Bear with me ...

Having been away for a week plus having a busy week upon my return ...  I was not prepared to cook food for sampling this past weekend.

This coming week will also be a busy week for me as I am doing wine tastings at the new Kroger opening on Staples Mill Road. So, I won't be prepared to cook food this coming weekend either.

I am still researching and organizing recipes I think customers might enjoy.  I will be cooking WITH LOVE in a couple weeks.

In the meantime, please enjoy my wine tastings.  They will still be every Friday and Saturday and I will post the schedules every Thursday.  When the food sampling returns, it will be in Thursday's posting.

XOXO!
   Anita

Recipes: Anita and Mark's Hearty Vegetarian Chilli - Pesto Pepper Spread - Fromage du Jour 12, 13, 14 and 15

In the dairy case.

Oy!  It was another "do something with it" task. - Helen's Organic Veggie Ground.  Hmmm ... vegetarian ...  Look at me and the foods I sample out ... I'm a meat and potatoes girl.  How many recipes do I have bacon as an ingredient?  Imagine the thoughts running through my head when Mark asked me to sample this.  I'd rather recommend a Chardonnay to someone.  (If you've spoken with me, you know I cringe with recommending Chards because they are so all over the board and customers are very particular with their Chardonnay.)  Anyway,  chili, pasta meat sauce, and stir-fry are what came to mind (after all the awful thoughts cleared my head).  I went with Chili since that would be the easiest to prepare at the  store.  When I told Mark I'd use the product in chili he suggested Lysander's Original Chili Seasoning Mix.  Hence, Anita and Mark's Hearty Vegetarian Chili.

Anita and Mark's Hearty Vegetarian Chili

3 Tbl. TFM Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 c. diced yellow onion

1 large jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced

2 (12 oz.) pkg. Helen’s Kitchen Organic Veggie Ground

1 pkg. Lysanders Original Chili Seasoning Mix

1 Tbl. ground cumin

2 (1 lb. 12 oz.) cans Muir Glen Organic Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes

2 (15 oz.) cans TFM red kidney beans, drained

2 (15 oz.) cans TFM black beans, drained

Toppings: grated cheese, sour cream

In a large soup pot, heat olive oil.  Add onion and jalapeno.  Sauté until the onion is translucent.  Add remaining ingredients (not toppings).  Stir until incorporated.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 45 to 60 minutes.  Serve with toppings. 

I was on pins and needles with this recipe.  It was a huge sigh of relief when my taste testers said they enjoyed it and my vegetarian taste testers (Betty and Xavier) put their seal of approval on it.  Xavier couldn't get enough of it.  With confidence I sampled it out on Friday and Saturday, and customers were enjoying it.  

To keep the chili warm during sampling I had it on WARM in the slow cooker.  By the end of my tasting the little that remained in the cooker was thick, hearty, and bursting with flavor and a little more spiciness.  I was going to put it in the employee's back room, but bakery and deli scoffed it up.

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Nicole had a couple of containers of CIBO Pesto for me for sampling.  I decided to make a spread with it.  Rave reviews from customers.

Pesto Pepper Spread

1 c. grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1 c. mayonnaise

1 (6 oz.) CIBO pesto

1/3 c. Delallo Roasted Piquillo Peppers, drained and chopped.

Combine all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.  Serve on TFM Original French Rounds.

Lorene was sampling this out at the cheese table.  She told me it was a hit.  A few customers stopped by table to let me know they loved it.  One gentleman told me it was "killer".  This would also make a nice sandwich spread.

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Nicole had another nice selection of cheese scraps for the Fromage du Jour.  I'm trying to keep these as simple for customers to make as I can.  Heck, Nicole and I will even grate the cheese for you.

Fromage du Jour 12 – Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs/ Bellavitano Balsamic

2 (5.2 oz.) Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbes, crumbled in

7½ oz. Bellavitano Balsamic, grated

¼ c. TFM Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/3 c. pine nuts, toasted

Place cheeses and oil in the bowl of a food processor and process until blended and smooth.. Refrigerate to let flavors blend (5 to 24 hours).  Mix in pine nuts. Serve with TFM Original French Rounds.

This was Friday's sampling and a hit with customers.  

Fromage du Jour 13 - Red Wax Gouda/Chaumes

10 oz. Red Wax Gouda, rind removed and grated

8½ oz. Chaumes, cubed

6 Tbl. TFM Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Place cheeses and oil in the bowl of a food processor and process until blended and smooth.. Refrigerate to let flavors blend (5 to 24 hours).  Serve with TFM Original French Rounds.

This was simple, mild, slightly nutty, and clean.  Although customers enjoyed this spread, it was not the hit Fromage du Jours 14 and 15 were.

Fromage du Jour 14 - Champinon with Mushrooms/Tallegio/Bellavitano Raspberry

7¼ oz. Champignon with Mushrooms, cubed

6¾ oz. Tallegio, cubed

5½ oz. Bellavitano Raspberry, grated

3 Tbl. O Meyer Lemon Olive Oil

Place cheeses and oil in the bowl of a food processor and process until blended and smooth.. Refrigerate to let flavors blend (5 to 24 hours).  Serve with TFM Original French Rounds.

Fromage du Jour 15 - Tallegio/Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs

11 oz. Tallegio, cubed

1 (5.2 oz.) pkg. Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs, crumbled

1 Tbl. O Meyer Lemon Olive Oil, plus extra for drizzling

Wildly Delicious Roasted Garlic Sea Salt

Place cheeses and 1 tablespoon oil in the bowl of a food processor and process until blended and smooth.. Refrigerate to let flavors blend (5 to 24 hours).  Place in a serving bowl and drizzle with extra olive oil and garnish with sea salt.  Serve with TFM Original French Rounds.

Fromage 14 and 15 were the favorite for Saturday. Cheese was flying off the shelf to make these recipes.  It must have been the Tallegio.  Of the two, 15 was the favorite.  I just loved the way Fromage du Jour 15 looked with the glistening  drizzle of olive oil and sea salt garnish.  The flavor was amazing.  

Recipes: Parmigiano-Reggiano, Mushroom and Celery Salad - Portabello Mushroom Sandwich with Savory Parmigiano-Reggiano Spread - Fromage Fort 8, 9, 10 & 11

I have to begin with Thank yous.  First and foremost to Parmigiano-Reggiano for sending me those beautful recipe booklets with delicious recipes.  I appreciated it.  Customers loved it and appreciated it.  Tom (store manager) appreciated it.  The recipes I prepared Friday and Saturday for sampling were customer favorites.

My next thank you is to my customers.  I was sure feeling the love Saturday.  THANKS!  It was great to have validation for what I'm doing at the store.  I know you all enjoy the sampling.  But some of you thought the recipe booklet was written by me.  That was so flattering to know that some of you think I could write a recipe booklet.  Also, I never realized so many appreciate my wine recommendations.  THANKS!  I  knew I was drinking all the wine I did for a reason.  I drink for you. 

Now for this weekend's recipes. Beginning with the two from Parmigiano-Reggiano's recipe booklet.  Although the recipe booklet is not brand specific (except for Parmigiano-Reggiano), I have included the brands I used in the recipes as many customers ask me what I use.

Parmigiano-Reggiano, Mushroom and Celery Salad

2 Tbl. lemon juice

¼ tsp. salt

1 tsp. TFM Dijon mustard

¼ c. TFM  Novello extra-virgin olive oil

1 tsp. minced shallot

Freshly ground black pepper

1 lb. fresh baby bella mushrooms, cleaned

6 oz. celery hearts

2 Tbl. chopped fresh parsley

1 Tbl. chopped fresh mint

4 oz. Parmigiano-Reggiano

6 lettuce leaves

Whisk together lemon juice, salt and mustard until salt dissolves.  Add oil in a very thin stream, whisking constantly. Stir in shallots and ground pepper.

Thinly slice mushrooms, through cap and stem.  Slice celery thinly on an angle.  Combine mushrooms, celery, parsley and mint in a large bowl.  Add 2 oz. shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano.  (Can be made ahead to this point and chilled.)

Just before serving, place lettuce leaves on 6 plates.  Toss salad with dressing and mound on each plate. With a vegetable peeler, sliver the remaining  Parmigiano-Reggiano over each portion.  Serve.

Yields:  6 servings

What can I say?  Easy.  Flavorful.  Customers were commenting how delicious it was.  A must try recipe.

Portabello Mushroom Sandwich

3 large yellow peppers

6 large Portabello mushroom caps, brushed clean, stems removed

TFM Extra Virgin olive oil

TFM Aged balsamic vinegar

4 oz. mixed field salad, cleaned

6 4” squares of focaccia, sliced in halve

24 whole basil leaves

1 recipe Savory Parmigiano-Reggiano Spread (follows)

Broil peppers until their skins blacken and blister, about 4 to 5 minutes on each side.  Place peppers in a brown bag and let set 10 minutes to steam skins loose.  Remove skins and seeds, cut peppers into halves.

Brush mushrooms with olive oil and grill over high heat.  Turn as necessary, grilling until tender.

Sprinkle with a bit of balsamic vinegar.

Place a small handful of greens on the bottom half of each piece of focaccia.  Top with mushroom and half a roasted pepper.  Add 4 basil leaves to each sandwich. Smear a dollop of Savory Parmigiano-Reggiano Spread on the top slice of focaccia and press sandwich together.

Yields:  6 servings

Savory Parmigiano-Reggiano Spread

13 ¾ oz. jar of Cento artichoke hearts, drained

1 c. mayonnaise

1 c. grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Drain artichoke hearts and chop into small pieces.  In a small bowl stir together artichokes, mayonnaise and Parmigiano-Reggiano.  Cover and refrigerate until needed.

Yields: 3 cups

This was the first time the food I sampled out was commented on (several times I might add) as "a work of art".  The bakery did not have Focaccia for me and they gave me Ciabatta.   Ahhh ... yes the sandwich samples looked beautiful.  The flavor was great.  But ... Ciabatta is a crustier, harder bread and Foccacia is softer and not as thick.  Foccacia would have been the better choice.  In any case, the flavor was there and enjoyed by all.  When I was finished with my tasting I had one small platter of sandwich samples remaining and some scraps behind the cheese wall.  When I went back there half the platter was eaten and all the scraps were gone.  My taste testers all munch when my back is turned.  A sure sign the recipe is a hit.

Oh, as an aside - the Savory Parmigiano-Reggiano Spread was great on it own.  My taste testers and I sampled it on TFM French Rounds (garlic and original).  Yummy.  Not only do I drink for you, but eat for you as well.

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This weekend was decisions, decisions for me as Nicole had another nice selection of cheese for Fromage Fort (which by the way I am renaming "Fromage du Jour" starting next weekend).

Cute jar. Great flavor.

Fromage Fort 8 - Fol Epi/
Parrano/Champignon with Mushrooms

9½ oz. Fol Epi, rind removed and grated

9 oz. Parrano, rind removed and grated

6¾ oz. Champignon with Mushrooms, 
     cut in pieces

¼ c. Lucini Roasted Garlic 
     Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Wildly Delicious Roasted Garlic Sea Salt, 
                                             to taste

TFM Original French Rounds

Place cheeses and olive oil in the bowl of a food  processor and process until blended and smooth.  If you feel the mixture is too dry, add more TFM Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  Refrigerate to let flavors blend (5 to 24 hours).  Place cheese in a serving bowl and garnish with sea salt.  Serve with TFM Original French Rounds.

Customers did enjoy this, but I will say you have to like garlic.  The Lucini Roasted Garlic EVOO is very tasty and there's no mistaking the garlic flavor.  In fact, I stopped adding the olive oil after ¼ cup as the flavor was getting to bold.  Not adding more olive oil made the consistency on the thicker side.  If I would have been thinking I would have continued to add olive oil, but would have switched to TFM's EVOO.  That is the reason for the blue line in the directions above.  I added TFM's EVOO to the remaining spread after my tasting.  The spread was amazing.  

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Fromage Fort 9 - Apetina/Fol Epi/Saint Andre

9.7 oz. jar Apetina Feta in oil 
     with herbs and spices

8 oz. Fol Epi, rind removed and grated

7 oz.  Saint Andre, cut in wedges

TFM Original French Rounds

Place cheeses (including Apetina’s oil, herbs and spices) in the bowl of a food  processor and process until blended and smooth.  Refrigerate to let flavors blend (5 to 24 hours).  Serve with TFM Original French Rounds.

All I can say about this was HANDS DOWN FAVORITE Fromage Fort (1 through 11) EVER.  The cheeses for this were flying off the shelf.  I will have to do this again at the holidays.   I enjoy using Apetina because there's no measuring of EVOO and I don't have to think of spices (let alone measure and chop.  Sheez!  I'm starting to sound like some of my customers.)

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Fromage Fort 10 - Apetina/Fontina/Champignon with Mushrooms

9.7 oz. jar Apetina Feta in oil with herbs and spices

7½ oz. Fontina, rind removed and grated

5½ oz. Champignon with Mushrooms, cut in pieces

TFM Original French Rounds

Place cheeses (including oil, herbs and spices) in the bowl of a food  processor and process until blended and smooth.  Refrigerate to let flavors blend (5 to 24 hours).  Serve with TFM Original French Rounds.

Fromage Fort 11 - Burrata/Piave

8 oz. BelGioioso Burrata, drained

5¼ oz. Piave, rind removed 
     and grated

2 Tbl. TFM Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Tbl. Delallo Piquillo Peppers, 
     drained and diced

Stacy’s Bake Shop 
     Herbed Baguette Bakery Crisps

Place cheeses and oil in the bowl of a food processor and process until blended and smooth.  Mix in peppers. Refrigerate to let flavors blend (5 to 24 hours).  Serve with Stacy’s Herbed Baguette Bakery Crisps.

Not much on these two.  No negative comments,  Some customers said they enjoyed.  As for my taste testers ... they liked them, but nothing could compare to #9.

I've reached the end.  Time to cube my cheese for today's Australian wine tasting.  Then sample the cheese with the wine to  make sure it's perfect.  Hope you're able to come sample.  If not, just know I'll be sampling for you!

Recipes: Fromage Fort 5, 6 & 7 - Arugula and Fennel Salad - Over Cream Cheese

Let me begin with "Over Cream Cheese".  When I walked into the store Friday to prepare for my tasting, the assistant grocery manager told me they received a large shipment of cream cheese and if I could please do something with cream cheese.   Aghhh.  Nothing like a last minute "do something with it".  So I turned to my blog index and chose a customer favorite from 2013 -  Coconut Mango Pepper Sauce Spread.  I SOLD OUT of TFM Coconut Mango Pepper Sauce and switched to Robert Rothschild Coconut Mango Tequila Sauce.  SOLD OUT and that was just Friday.  I had to come up with something for Saturday.  I chose Robert Rothschild Hot Pepper Peach Jam ... SOLD OUT.  Since I sold out of all three products do I really need to say customers LOVED these EASY recipes?  The recipes are below, but first my apologies for selling out of product.  Since this was a last minute sampling I was not able to have the grocery manager order additional product for me.  It will all be back in stock this week.  Now, the three recipes.

If you want spicy this next flavorful sauce is for you. 

Coconut Mango Pepper Sauce over Cream Cheese

1 jar TFM Coconut Mango Pepper Sauce
8 oz. TFM Cream Cheese
½ c. TFM Toasted Coconut Chips
Stacy's Pita Crisps - Simply Naked (sea salt)

Place cream cheese on a serving plate. Top with ½ a jar of Mango Coconut Pepper Sauce. Garnish with coconut chips. Serve with Stacy's Pita Crisps.

If you're looking for spicy with a hint of sweet, Robert Rothschild Coconut Mango Tequila Sauce would be perfect.


Pineapple Coconut Mango Tequila Sauce over Cream Cheese
1 jar Robert Rothschild Pineapple Coconut Mango Tequila Sauce
8 oz. TFM Cream Cheese
½ c. TFM Toasted Coconut Chips
Stacy's Pita Crisps - Simply Naked (sea salt)

Place cream cheese on a serving plate. Top with ½ a jar of Coconut Mango Tequila Sauce. Garnish with coconut chips. Serve with Stacy's Pita Crisps.

Hot Pepper Peach Spread
1 jar Robert Rothschild 

     Hot Pepper Peach Jam
8 oz. TFM Cream Cheese
1 c. smoked almonds, 

     coarsely chopped
Stacy's Pita Crisps - 

     Simply Naked (sea salt)

Place cream cheese on a serving plate. Top with ½ a jar of Hot Pepper Peach Jam. Garnish with smoked almonds. Serve with Stacy's Pita Crisps.

Of all the "delicious", "fantastic", "I love it" comments for these three spreads, I think Hot Pepper Peach was the customer favorite. This recipe had a nice layer of flavors. First spicy, a hint of sweet and finished with smoke. VERY enjoyable. 

 All three of these spreads are QUICK and EASY to prepare.

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Nicole had another nice selection of cheese for me for Fromage Forts.  It was fun pairing off cheese that I thought would make a nice combination and deciding what to add to it and serve it on.  I have gone off the beaten path of what a Fromage Fort is, but I'm going for tasty not traditional.

This first Fromage Fort has nice flavors.  Wensleydale with Cranberries was a nice addition and because of it I decided to use Nuts & Berries (from the bulk bin) as a garnish.  

Fromage Fort 5

8 oz. Ile de France Brie, 
     cut into wedges

8 oz. Wensleydale with 
     Cranberries, crumbled

7 oz. Belavitano Merlot, grated

8 Tbl. (1 stick) butter

¾ c. Nuts & Berries, coarsely chopped

Place cheese and butter in the bowl of a food  processor and process until blended and smooth.  Refrigerate 5 hours to overnight to let flavors blend.  Prior to serving, place in serving bowl and garnish with Nuts & Berries.  Serve with your favorite crackers.

In all honesty, I was on the fence about serving this. I was not a fan, but Nicole said it was quite good.  In the end, customers were enjoying it.   After talking with a customer about this Fromage Fort the light bulb went off for me ... I'm not a fan of Wensleydale with Cranberries.  If that is a cheese you enjoy, this recipe is for you.  Me ... not so much.

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Nicole had scraps of Jarlsberg and Camembert for me.  I wanted to do something less savory and used Gjetost for a mild nutty flavor.  Then for texture I added honey roasted peanuts.  

Fromage Fort 6

8.8 oz. Ski Queen Gjetost, grated

8 oz. Jarlsberg Swiss, grated

8 oz. Ile de France Camembert

¾ c. honey roasted peanuts, 
     coarsely chopped

Place cheese in the bowl of a food  processor and process until blended and smooth.  This will be very thick, so you may want to do it in small batches.  Form into a ball.  Cover.  Refrigerate 5 hours to overnight to let flavors blend.  Prior to serving roll in peanuts.  Serve with your favorite crackers.

In other Fromage Forts I say to add oil if the cheese is too thick.  DO NOT add oil to this.  It severely minimizes the delicious nutty flavor.

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This is the EASIEST Fromage Fort.  I was anxious to use Apetina Feta in oil with herbs and spices.  My hope was to just empty the jar into the food processor and not have to measure olive oil or decide on adding spices.  Success!

Fromage Fort 7

12 oz. Comte Gruyere, 
     rind removed and grated

11 oz. Kerrygold Aged Cheddar, grated

9.7 oz. jar Apetina Feta in oil 
     with herbs and spice

¾ c. Kalamata olives, chopped

1 bag Stacy’s Pita Crisps, 
                                                   Simply Naked (sea salt)

Place cheeses, including oil with herbs and spices, in the bowl of a food  processor and process until blended and smooth.  Refrigerate 5 hours to overnight to let flavors blend.  Prior to serving, place in serving bowl and garnish with Kalamata olives.  Serve with Stacy’s Pita Crisps.

THE customer favorite.

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For this weeks cheese to familiarize customers with, Nicole selected Ricotta Salata.  So, I prepared a salad and I used Fennel as an ingredient that some customers  may not be familiar with.

Arugula and Fennel Salad

1 (5 oz.) clam shell arugula

1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
fennel fronds, cut

¼ c. toasted pine nuts

1/3 lb. Ricotta Salata, crumbled

1 bottle Girard’s Barista Balsamic Vinaigrette

Wildly Delicious Roasted Garlic Sea Salt, to taste

Place arugula, fennel and fennel fronds in a large serving bowl.  Add desired amount of vinaigrette and toss until arugula and fennel are coated.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Place on individual serving plates. Top with pine nuts and Ricotta Salata. Serve.

Customers LOVED, LOVED, LOVED.  Sold all but two bottles of dressing.  


Keep an eye for next weekends tasting schedule (posted on Thursday).  I have a VERY nice recipe booklet to hand out from Parmigiano-Reggiano. I will be preparing two recipes from it.

Recipes: Festive Pesto Pasta Salad - Chaumes with Roasted Garlic and Shallot Spread - Smoked Gouda Spread - Goat Cheese with Various Toppings - Fromage Fort 1, 2, 3 and 4

Fun. Fun. Fun.

Fun - playing with cheese this weekend.

Fun - playing with Wild Hibiscus Flowers in Syrup.

Fun - chit-chatting with my customers.

The first recipe is from Fresh Markets recipe booklet that was at my tasting table over the holidays.

Festive Pesto Pasta Salad

17.6 oz. TFM Ditalini pasta, cooked, 
     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

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.

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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.

I enjoyed this as did  my taste testers.  I do not recall any customer comments - good, bad, or indifferent.

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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.

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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.

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.

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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

10 oz. Old Dutch Masters Aged Gouda, 
     rind removed and grated

7 oz. Parrano, rind removed and grated

7 oz. Swiss Emmenthaller, 
     rind removed and grated

4 oz. Ricotta Salata, crumbled

6 Tbl. butter

5 Tbl. Lucini Roasted Garlic 
     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 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!