tried it, you must.
Topping 3: Wild Hibiscus and Ginger
1 round of Rondin goat cheese
1/3 c. sliced almonds
2 Tbl. chopped crystallized ginger
2 Wild Hibiscus Flowers, chopped
2 Tbl. Wild Hibiscus Syrup
1 pkg. Stacy's Bake Shop
Banana Nut Crisps
Mix chopped ginger and Hibiscus flowers together. Set aside.
Roll rim of goat cheese in almonds. Place on a serving plate. Top with ginger-hibiscus mixture. Drizzle with hibiscus syrup. Serve with Stacy's Banana Nut Crisps.
I have been playing with Wild Hibiscus Flowers and Syrup in my head for DAYS! When I walked into the store Saturday morning it hit me - crystallized ginger and banana bread crisps. I was excited and held my breath as my taste testers sampled ... I held my breath again as my customers sampled ... FAVORITE! I even had one person e-mail me, "I didn't get a chance to tell you how much I liked that goat cheese/banana thing. It was really tasty!" Okay, they called it a "thing", but the point is they took the time to e-mail me they liked it. Yeah, me!
Topping 4: Stonewall Kitchen Cherry Berry Jam
1 round of Rondin goat cheese
1 jar Stonewall Kitchen
Cherry Berry Jam
Place goat cheese on a serving plate. Top with desired amount of jam. Serve with your favorite crackers or TFM Original French Rounds.
This was just a quick sample I put together for Lorene at her table. Another quick idea for customers to do in a pinch. Also a way for customers to sample the jam - a perfect filling for Thumbprint cookies.
*****************
And lastly, my words have come back to bite me - "I'm tired of cheese spreads and cheese balls." I prepared FOUR cheese spreads this weekend. BUT, in my defense these cheese spreads gave me the freedom to be creative and "play".
In one of my food trade magazines I saw a recipe for Fromage Fort. With recipe in hand, I Googled for more Fromage Fort recipes. I found that Fromage Fort (French for "strong cheese") is made by using leftover pieces of various cheeses, adding wine, garlic, herbs, seasonings, etc. Typically the cheeses used are Camembert, Brie, Swiss, Parmigian-Reggiano, and goat milk cheeses. Nicole is cutting cheese daily and scraps get thrown away. I was going to turn those into tasty tidbits (if it killed me). I was excited. Nicole is now saving all her scraps for me and when I go in each weekend I'll prepare a Fromage Fort.
This weekend I had so much to choose from I was like a "kid in the candy shop". For Friday's sampling I cautiously and optimistically selected what I thought would be a nice combination of cheeses. When I added wine to the cheese blend Nicole and I were not happy with the results. Nixing the wine, I went with Extra Virgin Olive oil and flavored Extra Virgin Olive oil.
Fromage Fort 1
Fromage Fort 2
9¾ oz. Manchego, rind removed and grated
7 oz. Parrano, rind removed and grated
7 oz. 3 Year Cheddar grated
4 ½ oz. Red Wax Gouda, rind removed and grated
6 Tbl. butter
¾ c. TFM Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 pkg. (3 oz.) California Smoked Sun Dried Tomatoes, diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
¼ c. cilantro, chopped
Place cheese, butter and oil, in the bowl of a food processor and process until blended and smooth. If you feel the mixture is too dry, add more olive oil. Mix in tomatoes, jalapeno and cilantro. Refrigerate overnight to let the flavors blend.
Fromage Fort 3
5 oz. Comte Gruyere, rind removed and grated
7½ oz. Yellow Wax Gouda, rind removed and grated
5 oz. Belton Farms Oak Smoked Cheddar, grated
4 ½ oz. Ricotta Salata, grated
5 Tbl. butter
¾ c. TFM Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 Tbl. Lucini Roasted Garlic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
½ c. diced red onion
Place cheese, butter and oil in the bowl of a food processor and process until blended and smooth. If you feel the mixture is too dry, add more olive oil. Mix in onion. Refrigerate 5 hours to overnight to let flavors blend.
Fromage Fort 4
8½ oz. Old Dutch Masters Aged Gouda,
rind removed and grated
6½ oz. Comte Gruyere, rind removed and grated
7 oz. Boucherondin de Chevre, crumbled
5 Tbl. butter1 bottle (3.38 oz.) Il Molino
Extra Virgin Olive Oil with Rosemary
Place all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and process until blended and smooth. If you feel the mixture is too dry, add TFM Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
All three of Saturday's Fromage Forts were enjoyed by customers. However, 2 and 4 were favored over 3.
I also have to say that Lucini Roasted Garlic Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Il Molino Extra Virgin Olive Oil with Rosemary have tremendous flavor. I so enjoyed using them. Truth be told, I HAD to use Il Molino because I liked the bottle. (See we don't just buy wine because of the label. It falls into play with other products as well.) It would be a great gift for someone.
When all is said and done, Fromage Fort is a success. If you have any scraps of cheese be creative and give it a try.
I can't wait to see what scraps Nicole has for me next weekend!
In one of my food trade magazines I saw a recipe for Fromage Fort. With recipe in hand, I Googled for more Fromage Fort recipes. I found that Fromage Fort (French for "strong cheese") is made by using leftover pieces of various cheeses, adding wine, garlic, herbs, seasonings, etc. Typically the cheeses used are Camembert, Brie, Swiss, Parmigian-Reggiano, and goat milk cheeses. Nicole is cutting cheese daily and scraps get thrown away. I was going to turn those into tasty tidbits (if it killed me). I was excited. Nicole is now saving all her scraps for me and when I go in each weekend I'll prepare a Fromage Fort.
This weekend I had so much to choose from I was like a "kid in the candy shop". For Friday's sampling I cautiously and optimistically selected what I thought would be a nice combination of cheeses. When I added wine to the cheese blend Nicole and I were not happy with the results. Nixing the wine, I went with Extra Virgin Olive oil and flavored Extra Virgin Olive oil.
Fromage Fort 1
10
oz. Old Dutch Masters Aged Gouda,
rind removed and grated
rind removed and grated
7
oz. Parrano, rind removed and grated
7
oz. Swiss Emmenthaller,
rind removed and grated
rind removed and grated
4
oz. Ricotta Salata, crumbled
6
Tbl. butter
5
Tbl. Lucini Roasted Garlic
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2
Tbl. TFM Extra Virgin Olive Oil
¼
c. chopped chives
Place
cheese, butter and oils, in the bowl of a food
processor and process until blended and smooth. If you feel the mixture is too dry, add more of
the olive oils. Mix in chives.
After getting the seal of approval from all my taste testers, this went to the sample table for the final verdict from the customers. SUCCESS! This was the hit of the night.
Having been successful with Fromage Fort 1, I was eager and ready (but still cautiously optimistic) to plan Saturday's Fromage Fort. However, I couldn't select cheese for just one more. I grouped various cheeses together and Nicole and I tasted and played. All were good, but met with various degrees of "I like this" from my trusty taste testers and customers.
Fromage Fort 2
9¾ oz. Manchego, rind removed and grated
7 oz. Parrano, rind removed and grated
7 oz. 3 Year Cheddar grated
4 ½ oz. Red Wax Gouda, rind removed and grated
6 Tbl. butter
¾ c. TFM Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 pkg. (3 oz.) California Smoked Sun Dried Tomatoes, diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
¼ c. cilantro, chopped
Place cheese, butter and oil, in the bowl of a food processor and process until blended and smooth. If you feel the mixture is too dry, add more olive oil. Mix in tomatoes, jalapeno and cilantro. Refrigerate overnight to let the flavors blend.
Fromage Fort 3
5 oz. Comte Gruyere, rind removed and grated
7½ oz. Yellow Wax Gouda, rind removed and grated
5 oz. Belton Farms Oak Smoked Cheddar, grated
4 ½ oz. Ricotta Salata, grated
5 Tbl. butter
¾ c. TFM Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 Tbl. Lucini Roasted Garlic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
½ c. diced red onion
Place cheese, butter and oil in the bowl of a food processor and process until blended and smooth. If you feel the mixture is too dry, add more olive oil. Mix in onion. Refrigerate 5 hours to overnight to let flavors blend.
Fromage Fort 48½ oz. Old Dutch Masters Aged Gouda,
rind removed and grated
6½ oz. Comte Gruyere, rind removed and grated
7 oz. Boucherondin de Chevre, crumbled
5 Tbl. butter1 bottle (3.38 oz.) Il Molino
Extra Virgin Olive Oil with Rosemary
Place all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and process until blended and smooth. If you feel the mixture is too dry, add TFM Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
All three of Saturday's Fromage Forts were enjoyed by customers. However, 2 and 4 were favored over 3.
I also have to say that Lucini Roasted Garlic Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Il Molino Extra Virgin Olive Oil with Rosemary have tremendous flavor. I so enjoyed using them. Truth be told, I HAD to use Il Molino because I liked the bottle. (See we don't just buy wine because of the label. It falls into play with other products as well.) It would be a great gift for someone.
When all is said and done, Fromage Fort is a success. If you have any scraps of cheese be creative and give it a try.
I can't wait to see what scraps Nicole has for me next weekend!
No comments:
Post a Comment