Homemade Goat Cheese

Not too long ago I would have wrinkled up my nose at the mention of goat cheese.  That response would have been triggered by the name included the animal, the association to milking a goat would gross me out.  But somewhere along the way of reaching my thirties I became a wee bit more open minded and gave goat cheese a try.  Now it is among my favorites.  I love it with crusty bread or good crackers to nibble on while we make dinner.

Making goat cheese has been on my list of things to try for a long time.  I have been on this kick of wanting to try my hand at making basic staples and goat cheese looked simple enough.  And it was simple.  Yet so satisfying to make. 

And good... so good that next time we will clearly need to separate his and her portions so that both get their share.  Dear husband was sneaky this time and finished it off while I was at a photography class.

This simple recipe lends itself well to being adapted per taste.  I really like goat cheese with herbs so decided to add fresh basil, parsley, and marjoram (all from our garden!) but it would be just as good without the herbs or some other combination. 

Homemade Goat Cheese

Source Kiss My Spatula

• 1 quart pasteurized goat’s milk (avoid ‘ultra’-pasteurized)
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 clove freshly grated garlic
• freshly chopped herbs (basil, marjoram, and parsley work well together)
• coarse salt, to taste

In a medium saucepan, slowly heat milk until it reaches 180 degrees on a candy thermometer.  Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.  Let stand until milk starts to curdle, about 15-20 seconds. If milk does not curdle, add a little more lemon juice (but note that adding too much here will add a distinct lemon flavor to the cheese).

Line a colander with several layers of cheesecloth and place over a large bowl.  Ladle milk into colander.  Pull up and tie the four corners of cheesecloth together and hang on the handle of a wooden spoon, set over a stockpot or very deep bowl.  Allow to drain until the consistency of slightly dry cottage cheese is reached, about 1-1.5 hours.  Transfer to a bowl and fold in salt, herbs and garlic.  Serve immediately atop warm crusty bread. 

Can be stored in an airtight container, refrigerated, up to 1 week.

Enjoy!

~ Tara

Comfort Foods: Mac & Cheese

It seems as though it might be a major offense to do a comfort food series without including Mac & Cheese.  It is nearly the definition of comfort food; relatively easy, simplistic in its ingredients, and warm both literally and figuratively with all its cheesy, gooey goodness. 

A “made from scratch” mac & cheese can be just what one needs on cold winter evening.  It can be adapted to suit your taste or the occasion.  Like a little bit?  Make it with a pepper jack combination.  Going for a more dinner party worthy dish?  Make with asagio & provolone and bake topped with breadcrumbs in individual serving sized dishes.  Looking for a more neutral flavor?  You can’t go wrong with traditional cheddar.

We have crafted this recipe from a few different sources, none of which I remember as this was long before I ever imagined sharing on the web.  And we do change up the type of cheese based on what we have on hand and what we are in the mood for – so feel free to substitute away there.

Stove-Top Macaroni & Cheese

Serves 6

4 cups uncooked macaroni (shells, cavatappi, fusilli, or even penne work well)
3 Tbsp all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 1/4 cups skim milk
1/4 c cream cheese
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
2 tsp worchestshire sauce
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (can subsitute different cheeses)
Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta al dente.

Stir flour, salt, black pepper in medium saucepan. Whisk in milk until well blended.  Crop in cream cheese by spoonfuls.  Bring to a boil, stirring until cream cheese is melted. 

Reduce heat to a simmer, stirring occassionally until thick.  Stir in mustard, worchesteshire sause, and garlic; simmer 1 minute.

Remove from heat, stir in cheddar cheese.

Combine cheese sauce with pasta, toss well to coat.  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. 

** For baked mac & cheese, once the pasta and cheese sauce is mixed well pour into a baking dish or into ramekins for individual servings.  Stir 1 tbsp melted butter with 3 tbsp bread crumbs and sprinkle on top with the parmesan cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20+ minutes until the cheese is bubbly and the breadcrumbs are toasty brown.

Enjoy!

~ Tara

A Frittata For An Easy Brunch At Home

As much as I love to go out to a cute cafe for brunch on the weekends, sometimes you just want to hang out in your pj's and relax at home.  This frittata recipe is very easy and yet honestly rivals those at a cafe.  Perfect for treating your honey with a lovely homemade brunch!

This could easily be modified to have some veggies (asparagus would be a lovely addition), different cheese, different herbs, or whatever you prefer.   We used goat cheese that had Mediterranean herbs but you could substitute a boursin cheese or any soft cheese.

A cast iron pan is ideal but you could start in any type of skillet and move the potatoes to a baking dish before adding the eggs if you don't have a cast iron pan.  While this recipe is really pretty easy the one thing to avoid is over-cooking it, a dried out frittata is simply not as tasty.

Frittata with Potatoes & Goat Cheese

Adapted from Gourmet
Serves 4

8 large eggs
1 Tablespoon half and half (can use milk instead)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme
approximately 1/8 to 1/4 cup olive oil (need just enough to ensure it won't stick in your skillet!)
2 cups shredded hash brown potatoes (Simply Potatoes works well!)
1 leek, chopped
1/2 cup ham or proscuitto, diced
3-oz goat cheese garlic-herb cheese, chilled
1 Tablespoon cream cheese

 Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F.

Whisk together eggs, half and half, salt, and pepper until just combined.

Heat oil in an ovenproof 9- to 10-inch heavy nonstick skillet over high heat until very hot but not smoking. Add potatoes and leeks to oil, stirring once, then cover and cook until beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Add ham, stir potato mixture once, then cover and cook 3 minutes more.

Pour beaten eggs evenly over potato mixture and crumble cheese over eggs. Transfer skillet to oven and bake frittata, uncovered, until set and just cooked through, about 15 minutes. Invert a plate over skillet and, holding them together with oven mitts, invert frittata onto plate and serve immediately.

 Enjoy!

~ Tara

Brunch At Home: Quiche Lorraine

The original ‘quiche Lorraine’ was an open pie with a filling consisting of an egg and cream custard with smoked bacon. It was only later that cheese was added to the quiche Lorraine. Add onions and you have quiche Alsacienne. The bottom crust was originally made from bread dough, but that has long since evolved into a short-crust or puff pastry crust.  Speaking of the flakey pastry crust, making sure it is flash baking it prior to adding the egg mixture keeps the bottom from being undercooked and doughy on the bottom.

We prefer a quiche with a bit of cheese, a bit of bacon, and a bit of leeks as the combination of the flavors is just really very tasty.  We also don't have a tart pan as ours was bent in one of our moves; so we use a pie pan.  It works out just fine, we just have to cook it a bit longer as it is thicker.

This delicious yet simple dish is a welcome change from the quick breakfast fare that gets most of us through the week.  Splitting up tasks makes this a nice easy couple recipe, Tara made the crust while I prepped the filling.  We also try to stir together the pastry dough the day before so it is ready to be rolled out in the morning.  It is a nice indulgent bunch for a lazy weekend morning.

Quiche Lorraine

Adapted from the Joy of Cooking

Flaky Pastry Dough (below)
4 oz. bacon, chopped into 1 inch pieces
4 oz. Gruyere cheese, grated
3 leeks, thinly sliced (approximately 1/3 cup)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream, creme fraiche, or half cream and half milk
3 large, lightly beaten
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg (ground nutmeg works fine)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Prepare the Flaky Pastry Dough in a 9.5 or 10 inch tart pan and brush lightly with egg yolk; bake for approximately 10 minutes.

Brown the bacon in a skillet. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels to drain.  Sautee the leeks until soft and nearly translucent.

In a large bowl, whisk toget

her the cream, eggs, salt, and pepper until smooth. 

Arrange the browned bacon and leeks on the bottom of the crust, top with the cheese. Gently pour the egg mixture over the cheese.  Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until the middle has set.

Flazy Pastry Dough

Makes two 9 inch pie crust, one 9 inch covered pie crust, or two 9.5 or 10 inch tart crusts

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teasopoon white sugar (or 1 tablespoon powdered sugar)
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup solid vegetable shortening, or 1/2 cup shortening and 8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (we use Crisco for the shortening)
1/3 cup plus 1 Tablespoon ice water

Using a rubber spatula, thoroughly mix the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.

Break the shortening up into small pieces, then add to the flour mixture.  Cut in with a bastry blender, or you can use 2 knives.  As you are working the shortening in, stir up the flour from the bottom of the bowl.  Working it in until the consistency is like course crumbs, there will be some pea-sized pieces.  The mixture should seem dry, not greasy or pasty. 

Drizzle the ice cold water over the mixture.  Using the rubber spatula, cut it into the mixture until it looks evenly moistened and begins to form balls.  Press down on the dough with teh flat side of the spatula, if the balls of dough stick together then you have enough water; if not add another 1 to 2 tablespoons ice water.  The dough will look rough, not smooth.

Divide the dough in half, press each into a round flat disk, and wrap tightly in plastic.  Refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes and up to 2 days before rolling.  If wrapped airtight it can be frozen for up to six months.

 Enjoy!

-Dan