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The Cheese thread.......
- Thread starter rhett7660
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I love that dish, because it is tasty, soothing, easy and fast. And it helps that it is vegetarian - if one wants to have a few meat free nights per week, that is a dish I serve.
Even when making a tomato based pasta sauce, roasting the tomatoes first - as I tend to do - will add at least half an hour to the time needed to prepare a dish.
So, while there are home-cooked many dishes you can have on the table in 45 minutes to an hour, very few can be prepared in around 30; but the blue cheese sauce pasta dish can.
[doublepost=1478793667][/doublepost]
I think that this is part of the point of the thread.....
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Keep the pasta recipes coming -- I adore any form of pasta and love trying different variations of sauces.....
Again, a tweaking of a Nigel recipe:
Nigel (the revered) has a wonderful Potato Gratin recipe - Dauphinoise Potatoes.
(He cooks them from scratch, adds them to a roasting tin, or dish, peeled and sliced with plenty of finely diced garlic - rub the dish with the garlic first - and cream).
Now, from experience, cooking this from scratch in the oven, I have found that this takes hours, - and hours - because the oven is set to a low heat - the longer and lower/slower you can allow the heat, the better it tastes - so I parboil them (the potatoes) first (peeled, of course).
You can reserve their cooking water for stock.
So, the standard recipe - as I have tweaked it - is parboiled (peeled) potatoes, along with plenty of diced garlic, in a roasting tin/dish, put into a preheated oven at around 150 (C). (If you have the time, 130 C for up to 40 minutes longer is even nicer, or lower and longer again if time permits).
Add double cream, - and pour in enough cream so that the peaks of the potatoes are peeking out above the cream.
Nigel is unusually sparing with the garlic (the recipe comes from one of his earlier books). I am not. I have been known to use a whole head of garlic, or half a head of garlic, when preparing this dish, or its many variants.
You can sometimes dilute the cream with milk if you prefer the sauce to be less rich. Personally, I like it rich - and cook for up to an hour, checking on it every twenty minutes or so. The potatoes drink the cream, and the top of the dish goes a lovely dappled, speckled brown.
This gratin dish goes with everything, by the way - steak, lamb cutlets, chicken, - whatever takes your fancy. You don't even need meat. Or fish.
Actually, this was another favourite.
Precisely because I made it so often, I tweaked it a bit. One form took dropping bits of blue cheese into the cream mix, to give a potato and blue cheese infused gratin. Parmesan has also been used for that, as has Comte.
A further tweak is to parboil a selection of root vegetables - @mobilehaathi might like this interpretation - say, potato, sweet potato, carrot, parsnip, and then, rinse, repeat: In other words, tip into a roasting tin, with plenty of garlic, add the cream, and put into the oven.
Or, tip into a roasting tin, add your cream, grate your cheese, and add to the oven for the same length of time as the earlier recipe (45 minutes to an hour - anything under 35 will rarely be enough. Though, as mentioned above, if you lower the heat, you will need to take far longer - and yes, it is even nicer - but the aroma, the scent of this wafts through a kitchen on a winter's day, and it warms the kitchen beautifully, too).
This is a superb winter dish - especially my own take, the root vegetable gratin version: That needs nothing else other than a green salad, or the wilted spinach/chard of the blue cheese and pasta recipe.
Nigel (the revered) has a wonderful Potato Gratin recipe - Dauphinoise Potatoes.
(He cooks them from scratch, adds them to a roasting tin, or dish, peeled and sliced with plenty of finely diced garlic - rub the dish with the garlic first - and cream).
Now, from experience, cooking this from scratch in the oven, I have found that this takes hours, - and hours - because the oven is set to a low heat - the longer and lower/slower you can allow the heat, the better it tastes - so I parboil them (the potatoes) first (peeled, of course).
You can reserve their cooking water for stock.
So, the standard recipe - as I have tweaked it - is parboiled (peeled) potatoes, along with plenty of diced garlic, in a roasting tin/dish, put into a preheated oven at around 150 (C). (If you have the time, 130 C for up to 40 minutes longer is even nicer, or lower and longer again if time permits).
Add double cream, - and pour in enough cream so that the peaks of the potatoes are peeking out above the cream.
Nigel is unusually sparing with the garlic (the recipe comes from one of his earlier books). I am not. I have been known to use a whole head of garlic, or half a head of garlic, when preparing this dish, or its many variants.
You can sometimes dilute the cream with milk if you prefer the sauce to be less rich. Personally, I like it rich - and cook for up to an hour, checking on it every twenty minutes or so. The potatoes drink the cream, and the top of the dish goes a lovely dappled, speckled brown.
This gratin dish goes with everything, by the way - steak, lamb cutlets, chicken, - whatever takes your fancy. You don't even need meat. Or fish.
Actually, this was another favourite.
Precisely because I made it so often, I tweaked it a bit. One form took dropping bits of blue cheese into the cream mix, to give a potato and blue cheese infused gratin. Parmesan has also been used for that, as has Comte.
A further tweak is to parboil a selection of root vegetables - @mobilehaathi might like this interpretation - say, potato, sweet potato, carrot, parsnip, and then, rinse, repeat: In other words, tip into a roasting tin, with plenty of garlic, add the cream, and put into the oven.
Or, tip into a roasting tin, add your cream, grate your cheese, and add to the oven for the same length of time as the earlier recipe (45 minutes to an hour - anything under 35 will rarely be enough. Though, as mentioned above, if you lower the heat, you will need to take far longer - and yes, it is even nicer - but the aroma, the scent of this wafts through a kitchen on a winter's day, and it warms the kitchen beautifully, too).
This is a superb winter dish - especially my own take, the root vegetable gratin version: That needs nothing else other than a green salad, or the wilted spinach/chard of the blue cheese and pasta recipe.
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Brilliant. I love root vegetables! In a gratin? Bloody brilliant.
Again, if you have the time, you can take longer (long time, lower heat - as I wrote, amending the earlier post, and an even nicer dish at the end).
This is my own invention - both versions, of the root vegetable gratin.
Another vegetable that sometimes finds its way into the root vegetable gratin - but not the full mix - is celeriac.
Thus, I prepare a potato and celeriac version.
Occasionally, I have used celeriac with the others, but its essential flavour is a bit different to theirs, as theirs are sweeter (the potato, carrot, sweet potato and parsnip version - which is sweet - goes well with the cream, garlic mix and can take a salty hit from the cheese too.)
Adding celeriac to the mix - another invention - works well, but is better, I have found, if it used solely with potatoes. That is a more savoury flavour, and I like the hint of celery it bestows on the finished dish.
I have never added chilli to this; the purpose of this dish is have a soothing starchy dish on the table: - If I want the taste of spice & excitement, something else - say, for example, I can add spices to roasted tomatoes (which go very well with this in winter, especially with the chard also - a very tasty vegetarian combo) & that will do the trick.
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We haven't tried it yet, but are looking forward to it. The wife just picked up a "baked brea." Will let everyone know how it was once we bake it! Seems kinda weird, but can you really go wrong with baked cheese!
Where did you get it? Sounds like a great idea.
And then, we haven't even begun to touch upon that timeless culinary invention vouchsafed to us by John Montagu, the Fourth Earl of Sandwich, - after whom it was named:
Some sources suggest that he was an inveterate gambler, while others argue that this was merely the eighteenth century equivalent of grabbing something that could be consumed swiftly while confined to your elegant walnut wood desk, (given the plethora of Government appointments he held, not all of them with equal success - how contemporary this all seems and sounds...) but all are in agreement that he is said to have invented this.....convenience food.....something - such as roasted, or salted meat, or slabs of hard cheese - placed between two sliced of bread, toasted or otherwise, because he needed to be able to consume - fuel, or food, - in a bit of a hurry...
So, the sandwich, then. And how cheese serves to glorify it.
Some sources suggest that he was an inveterate gambler, while others argue that this was merely the eighteenth century equivalent of grabbing something that could be consumed swiftly while confined to your elegant walnut wood desk, (given the plethora of Government appointments he held, not all of them with equal success - how contemporary this all seems and sounds...) but all are in agreement that he is said to have invented this.....convenience food.....something - such as roasted, or salted meat, or slabs of hard cheese - placed between two sliced of bread, toasted or otherwise, because he needed to be able to consume - fuel, or food, - in a bit of a hurry...
So, the sandwich, then. And how cheese serves to glorify it.
We bought it at Sprouts. They had quite a few different flavors and/or toppings. We just bought the original. No filler and no toppings.
Pretty simple to make, actually. You can use puff pastry, phyllo or your own dough recipe. I simple use puff pastry because it doesn't get soggy fast from the steam after taking it out and setting it somewhere. Also if you use any toppings within.
Off the top of my head, orange marmalade and apricot preserves work well with baked brie.
Off the top of my head, orange marmalade and apricot preserves work well with baked brie.
Actually, I think that apricot preserves would work well not only with Brie, but also with goat's cheeses, hard cheeses - such as Comte - and even some blue cheeses.
Has anyone ever tried, or come across, or sampled, the extraordinary Norwegian specialty cheese Gudbrandsdalen (sometimes known as brunost in Norway)?
I came across it in an excellent cheesemonger's in Bath a few years ago, and encountered it yesterday in the farmers' market. Perfect for breakfast, as is the goat's Maasdammer I bought.
I came across it in an excellent cheesemonger's in Bath a few years ago, and encountered it yesterday in the farmers' market. Perfect for breakfast, as is the goat's Maasdammer I bought.
Ok I have two recipes for my fellow cheese lovers.
Just to repeat for those who don't know me, I am Canadian of Greek origins currently living and working in Geneva Switzerland. So 3 different cheese cultural traditions to draw on. Well Canada like the US is a mix-but won't be featured today.
I'll start with the Greek side. There are actually many different types of cheese in Greece - more than feta. Though today's recipe features feta - nope not Greek salad or tyropita (filo pastry pie).
A pie from Epirus - Northern Greece around Ioaninna where my mother's family orginates. They called it "kashopta* but I found it listed as "pepeki" so here it is:
http://www.reveal-greece.com/pepeki-traditional-pie-from-epirus/
Great with a green salad and a nice white wine. Or on a table with mezzes.
[doublepost=1479060915][/doublepost]Now from my region of French-speaking Switzerland or more accurately the Savoy region of France (Haute Savoie) which borders Geneva. There is a heavenly soft cheese called reblochon that is possibly my favourite French cheese - even over camembert or roquefort. Soft, fragrant and full of flavour.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reblochon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reblochon
http://www.reblochon.fr/
So it marries very well melted served with potatoes. Here is the recipe for a specialty called tartiflette.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/tartiflette_59096
Personally I omit the cream and often the bacon - it's a bit heavy for my taste - and add root vegetables with the potatoes and maybe some broccoli or cabbage. Your tastes may be different.
Just to repeat for those who don't know me, I am Canadian of Greek origins currently living and working in Geneva Switzerland. So 3 different cheese cultural traditions to draw on. Well Canada like the US is a mix-but won't be featured today.
I'll start with the Greek side. There are actually many different types of cheese in Greece - more than feta. Though today's recipe features feta - nope not Greek salad or tyropita (filo pastry pie).
A pie from Epirus - Northern Greece around Ioaninna where my mother's family orginates. They called it "kashopta* but I found it listed as "pepeki" so here it is:
http://www.reveal-greece.com/pepeki-traditional-pie-from-epirus/
Great with a green salad and a nice white wine. Or on a table with mezzes.
[doublepost=1479060915][/doublepost]Now from my region of French-speaking Switzerland or more accurately the Savoy region of France (Haute Savoie) which borders Geneva. There is a heavenly soft cheese called reblochon that is possibly my favourite French cheese - even over camembert or roquefort. Soft, fragrant and full of flavour.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reblochon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reblochon
http://www.reblochon.fr/
So it marries very well melted served with potatoes. Here is the recipe for a specialty called tartiflette.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/tartiflette_59096
Personally I omit the cream and often the bacon - it's a bit heavy for my taste - and add root vegetables with the potatoes and maybe some broccoli or cabbage. Your tastes may be different.
Ah, yes, thanks for these recipes, & for taking the trouble to transcribe them & post them for us.
Ah: But, how could we have overlooked, and forgotten to so much as mention Reblochon? I love it, what a gorgeous cheese with an amazing taste and texture.
It appears that one of the Lancashire bombs fell out of the refrigerator's back, bounced and landed on a cutting board where a knife appeared at of nowhere and cut the poor thing in half. And then, another magical force caused the cheese from within to be scooped out.
Strange, - aren't they? - these happenings for which there appears to have been no logical, rational, or scientific explanation.
Very strange. Especially as it was I who discovered it had been cut by some force. I did try it later on and found it be very delectable. I'll be buying more.
Perhaps your discovery of such unexplained happenings will serve to spur your scientific curiosity.
The employment of empirical research methods suggest replicating - in so far as that is possible - the conditions under which the original experiment (or happening, or accident) occurred, and testing, which, if any, conditions might encourage a repeat of such results.
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My recipe for a Carbonara is not for the faint of heart. It consists of equal parts of (free range and organic) bacon, full (organic) cream, the best Parmesan cheese you can lay your hands upon and lashings of freshly cracked black pepper.
Fry the bacon first, then add the cream, simmer till thickened adequately then introduce the cheese (freshly grated of course) slowly and finally add in lashings of freshly ground black pepper (to taste). Coat your pasta in the sauce and serve.
Simple, but yummy. I do not abide by the addition of either garlic or onions with my Carbonara, but each to their own.
I don't have a strict recipe, but I add a little lemon zest to the cream as I heat it up. It gives a very light citrus flavor that seems to cut the heaviness of the sauce and bacon. I've got some fatty cuts of lamb that will probably be turned into lamb bolognese the week after this one, after Thanksgiving. Probably pick up some good sausages from my specialist or grind some good beef which seems to be the healthier option.
Of noodles, I like spaetzle a tad more than other noodles. A perfect noodle should be cooked to al dente and the remainder cook with its own heat. It should take up the flavor of the sauce you use and it should deliver a warm enveloping feel in the mouth. It should stir the emotion of being wrapped up in a wonderful tufted comforter.
At least that's what I'd been told in the past. I've always been tempted to make one of those 3-10 day sauces. I've never had it before but I've been told it's heavenly.
Of noodles, I like spaetzle a tad more than other noodles. A perfect noodle should be cooked to al dente and the remainder cook with its own heat. It should take up the flavor of the sauce you use and it should deliver a warm enveloping feel in the mouth. It should stir the emotion of being wrapped up in a wonderful tufted comforter.
At least that's what I'd been told in the past. I've always been tempted to make one of those 3-10 day sauces. I've never had it before but I've been told it's heavenly.
Thanks lot for sharing this - that sounds great - I love lots of Parmesan - and cream. And not too challenging (as in you can let your mind wander a bit, while preparing that dish).
Most of the carbonara recipes I have read have fallen into one of two camps: One stresses no cream, only eggs, (and sounds as though you may need to keep very very focussed for the bit where eggs are added - this is something where you appear to have a tiny window of opportunity), the other uses cream. In abundance. And stresses its ease.
Now, I am partial to both eggs and cream, and am seeking a recipe for carbonara which uses both.
What a wonderfully engaging post; an , yes, agreed. There is something wonderfully soothing about a really well made pasta dish.
One of my favorite pasta dishes is angel hair pasta with a simple sauce of San Marzano tomatoes (D.O.P.) with just garlic and basil added (Capellini Pomodoro)..... Quick, easy and unfussy, yet delicious!