Jalapeno Pepper Jam Baked Brie and Valentines Day . . .

I was recently sent a gift pack from Godminster Cheese, just in time for Valentines day . . . their sweet "Heart to Heart" set,   is a tasty combination of a delicious 200g Vintage Organic Cheddar and 150g Heart-Shaped Organic Brie, both heart shaped and presented in their very own unique gift box.



 Godminster Vintage Cheddar is completely organic, containing no preservatives and encased in a ruby coloured wax.  There is no need to remove the wax as it makes the perfect case to keep it in.  You can simply slice the top off and scoop out the cheese and then replace the "lid" when you are done.  Best served at room temperature, this lovely chedddar is rich and creamy.  Quite delicious!

Godminster Traditional Organic Brie, is an organic soft cheese, created using fresh milk from the Godminster Farm.  With it's fresh flavour and creamy texture, this was also quite delicious.



Inclued as well was a round of their lovely Organic Brie which I decided to do something interesting with.   I wanted to make something which would be wonderful as an appetizer for your Valentines Day Celebrations.

Brie cheese is just wonderful baked . . . it melts beautifully and it's delicious flavour and texture are a wonderful canvas upon with to layer other flavours.



I cut it in half whilst it was still really, really cold from the fridge and then place the bottom round, cut side up on a square of Puff pastry.  



I spread the creamy top of the bottom layer with some Jalapeno Pepper Jam that I had picked up at Morrisons at Christmas time but hadn't had occasion to use yet.  It was so pretty and jewel-like . . . and flecked with lots of red jalapeno pepper flakes.  I then placed the other half on top and covered encased the round completely with the puff pastry, sealing it shut.  (You want to do this really well or you could have a blow out!)



I decorated the top with heart cutouts placed in a round to resemble a pretty blossom, with a few little stamen balls in the centre, and then brushed the whole thing with some beaten egg yolk and ater.



Fifteen minutes later we were rewarded with gloriously rich and creamy gooey brie mixed with that hot pepper jam . . . perfect for spreading onto soft slices of a fresh French loaf . . . and topped with a few leaves of rocket . . .

 

Or  onto buttery  pepper crackers, and served with some crisp slices of a sweet red eating apple, it went down a real treat.   We both enjoyed this immensely.  Not only was it attractive, but it was quite simply . . . delicious.  How often do you get an appetizer that is so delicious without having put much effort into it.  I would serve this to anyone . . .

* Jalapeno Pepper Jam Baked Brie*

Serves 4

Printable Recipe  

This is the easiest and tastiest appetizer.  Everyone loves it.  

1 8-oz wheel of Brie Cheese

1/2 package of all butter, ready roll puff pastry

4 TBS Jalapeno Pepper Jam

1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 tsp water  

To serve (optional)

Sliced French Baguette

crisp crackers

rocket leaves
sliced apples  

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.  Line a baking sheet with baking paper.  Set aside. 

You will want your cheese to be really cold.  Using a sharp knife, cut the cheese in half horizontally through the middle.  Place the sheet of puff pastry onto the lined baking sheet.  Place the bottom half of the brie in the middle.  Spread the Pepper Jam over top almost to the edges.  Top with the other half of the Brie, cut side down.   Cut the corners off the pastry, so you have a rough circle shape.   Brush the edges of the circle with some beaten egg.   Bring the pastry up to cover the round of Brie, folding and pinching to seal.  Using the scraps cut out decorative shapes to decorate.  Brush the outside of the pastry with some egg and then place the cutouts on top of where you have sealed the Brie shut in a decorative manner.  Brush them with egg too.   

Bang the Brie into the preheated oven.  Bake for 15 minutes or so until the pastry is crisp and golden brown.  Place on a serving board and arrange with crackers, sliced baguette, some rocket and sliced apple.




You can purchase the Godminster Heart to Heart set    of cheeses on the Godminster site for £17.45
Do visit their page for information of stockists near you, and other information about their products.

Although I was given this cheese to try out, all opinions are expressly my own.  It was to be perfectly honest . . . quite simply lovely.  Many thanks to Godminster for sending it to us.  I would buy this cheese quite happily for any special occasion.

Pork Chops with Apples Sage and Stilton

 

I have to say that one of the Toddster's favourite meals has to be a good old pork chop.   Nice and thick, with a good round of fat along one edge.  I like to slash the fat at 1/2 inch intervals.   This helps the chops to lay nice and flat in the skillet when I cook them, and it gets all crispy and brown too.  I confess that I am not adverse to treating myself to a small bit of that succulent crispness  . . . I know, naughty girl.



I think the most delicious and succulent pork chops are the old fashioned bone in rib cut. You get the tender loin meat along with some tasty rib bits that are just yum yum yum!

I happened to be in the grocery store the other day picking up a rib roast for work, when I noticed the meatman cutting up a rack of pork into chops and they were just so darned good looking I had to pick up a couple for Todd and myself.

You know how it goes . . .



Anyways, these were absolutely wonderful. I cooked them up yesterday, all panfried and nicely browned, with crispy bits of fat clinging to the edges, and then finally roasted with some lightly sauteed apples laid out on top and crumbly bits of stilton.

Fabulous, darlings . . . just fabulous. A real marriage made in heaven . . .




*Perfect Pork Chops with Apples, Sage and Stilton*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

This is simple but impressive and gives you perfectly cooked pork chops every time. I like to use a good porkchop, like a rack pork chop. Delicious!

4 8-ounce pork chops, preferably free range
sea salt (I like to use smoked)
freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
2 Granny Smith apples, unpeeled, cored and sliced into thick wedges
1 TBS butter
fresh sage leaves
3 1/2 ounces of good Stilton cheese, crumbled



Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F. Slash the pork fat along the edge of the chops all the way to the meat. Fan open. Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add some olive oil and allow it to heat while you season your chops well on both sides. Cook the chops in the hot oil until they are golden brown on both sides and the fat is crispy, some 3 to 4 minutes. I always hold them up with a pair of tongs fat side down to make sure the fat gets really crispy. Remove them to a shallow metal baking dish. Add the butter to the pan and then add the apples. Fry gently until golden, but still fairly solid. Fan these out on top of each pork chop. Scatter some sage leaves over top. Place into the oven and roast for 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from the oven, scatter the stilton over top. Pop back into the oven long enough to melt the cheese.



I like to fry some tender sage heads in the pan drippings until crispy and garnish the finished dish with them.

Spicy Sausage Pasta

  

   

I don't know about you, but I am about done with all that holiday food of the past few weeks.  Today I was craving something simple.   I also wanted to use up a bit of stuff that I had leftover from the hols . . . but I didn't want it to be holiday food, if you know what I mean.  

  

I had some chorizo that was left from all the finger food snacking/tapas occasions . . . and some cheddar cheese that needed using up and so I decided to torture the Toddster with some pasta . . . because as all my readers have surmised.  He only thinks he doesn't like pasta.  He usually eats it up whenever it is served and seems to enjoy it.  Methinks he doth protest too much.  'Nuff said.    

  

Anyways.   I browned the chorizo in a large skillet and added onions and garlic, until everything was nicely softened and fragrant.   I then added some stock, tomatoes and pasta.  I am rather lazy (as you also know) and so I just added the pasta raw.  It cooked in the tomatoes and stalk, absorbing some of it and thickening it all up a bit.    

   

I then added some richness using double cream and a bit of cheese, stirred into the mixture, just to melt it.  I tasted the sauce and I could have eaten it right then and there!  But I wanted to make it extra irristable and so I topped it with some sliced spring onions, which also needed using and which added a bit of colour and crunch . . . and more cheese.  

I then popped it under the grill until that cheese on top started to bubble, melt and brown and then I scattered on some parsley for colour and served it up nice and hot with some crusty bread and a salad on the side.    

 

Oh boy, was this ever good . . . and definitely not holiday food.   This be comfort food.  January comfort food.   Dig in!  

*Spicy Sausage Pasta*
Serves 4 to 6, depending on appetites

(Printable Recipe)  

I had some chorizo that was getting close to it's end and so I put it together with some pasta and a few store cupboard ingredients to make a simple, tasty and economical dish.  If you don't have any chorizo, you could use any highly spiced or smoked sausage.  

1 TBS extra virgin rapeseed oil

8 ounces of dried chorizo sausage, sliced

(Or smoked sausage, or even hotdogs)

1 medium onion, peeled and chopped

1 clove of garlic, peeled and minced

1/2 to 1 tsp easy chilies (depending on
how hot and spicy you want it to be)

450ml of hot vegetable stock (2 cups)

400g tin of chopped tomatoes in tomato juice, undrained (10 oz tin)

125ml of double cream (1/2 cup)

1/2 pound of curly pasta (I used Fiorelli), uncooked

salt and black pepper to taste

120g of strong cheddar cheese, grated and divided (1 cup)

4 spring onions, thinly sliced 

chopped flat leaf parsley  

  

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the sausage slices and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown and turn golden.   Tip in the onions and allow them to soften without browning, again stirring from time to time.   Add the garlic and cook, stirring until quite fragrant.  Stir in the easy chilies, stock, tomatoes and pasta.   Bring to the boil, then reduce to a slow simmer, cover and allow to cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until the pasta is tender.  (Start checking at 15)  At the end of that time, stir in half of the cheese, allowing it to melt.  Stir in the cream.


Preheat the grill to high.  Scatter the remainder of the cheese and the spring onions on top.   Place under the grill until the cheese is melted and bubbling and golden in places.  Remove from the heat, scatter with the chopped parsley and serve immediately.   Delicious!

An Incredibly Tasty Toastie!

I have always been a fan of Leerdammer cheese.   Sweet and nutty it's long been a choice of  mine for in salads and sandwiches . . . and yes, I confess, I have even been known to just snack on it neat . . . without anything else.  It just has a nice mellow flavour which I enjoy.  That's why when I was recently asked would I like to participate in the Leerdammer Toastie Challenge, I jumped at the chance!

 

I was sent several packs of the new Leerdammer Toastie cheese and challenged to come up with a new toastie sandwich.   This new Toastie cheese is creamier than the original and comes in a new square shape, the perfect size for fitting into a toastie.  The original sweet and nutty flavours remain!



First I played with it a bit, creating a panini pressed sandwich, which had several slices of the leerdammer toastie slices, along with some sliced Italian ham, some grainy mustard and a pickled red onion relish, and whilst it was good . . . I felt it was lacking in some way.  It wasn't quite pushing all of my taste buttons and so I went back to the drawing board.



I decided to stick with the panini bun because I like their texture . . . crisp and yet chewy.   I love a toasted panini, don't you?



Something smokey goes really well with the sweet and nutty flavour of Leerdammer cheese, but the ham wasn't quite doing it so I scrapped that as well and decided to go with something a bit smokier and a tad sweet . . . rich dry cured smoked streaky bacon.   Cooked until crisp . . . 4 rashers because I am greedy that way.



I liked the idea of the pickled onions, but they were too sharp I thought and so I decided to replace them with a really good red onion marmalade.  I had a jar of this particular brand in my larder just waiting to be opened and this is what I chose, but you could use another brand if you wanted to, or even make your own from scratch.   There is a lovely recipe on the BBC Good Food page.



The red onion marmalade added just the right touch.  It is sweet, but not cloyingly so . . . there is just a small hint of sour and a smack of spiciness that goes so well with the bacon and that creamy sweet nutty cheese . . .



So . . . with each bite you get the crisp chewy panini bread . . . buttery (or if you really feel hedonistic, you can pan grill it in the bacon fat from cooking the bacon.  mmmm . . . I was and I did.), the sharp sweetness from that lovely red onion marmalade, the crisp smoky saltiness of that lovely bacon  . . .  all intermingled with that oozingly rich sweet and nutty Leerdammer!



In short, this was a toastie that rang all my bells and tooted all my whistles!  This was a winner/winner toastie dinner!  I just adored it, and I think you will too!  To me, this is the perfect Toastie!  Oh so incredibly scrumdiddlyumptiously good.  The perfectly tasty toastie!

*Bacon, Onion Marmalade & Leerdammer Toastie*

Makes 1

Printable Recipe  

I have given the quantities for one sandwich, but these can very easily be multiplied. 

1 panini ciabatta bun sliced in half horizontally

4 rashers of dry cure smoked streaky bacon

1 heaped dessertspoon of good quality onion marmalade

2 slices of Leerdammer Toastie Cheese

softened butter  

First cook the bacon.  Place it into a cold nonstick skillet and cook according to your preference.  I like mine just a tad crispy, but still a bit flimsy.  Others may want their totally crisped.   Once cooked, drain well on paper towels.  Spread the bottom slice of the panini bun with the onion marmalade.  Top with one slice of Leerdammer, cut into halves diagonally and placed slightly overlapping over the onion marmalade.  Top with the cooked bacon and then top the bacon with another slice of the Leerdammer, again cut into halve diagonally and placed slightly overlapping.  Place the top half of the panini bun over all.   Lightly butter both sides of the panini.  Heat a clean skillet (or a panini press) to medium high.  Add the panini, top side down first.   Grill for  several minutes until just toasted.  Flip the panini over so that the top is upright and continue to toast in the pan until the bottom is golden brown and the cheese has melted and is all gooey.   Remove from the pan and cut into half diagonally to enjoy.   Delicious!



Don't be surprised if you are addicted at first bite!  Many thanks to the Leerdammer people for sending me this wonderful toastie cheese and inspiring me to stretch my creative toastie wings!

Leerdammer Toastie is the latest addition to the Leerdammer range, which also included the original and light slices, as well as the original block.  Leerdammer Toastie is now available nationwide in Tesco, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Waitrose and Asda, prices at a RRP of £1.75 for a pack of six slices.

The Holiday Cheese Board

Sometimes the nicest things drop through my mailbox, and certain times of the year it gets more exciting than ever.  I was especially excited the other day when I opened a box to find this tasty treat inside!

 

It was a personalized stocking, just for me and filled with lots of little packages . . . but what could they be.  Why cheese of course and a very timely arrival as well!  As we all know there is nothing tastier or more welcome during the holidays than a deliciously appointed cheeseboard to share with your guests!

I am no stranger to the wonderful cheeses which are produced by Castello Cheese.  I often buy their Danish Blue, which is one of my favourites when it comes to blue cheeses.  Here is what I found inside all of those lovely little festive packages . . .



Not one, but two packages of their lovely Danish Blue . .  the Traditional and the Extra Creamy.  A creamy blue cheese, bursting with flavour and thick with blue veins.  This has always been my choice when making my homemade Blue Cheese Salad Dressings . . . and an absolute favourite with my Baby Gems Salad.





*Little Gems With a Blue Cheese Dressing*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

This is one of my favourite salads. Simple ingredients, complex flavours. It all adds up to a truly delicious salad. Just perfect for these warmer days.

2 TBS cider vinegar
2 TBS heavy cream
3 1/2 ounces extra virgin olive oil
2 ounces blue cheese
2 fat little gem lettuces
2 spring onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1 TBS sugar
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Whisk the vinegar and cream together with a little seasoning. Whisk in the sugar until it dissolves. Gradually whisk in the olive oil. Fold in the cheese.

Wash the lettuces and dry them really well. Cut the lettuces into wedges lengthwise and fan them out on 4 chilled salad plates. Drizzle over the dressing, dividing it equally amongst the salads. Sprinkle evenly with the spring onions. Serve immediately.



*Blue Cheese Salad Dressing*
Makes 10 servings
Printable Recipe

One of my favourite salad dressings is Blue Cheese.  You can't get a decent one in the shops and so I prefer to make my own.  Marks and Spencer used to do a really good one, but you can't buy it anymore, well, at least not around here anyways!  Plan ahead as this tastes better upon sitting overnight.

1 cup good quality Mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
1/2 to 3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
2 TBS grated onion
4-5 drops of Tabasco sauce
1 TBS lemon juice
1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 tsp salt
a dash of cayenne pepper
1 clove of garlic, peeled and minced
2 tsp white sugar
6 ounces blue cheese, crumbled

Whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream and buttermilk, adding as much of the buttermilk as you need to give it a good consistency.  You want it to be pourable.  Whisk in the remaining ingredients.  Mix thoroughly.  Cover and chill for 24 hours before serving.  You may need to add a bit of regular milk if it is too thick.  Taste and adjust seasoning before serving.



Castello Creamy Blue . . . Sharp and salty this blue is perfect with salty nuts, crisp digetives and sweet fruits such as sweet cherries, figs,  juicy grapes . . .



Castello Creamy White . . . a cheese which has a wonderfully creamy texture and buttery taste, not unlike that of Brie, but unlike a traditional Brie, it has a consistently soft texture.  Oh so good . . .



Included as well a lovely little Castello Pineapple Halo.  Filled with alluring chunks of pineapple and chopped papaya and rolled in toasted almonds, this is lucious and almost incredibly impossible to resist, spread upon a crisp cracker, or onto sticks of crisp celery.  Delicious!

 

The Toddster insists that no good cheeseboard would be complete without a nice slab of cheddar, and I would have to agree.   Included in my lovely stocking was a nice package of the newest member of the Castello family . . . Tickler Cheddar!    This is an award winning extra mature cheddar with a sweet, strong and tangy taste which is bound to impress any cheese connoisseur.  With it's distinctive taste and slightly crumbly texture  this was the real prize in my stocking!  Produced at the Taw Valley creamery, Devon and matured for up to 18 months, this was fabulously tasty and the one I find myself slicing a little sliver off of each time I pass the refrigerator.   It's a good-un!



I prepared and served a lot of cheeseboards during my stint as a personal Chef down South.  Every dinner party ended with a delicious cheeseboard after their dessert.   Here is what I learned through my experiences and my top tips for you to have the best cheese board ever.

1.  Make sure your board includes a nice variety of cheeses.  A good cheddar is a must, as is something creamy for spreading . . . a nice blue, something fruity, something sharp, something smelly and covered in ash for interest.  Just don't over do it.   Three or four different cheeses is a perfect balance.

2.  Allow all of your cheeses to come to room temperature before serving.   This helps to bring out the very best of their flavours.

3.  A bit of fruit is always welcome . . .  quartered figs and sliced crisp apples and ripe pears,  sweet grapes in more than one colour.  (Be sure not to forget your grape scissors to your guests can clip off their own little clusters.)

4.  Something salty . . . smoked almonds, roasted cashews, toasted walnut halves . . . all great.

5.  Something different to jazz things up . . . crystalized ginger, some honey comb, pickled walnuts.

6.  A nice variety of crisp breads and crackers.  There are so many nice ones out there today to choose from.  Don't forget the Digestives either . . . these are usually the ones which disappear the fastest!  You can get then in finger shapes, which are a really good size and not as crumbly as the big round ones.

7.  Have fun!

Many thanks to Castello Cheese for sending me this lovely assortment of cheeses in it's fun stocking!  To find out more about them and see their whole range and to find out more about stockists, be sure to check out the Castello Home Page.   

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Gorgonzola, Leek and Toasted Walnut Parsnips

My friend Elly has the most beautiful recipe for Parsnips that I have been using for many years, Parsnips with Gorgonzola.   It always turns out delicious and it is something which I frequently  served with roast beef when I cooked at the manor.  They loved it.  It's a dish that always goes down really well.



It makes a fabulous side dish for dinner parties or the holidays.  I charged it up a little bit this time when I made it by adding some toasted walnuts and using leeks instead of spring onions.  It turned out  to be just gorgeous. 



 You get the  buttery almost sweet creaminess, with caramlized edges of the parsnips . . . then the sharp herbiness of the leeks, the toasty crunch from the walnuts, and then that rich creamy tang from the gorgonzola cheese.  All making happy noises and feelings in your mouth.  So much tastiness!



The only way they could even possibly be any tastier would be if you drizzled them with some honey perhaps . . . oh, boy.  I'm going to do that next time, I am, I am!  Enjoy!

*Gorgonzola, Leek and Toasted Walnut Parsnips*

Serves 4 to 6

Printable Recipe  

This is an adaptation to my good friend Elly's recipe for Parsnips.   These are delicious.

2 pounds of parsnips, peeled

3  TBS butter

1 leek, trimmed, cleaned and thinly sliced

(white and light green parts only)

a handful of broken walnut meats

freshly groudn black pepper

200g (7 ounces) crumbled gorgonzola cheese

Cook the parsnips, leaving them whole if possible, in lightly salted water until tender.  (I had to cut mine into equal sizes ad they were on the large side.  Just cut in half  width wise, then cut the larger bit into quarters and the bottom thinner bit in half.)  This should take 10 to 15 minutes depending on the size of your parsnips.  Drain well.  If you have left them whole, cut them in half lengthwise.

Melt 2 TBS of the butter in a large skillet.  Add the parsnips in one layer and lightly brown them on all sides.  Arrange them in a lightly buttered baking dish, fitting them in snugly.  Wipe the pan out and then melt the remaining butter and heat until it begins to foam.  Add the sliced leek and walnuts.  Cook, stirring frequently, until the leeks are soft and the walnuts lightly toasted.   Scatter this over top of the parsnips in the dish.   Crumble the gorgonzola over top.  (This much can be done ahead the day before if you wish)

When you are ready to cook them, preheat the oven to 220*C/450*F/ gas mark 8.  Pop the dish of parsnips in and bake until the cheese is very lightly browned, 10 to 13 minutes.


 

This recipe gave me the perfect opportunity to use some of that Divo Italiano Cubed Gorgonzola P.D.O.  Piccante that I was sent.    It has such a nice bite and beautiful creaminess.  It was a Gold award winner at the Nantwich International Cheese Awards 2013, a P.D.O. Italian blue cheese without any rind which means nothing goes to waste. Packaged in a convenient pre-cubed format, it is the first to market in this format for Gorgonzola cheese. It is matured for up to 90 days in natural caves in Northern Italy to give it a sharp, spicy (‘piccante’ in Italian) flavour and creamy texture. It makes a delicious match with ripe pears and walnuts tossed into rocket leaves, melted on pizza, or used to make an indulgent cooking sauce.  You can buy it at Morrisons and via Ocado.