Author Archives: Caitlin

Roasted Red Pepper, Baby Spinach & Goat Cheese Sandwiches

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•   2 cups baby spinach leaves (2 oz.)
•   3 tbsp. raspberry vinaigrette
•   4 slices dark wheat or whole grain bread
•   2 drained roasted red peppers, cut into strips (2 oz.)
•   1 oz. goat cheese
•   2 tbsp. thinly sliced green onions

Directions
1. TOSS together spinach and vinaigrette. Arrange spinach mixture on 2 slices bread.
2. TOP with red peppers, cheese, green onions and remaining bread.

Serves 2

Chocolate-Hazelnut and Goat Cheese Melt

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Makes four sandwiches

8 tablespoons (about 1/2 cup) Nutella (or other hazelnut-chocolate spread)
4 ounces Appleton Creamery Classic Plain goat cheese, at room temperature
8 slices country white bread (1/4 inch thick)
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

In a small bowl, stir the Nutella and cheese together.

To assemble: Butter one side each slice of bread. Place four slices on your work surface, buttered side down. Spread the cheese mixture evenly over the four slices so that it is about 1/4 inch thick (if it’s any thicker, the sandwich will be too gooey). Place the remaining four bread slices on top, buttered side up. Cut off the crusts (this helps pinch the bread together to create a tight seal).

Stovetop method: Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat for two minutes. Put the sandwiches in the skillet (in batches if necessary), cover and cook for two minutes or until the undersides are golden brown and the cheese has begun to soften. Uncover and turn the sandwiches with a spatula. Cook for one minute or until the undersides are golden brown. Turn the sandwiches again and cook for 30 seconds, or until the cheese is soft and creamy. Serve immediately.

adapted from
GREAT GRILLED CHEESE: 50 INNOVATIVE RECIPES FOR STOVETOP, GRILL, AND SANDWICH MAKER, by Laura Werlin, Stewart, Tabori & Chang, New York, 2004

Ricotta Jam Tart with Almond Crust

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CRUST

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup toasted almonds
3 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
cold water

Grease a 9 inch tart pan with a removable bottom. In the bowl of the food processor, mix together the flour, almonds and sugar. Pulse until fine. Add the butter, pulsing briefly until it is worked into the flour and is the size of small peas. Add the egg, extract and a tablespoon of cold water, pulsing only long enough to make clumps and the dough sticks together. Add more cold water if necessary. Gather the dough into a ball.
Fit the dough into the tart pan, pressing into place. Chill for at least 1 and up to 12 hours.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Prick the inside of the crust with the tines of a fork. Bake for 15 minutes, check for bubbling and prick again with the tines of a fork if necessary. Bake for another 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on a rack.

FILLING

1/2 cup Appleton Creamery sheep’s milk ricotta
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons sugar or more or less to taste
1/3 cup whipping cream or 1/2 cup Marscapone)
1 1/2 cups softened jam (soft plum, Damson plum, fruit of your choice)
mint leaves for garnish
Whip the cream until it forms soft peaks. Puree the ricotta in the bowl of the food processor with the vanilla and sugar. Fold in the whipped cream( or marscapone). If desired, sweeten more to taste.
Spoon the filling into the tart shell. Spread the jam over the top and garnish with fresh mint leaves. Serve at room temperature

CHERYL’S NOTES: This recipe is has its source in Lynne Rossetto Kasper’s book, “The Italian Country Table.” For several years I have been making her Soft Plum Jam from my green gage plum harvest, and drooling over this tart recipe. Kasper notes, the key to this tart is the ricotta, and she says to be sure to get an artisan, not a factory, product or you will be sorely disappointed! I am so excited that Appleton Creamery is making ricotta, now I can prepare this delicious tart!!
The tart is best eaten right after it is filled. The baked shell can be stored wrapped in plastic in the refrigerator for several days

Goat Cheese Mousse with Mint Pesto

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Serves 4

For Mint Pesto
2 C loosley packed mint leaves
3 oz. freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/4 C pine nuts (seasoned and toasted)
1/2 C olive oil

For Goat Cheese Mousse
8 oz. Appleton Creamery plain goat cheese
3/4 C lightly whipped heavy cream

Mint leaf for ganish
Crudites and slices of fresh baked bread as an accompaniment

Make the pesto: Combine the mint, parmesan and pine nuts in the food processor and process until finely chopped. With motor running, add olive oil, blending until smooth.

Make the goat cheese mousse: Process the goat cheese in the cleaned processor until smooth. Add the whipped cream and blend just until incorporated.

Spoon the pesto in the center of a platter. Place the mousse directly on top of the pesto so that you just see the green pesto oil around the perimeter of the mousse. Serve with the crudities and bread slices.

 

Potato Leek and Dill Chevre Soup

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3 medium leeks, rinsed and minced
1 medium sweet onion, minced
2 T sweet unsalted butter
6 white potatoes, peeled and sliced thin
3 C whole milk
1 C vegetable stock
10 oz. Appleton Creamery Dill Chevre
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
salt and pepper

In a large saucepan, saute leeks and onions, over high heat, until the onions start to look clear — about 3 minutes. Add the potatoes, milk and stock. Simmer, covered for about 15 minutes, until the potatoes break apart. Puree mixture in a food processor or blender, return to pot and over very low heat, add chevre, nutmeg and salt and pepper. When the chevre has melted, pour soup in a decorative toureen and serve. Freshly snipped chives make a lovely garnish.

©2000 mo’s passion

Fresh Chevre & Wild Mushroom Ravioli

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6 9 x 12 sheets of fresh ravioli
8 oz. Appleton Creamery Classic Plain chevre
1 oz. Dried wild mushrooms
1 C boiling water
2T fresh thyme
1tsp salt
fresh black pepper to taste

Pour boiling water over mushrooms and let soak until mushrooms are soft. Reserve water.

Chop mushrooms into tiny pieces, mix with chevre, thyme, salt and pepper until fully combined. With a teaspoon, roll 36 balls of cheese and refrigerate for one hour.

On a sheet of pasta, place 12 balls of cheese mix, equally spaced out 3 x 4. Lightly dampen the pasta with the mushroom water, around the cheese balls. Place another sheet of pasta over the cheese and press around balls until the cheese is sealed in between the pasta sheets. (You may need to roll out the top layer of pasta a little to fit over the cheese filled one.) Cut sheets into 12 ravioli and set on a cookie sheet sprinkled with corn meal (this will keep the ravioli from sticking to each other)Repeat with the rest of the pasta sheets and refrigerate again for at least one hour.

Boil a large pot of salted water and put pasta in for 6-7 minutes or until the ravioli float to the top. Serve with a light Parmesan cream sauce or fresh marinara.

Green Lasagne

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Perfect for St. Patrick’s Day!

Serves 6.

3 T salt
3/4 lb. fresh spinach pasta, uncut, 3 sheets
2 10-oz.pkgs. frozen chopped spinach
1 Cup ricotta
1/2 Cup parmesan
black pepper
1/2 Cup basil pureé (made by pureeing 8 C basil and 1/4 C olive oil)
11 oz. chevre (soft mild goat cheese)
3 T heavy cream
1-1/2 Cups Bechemel sauce

Cook pasta–undercook–soak in cold water.
Cook spinach–drain well.
Mix ricotta and 2 T. parmesan, salt & pepper.
Mix basil, 3/4 chevre, and cream.
Drain spinach, squeeze out liquid, mix with ricotta.
Drain pasta.
Preheat oven to 375 degree F oven.
Layer: Bechemel, pasta, spinach/ricotta, pasta, Bechemel, basil/chevre, pasta, Bechemel, chevre (plain), parmesan.
Bake 10-15 minutes til bubbling and browned.

From the Silver Palate Cookbook.

Baked Goat Cheese with Spicy Tomato Sauce

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1/2 T olive oil
1-1/2 cups chopped onion
pinch sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small serrano chili pepper, seeded and minced
1 pound vine or plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped, or 1-1/2 cups canned tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
2 T dry white wine (optional)
1 T minced fresh parsley
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
8 ounces Appleton Creamery goat cheese

In large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and sugar; cook, stirring often, until onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, and serrano chili. Cook, stirring often, until mixture is medium brown in color, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, orange juice and wine. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add small amounts of water if mixture becomes too dry. For a chunkier sauce, cook less. Remove from heat, stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Form goat cheese into 8 medallions and put in small, shallow baking dish and surround with tomato sauce (do not cover the cheese with sauce).

Bake, uncovered, until sauce begins to bubble at edges and cheese is hot, about 20 minutes.

Serve warm with toasted baguette rounds. Makes 16 servings.