Skip to main content

It's not Christmas without the Cheese!

Far be it from me to poke fun at folks who don't have the same love for cheese as I do.  I get it; you're lactose intolerant... there's a pill for that, so really, there's no excuse NOT to love cheese.



I'd like do a Cheese Tour of France for my 50th birthday... who's in?  It wouldn't just be a "tour" it would be a Cheese fact finding mission that would eventually end up in my next cook book "Fromage and a Suitcase" (working title...).  



With the Holidays upon us there is no lack of Christmas parties, Open houses, Office parties or just wine and cheese get togethers in celebration of the "Tree".  The unwashed masses simply buy cheese platter from their local Pavilions or Trader Joes, which is completely fine if you just want to blend in with the rest of the sheep.  I, on the other hand, set out on a quest to offer up some delightful alternatives to the aforementioned cheese platter.

 

Try serving pita chips with a little dabble of goat cheese and drizzle of really good balsamic vinegar; or how about mini French Onion Soups? Deeeeeeeeeeeeeelish...


A real crowd pleaser (aside from the Holiday Cheese Ball shaped like a reindeer... Becca will be working on that for next year...) is fried cheese.  Everybody LOVES fried cheese!  Here is the soon to be famous Fried Goat Cheese and Honey recipe:


                                         INGREDIENTS

  1. One 10-ounce log of fresh goat cheese
  2. 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  3. 1 cup club soda
  4. 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  5. 1/4 cup cornstarch
  6. Salt
  7. 3 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs), lightly crushed
  8. Canola oil, for frying
  9. Honey, chopped roasted pistachios and freshly ground pepper, for serving


  1. Cut the goat cheese log into 16 pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Refrigerate the balls on a wax paper–lined baking sheet until firm, about 10 minutes.
  2. In a bowl, whisk the egg and club soda. Gradually whisk in the flour and cornstarch and season with salt. Spread the panko in a shallow bowl. Dip the goat cheese balls in the egg batter, then dredge in the panko. Coat the balls again in egg batter and panko. Return them to the baking sheet and freeze just until firm, about 15 minutes.
  3. In a large saucepan, heat 2 inches of canola oil to 375°. Working in batches, fry the cheese balls over high heat, turning occasionally, until golden and crisp, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the balls to a paper towel–lined plate and season with salt. Transfer the cheese balls to a platter, drizzle with honey and sprinkle with pistachios and pepper. Serve hot.



I hope you all enjoy whatever holiday you celebrate this time of year...and enjoy it with some CHEESE!  I look forward to our traditional New Years Eve celebration just with Matt and his cavalcade of food and obscure films.  But for now, I will be happy with reclaiming our home after Christmas night; enjoying our Zoo, our home and some amazing food.  




The quiet evenings to come, with not a creature stirring, not even a mouse.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Summer comes 'round again.

As the evenings get warmer and the crickets song helps even the busiest of brains lull off to dreamland, I realize that it's summer, again. We barely had a winter here on the mountain and spring was about two full weeks, maybe.  Gardens are taking hold and my zuch plants are soon to overtake everything else in a matter of days. Summer to me means grilling pretty much everything, every day to keep the heat out of the kitchen. Working in the shop kitchen for hours on end this time of year is not just exhausting but dehydrating! What are some of your favorite things to grill?  Do you prefer marinates or dry rubs?  Do you wrap your baked potatoes in foil on the grill or just plop them directly on the grill (well olive oiled of course)? Then there are the summer desserts... fresh berries, stone fruit, homemade ice cream.  One of my go to sweet treats is this peach and citrus sour cream cake.  (recipe at the end of this entry). Of course the star of easy summertime fo...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Winter Blues

There's that weird period of time between January 1st and Valentine's Day I will classify as "The Winter Blues".  You're still recovering from the holiday rush and have that "I've forgotten something" feeling in the back of your mind, daily, since you aren't going somewhere for a party, preparing for a party or cleaning up after a party. The reality is, you have no deadlines and no one is dropping by at 7AM to pick up that Chocolate Peppermint Torte for their New Year's Eve celebration.  It's quiet.   Rainy (and or snow depending on where you live). The vibrant colors of the holidays, the reds, the golds, the greens have all faded to a light greyish-blue. How do I beat the Winter Blues you might be asking yourself?  I cook things that make ME happy (potato tacos).  This is the time of year I do most of my recipe testing for upcoming cooking demonstrations or private classes I teach.  Most will show up in the next co...
Post a Comment
Read more

Summer 2017... It's A Wrap!

Although it's topping 114ºF here in Shadow Hills, CA over this long, last-kick-at-Summer holiday weekend, I can't help wishing for that first sign of Fall.  Snuggly sweaters, big fuzzy socks, heavily spiked Hot Cocoa... mmmm, I can just taste it! When we were kids, the end of Summer was always marked by the Jerry Lewis Telethon (was it possible to stay up all night?), shopping for the last bits of things needed to start the new school year and one final Cook Out before Dad would cover up the grill and wheel it back into the garage until next Summer. There were always people visiting at one time or another over Labor Day weekend.  Friends coming back from Holiday up in Cottage Country would stop in, knowing full well the grill would be fired up, ice cold beer in the cooler and that final cannon ball into the pool before they head back to their respective homes in the City.    Man, I think back and smile. Remembering. SNAP OUT OF IT J...
Post a Comment
Read more