Je Mange la Ville » Cheese

Grilled Moroccan Carrot and Goat Cheese Sandwiches

mlb — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 03:38:24 +0000

This is going to be a very short intro for this recipe. Mainly, because I’m tired but also, because it’s a grilled sandwich and really, is there a lot to say about that? Not really. There’s cheese and it melts, so you know it’s delicious.

The original recipe called for making your own green olive tapanade, but hell, if you want to just buy some, I won’t tell anyone. That’s actually what I did. And the sandwich was still great!

I’m trying to post more but I’m busier for the next couple of months*, so it’s going to be a little difficult. I will (hopefully) get my French Fridays with Dorie post up on…Friday!

Anyway, here’s some spiced carrots, goat cheese, arugula, green olives and mozzarella. Mmmm!

Grilled Moroccan Carrot and Goat Cheese Sandwiches
adapted from Gourmet Magazine
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
4 medium carrots
4 slices good-quality sandwich bread
2 tbsp store bought (or homemade) green olive tapanade
a handful of arugula or spinach leaves
2 oz soft mild goat cheese
2 slices mozzarella cheese
Olive Oil for grilling

Prepare carrots:
Whisk together sugar, lemon juice, spices, salt, and oil in a large bowl until sugar is dissolved. Halve carrots crosswise and then chop into 1/2-inch pieces. Cook carrots in a pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about a minute. Drain well in a colander and immediately toss with dressing.

Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally, then marinate, covered and chilled, at least 4 hours and up to overnight. I just made my carrots the night before.

Make the sandwiches
Spread tapenade on two slices of bread and goat cheese on the other two slices. Top the goat cheese sides with some of the greens and then the carrots (you will have some leftovers) and the slice of mozzarella. Now, you may be asking yourself, “Do I really need two kinds of cheese on this sandwich?” Well, yes. Yes you do.

Turn the olive tapanade side on top of the mozzarella and heat up a heavy skillet. Add a little olive oil to the pan and grill each sandwich, pressing down a bit with a heavy lid or another pan (kind of like you were making a panini). It’s no big deal if you skip that step, but kind of nice if you do have something to press it down with a bit.

Grill until each side is golden and mozzarella starts to melt. Slice them up and you have dinner for yourself and a friend. Perfect! And we had our leftover carrots the next day for lunch with some fish, which worked out perfectly.

Mmmmm…melt-y cheese!

* One of the reasons I have been so busy lately is that I am taking a pottery class Thursday nights. It’s handbuilding (which I’ve always liked way more than wheel throwing).

I’ve been spending some of what would normally be blog-posting time, making odd chicken pots in the basement. Up next? Hopefully a pig pot.

FFwD: Apple, Feta & Baby Kale Quiche

mlb — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:41:34 +0000

This week’s French Fridays with Dorie was for a very interesting quiche — Apple & Gorgonzola. And, as is my way, I changed it quite a bit. I actually feel a little bad, it seems like I’m always fiddlin’ with these Around My French Table recipes, which I know would be ~~very good~~ great made exactly as written. I just…can’t help myself.

Actually, I usually make changes based on what I have at home or what I maybe don’t like. Take for instance Gorgonzola shudder. I am just not a fan of the blue cheeses, so I swapped that out for some feta and a little cheddar.

Here’s what else I changed this week (and some notes):

1. We went out to dinner Tuesday night and last night, and I just couldn’t make a (delicious!) butter-laden crust in good conscious. So, I made this Whole Wheat Olive Oil Crust from Chocolate & Zucchini. I thought it worked really well with this quiche and was even pretty great tasting! I used a combination of about 6 oz wheat flour and 2.8 oz AP flour and 1/2 tsp of herbes de Provence. And the best part? It was ready to roll out right away. I just had to chill it on the fridge for about 30 minutes before filling it up.
2. I added some greens to the sauteed onions. Baby kale to be precise, but spinach would probably work well too.
3. Speaking of the onions, instead of sauteing them in butter, I used about a tsp of bacon fat. (Hey! Whole Wheat Olive Oil Crust…so it’s okay!)
4. I used half and half instead of heavy cream.
5. I completely misread the recipe and did not par bake my crust first. Doh! So, I gave the quiche 20 minutes at 400 degrees F, then turned it down to 375 and gave it about 20 more minutes. The crust was perfectly done and so was the custard. Whew!

Here are my pictures and here’s a link to everyone’s fabulous quiches.

Placing the crust in the tart pan. The whole wheat crust was a little harder to roll out too, so I got a mini arm workout!

Crust ready for the filling.

1/2 a large, leftover red onion, sauteing.

Onions and kale at the bottom of the quiche.

Half a diced, peeled green apple.

Some feta, grated cheddar and custard added. Ready to go into the oven.

Out of the oven and ready to eat.

Seriously Awesome Fall Pizza with Bacon, Apple, Fennel & Rosemary

mlb — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 03:12:49 +0000

I’m not going to go into too much introduction here except to say, oh my, why have I never put a little bacon on a pizza before? Also, this is one of the best flavor combinations I’ve ever put on a pizza. Yay!

Seriously Awesome Fall Pizza with Bacon, Apple, Fennel & Rosemary
Adapted from a recipe in Ancient Grains for Modern Meals by Maria Speck, although, I used a different pizza dough recipe entirely, so there were no ancient grains here. If you want to try the original Spelt Crust, the recipe is here.

1lb pizza dough, homemade or store bought
Olive oil for drizzling, etc..
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (divided)
1 sprig of rosemary, leaves removed and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup low fat yogurt
1/2 cup marscapone or cream cheese (full fat)
3/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese + 1/4 cup more
2 Tbsp capers, rinsed and drained
1 fennel bulb, cored and thinly sliced (you can use it raw or saute it in a pan with a little bacon grease, salt and pepper first and let it caramelize…I did that)
2-3 green onions (or a large shallot)
1 Granny Smith or Gala apple, cored and thinly sliced
3 slices of bacon, chopped

Add the yogurt, marscapone, and 3/4 cup mozzarella to a food processor and process it up well. Add about a tablespoon or so of olive oil to help smooth it out. You can also do this by hand, but make sure the marscapone/cream cheese is at room temperature, so it’ll be easier to mix all together. Season with a little salt and pepper. Set aside.

Fry up your bacon. Try not to eat many of the bacon crumbles when they are done. Hey there, you need those for the pizza!

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Roll or spread out the pizza dough on a peel or baking sheet. I usually use a parchment paper-lined sheet that I can slide off onto my pizza stone in the oven after I get all the toppings onto it.

Drizzle and brush a little olive oil onto your rolled or pressed out dough. Sprinkle half the Parmesan cheese on top and get the pizza dough in the oven for about 5 minutes for a quick pre-bake.

Now it’s time for the real toppings. Spread the yogurt/marscapone/mozzarella mix out on top of the pizza. Leave about a 1-inch border all around. Then sprinkle on the capers, garlic and rosemary. Next, lay out the apple slices and fennel.

Finish it up with the crumbled bacon, green onions (or shallot) and your reserved 1/4 cups mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Let sit a minute or two then slice up and devour.

This is especially good with an arugula salad on the side with balsamic vinaigrette and candied walnuts.

A New Bread Experiment: Feta and Spinach Stuffed Buns

mlb — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 19:17:55 +0000

Ever since I first got brave enough to try making yeast bread, I’ve loved perusing the King Arthur Flour website and finding recipes I wanted to try. I won’t say too much in the intro, because the recipe is pretty long, but, mmmm, these are delicious! Go make some right now!

Feta and Spinach Stuffed Buns
Adapted from a recipe by King Arthur Flour
3 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/3 cup dried potato flakes
1/2 cup Rye Flour
1 1/2 tsp instant yeast
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (9 ounces) water
1 large egg
2 Tbsp olive oil
10-oz package frozen chopped spinach
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup diced onion
2-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup (4 ounces) feta cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) chopped pitted black olives
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded or cubed mozzarella cheese

Start the bread: Whisk together, in a large bowl or the bowl of a mixer, all of the dry dough ingredients. It’s important to whisk the potato flour or flakes so they won’t clump when the liquid is added. Add the water, egg and olive oil, then mix until a shaggy dough forms.

Let the dough rest for 30 minutes, if you have the time; this resting period allows the flour to absorb the liquid fully, making it easier to knead. Knead the dough with the dough hook for about 10 minutes; it should feel firm and smooth.

Put it into a greased bowl, turning to coat, cover the bowl, and let the dough rise until it’s almost double in bulk, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. (The amount of time this takes will depend on the temperature of your kitchen.)

While the dough is rising, make the filling: Thaw and squeeze dry the frozen spinach. Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan. Add the onion and garlic and saute for about 1 minute. Add the spinach and stir well.

Heat through, about 3 to 4 minutes. Reserve the feta cheese and olives to layer onto the dough when filling, and the mozzarella to sprinkle atop the shaped rolls. I just realized I did this wrong — I added the mozzarella in with the feta and sprinkled about a tablespoon of Parmesan on top of the rolls.

To assemble: Turn the risen dough out onto a lightly greased work surface. Fold it over once or twice to gently deflate it. Roll the dough into a rectangle of about 16 x 18 inches. First sprinkle the dough with the cheese and olives, then top with the spinach.Starting with the opposite long edge, roll the dough into a log, sealing the edge and ends. Use a bench knife or serrated knife to cut the log into 1 to 1 1/4-inch slices.

Grease or line a baking pan with parchment paper. Lay the buns on the pan, leaving about 1 inch between them.

Sprinkle them with a little Parmesan or mozzarella cheese. Cover them lightly with greased plastic wrap or a dough cover, and let them rise for 1 to 2 hours, or until they’re puffy.

Baking: Bake the buns in a preheated 350°F oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until their tops and bottoms are lightly browned.

Check the buns after 20 minutes and tent with aluminum foil if they’re browning too quickly on the edges. Yield: about 12-18 buns, depending on how thick you slice them.

Spinach and Feta Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing

mlb — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 13:59:27 +0000

Okay, Summer, welcome! The garden missed you and so did jwa. I could go either way, but I know the garden enjoys you so it’s okay. Except that it’s hot. Which I guess is okay because then I can make huge salads for dinner. Hey, kind of like this one!

I used the Alton Brown recipe for inspiration and then sort of changed it. A bit less spinach, less bacon, balsamic for red wine vinegar and I added garbanzos and feta for more of a dinner salad type thing. It was delicious! Plus, it gave me an excuse to buy bacon outside of the traditional bacon season in this household (Oct – Feb). Hooray for rule-breaking!

Spinach and Feta Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing
Recipe adapted from Alton Brown
6 ounces baby spinach
2 large eggs
4 pieces bacon
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 large white mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/2 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Wash, drain and pat dry thoroughly. Place into a large mixing bowl and set aside. Place the eggs in a soup pot and cover with cold water by at least 1-inch. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. When it starts boiling, turn the heat off and let sit for 15 minutes. Rinse eggs in cold water until you can handle them easily, then peel and slice.

Fry the bacon and when done, drain on a paper towel lines plate. Reserve the bacon grease. When the bacon is cool enough to handle crumble up and set aside.

Add 2 tablespoons bacon fat to a small pan and over low heat, whisk in the vinegar, sugar and Dijon mustard. Season with a small pinch each of kosher salt and black pepper. For some reason, I whisked all my non-bacon fat ingredients together in a bowl and then poured the bowl’s contents into the pan with the bacon grease. I’m not sure why I did that. It just dirtied an extra bowl…but the picture is nice!

Add the mushrooms, sliced onion, garbanzo beans, eggs, bacon and feta to the spinach and toss. Season with fresh cracked black pepper and a little sprinkle of salt. Add the dressing and toss again to combine. Divide the spinach between two big plates or bowls. Serve immediately.