cheese biscuits

i needed to take something to a party last night and was at a loss as to what to bring...everyone had already made it known what their contribution was going to be and all the things i could have brought were being brought by someone else...then, i thought about these...they're yummy, and everyone asked for the recipe, so here it is...

200 grams sharp cheedar cheese
50 grams parmesan cheese
250 grams butter
500 grams strong bakers' flour
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
paprika


preheat the oven to 170C.

line baking trays with baking paper.

place the cheddar cheese in the thermomix bowl and grate for 2-3 seconds on speed 8. set aside.

place the parmesan cheese in the thermomix bowl and grate for 8 seconds on speed 8. set aside.

place the flour, sugar, peppers and butter in the thermomix bowl and mix for 10 seconds on speed 5 or until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

add the cheeses to the flour mixture in the bowl. place the dial on closed lid position and use interval speed to knead for 2 minutes.

portion the dough as desired. i used a mini icecream scoop.

sprinkle with paprika.

bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden.

cheese sticks

these are seriously very good, and they beat the bought stuff hands down - no contest. to make life simple, i slice my cheese rather than grate it - it falls off too easily otherwise.

300 grams water
2 teaspoons yeast
1 teaspoon sea salt
50 grams extra virgin olive oil
500 grams strong bakers' flour
cheese slices

line 2 baking trays with baking paper and sprinkle cornmeal over them.

place the water, yeast, salt and olive oil into the tm bowl and mix at 37 degrees for 2 minutes on speed 1.

add the flour and mix for 10 seconds on speed 6.
turn the dial to closed lid position, knead the mixture for 4 minutes on interval speed.

turn the dough out onto your lightly floured work surface and cut the dough into about 20 strips. stretch these strips as you place them onto the prepared baking trays. place slices of cheese onto the dough and set aside in a warm place to proof.

heat the oven to 220 degrees and when it comes to temperature, place the first tray of cheese sticks in the oven for 15-20 minute - they will be golden when they are done. repeat with the second tray.

enjoy these however you like...they leave the store bought ones for dead...

cheese and bacon pinwheels

i've always loved baking and have never discriminated between sweet and savoury. so when i discovered a french bakery in chatswood some 30 years ago (a pioneer of its time) which had these savoury ham and cheese pastries, i thought i would replicate them; not only did i replicate them, i came up with different variations. this was the simplest.

1 sheet of puff pastry
1 cup grated cheese
1 rasher bacon, diced

line a baking tray with baking paper.
place the puff pastry on your workbench and sprinkle with the cheese and bacon. roll up the puff pastry as if you were making a swiss roll, removing the plastic from the puff pastry as you go, but not all the way - leave the last bit of pastry stuck to the plastic and use the plastic to enclose the roll. place the roll in the fridge for about 30 minutes to firm up; the plastic will protect the pastry from drying out too much.
preheat the oven to 200 degrees celcius.
remove the roll from the fridge when firm, discard plastic and cut into slices about 1 centimetre thick and place on the baking tray. ensure the oven has come to the right temperature, and bake for 20 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

very often i like using low fat extra tasty cheese to make these as regular cheese can be greasy and messy. i do emphasise the extra tasty intentionally as low fat cheese is sometimes lacking in flavour. if you should choose the low fat way to go, try to serve the pinwheels warm as low fat cheese cooled/cold isn't too palatable, either. choose your trade off.

polenta with gorgonzola

this recipe is from bon appétit, february 2000, and is a recipe they sourced from union square cafe, new york, NY for a reader.
and it is exactly nine years ago that i first made this dish. the weather was cooling down and this was beckoning. because the cornmeal is cooked in milk and cream, rather than the traditional water or stock, the resulting polenta is refined and smooth. and rich. then the gorgonzola takes it to another level, as do the walnuts.
gorgonzola is so good grilled - find any excuse to try it - i'm sure even a vegetarian friend would be happy to help out (this recipe uses cream and milk instead of stock, remember? so all's good unless they're vegan), and a carnivore friend probably wouldn't even notice there wasn't any meat because this is so satisfying. and this is so simple, so there's no need to get yourself to new york to try it - go to new york for some other reason.

yield: 6 first-course or 6 side-dish servings

4 cups milk
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 cup polenta (coarse yellow cornmeal)*

1 1/2 cups crumbled gorgonzola cheese (about 6 1/2 ounces)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped, lightly toasted walnuts

bring milk and whipping cream to boil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. gradually whisk polenta into milk mixture in slow steady stream. Reduce heat to medium-low. cook polenta until creamy and tender, stirring frequently, about 20 minutes. season to taste with salt and pepper.
preheat broiler. transfer cooked polenta to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. sprinkle gorgonzola cheese over polenta. broil until cheese melts. sprinkle with chopped toasted walnuts and serve immediately.
*polenta (coarse yellow cornmeal) is available at italian markets, natural foods stores and some supermarkets. if unavailable, substitute 1 cup regular yellow cornmeal, and cook mixture for about 12 minutes rather than 20 minutes.

corn dogs

my earlier post about lemonade, i mentioned corn dogs....well, this is the recipe. i don't make this often, less than once a year, but when we do have it, it's a bit of fun. it's much nicer than battered savs which are frankfurts dipped in regular batter like that use for the fish in fish and chips beacuse the batter isn't as greasy; just make sure your oil is hot so the batter seals and cooks rather than absorbs the oil, which happens when it isn't the right temperature.
an alternative we also like is cheese dipped in the batter instead of the frankfurt. very junky, but the grittiness of the cornmeal is what tempts miss k - ahhhh....less than once a year.....

2 cups plain flour
3/4 cup corn meal
1/2 cup sugar
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 3/4 cups milk
1 egg, slightly beaten
10 regular sized frankfurts, or 20 cocoktail frankfurts
vegetable oil for deep frying

preheat oil 240 degrees celcius.
combine the flour, corn meal, sugar, salt and bicarbonate of soda in a large bowl.
combine the milk and egg with the dry ingredients and mix with an electric mixer until batter is smooth.
dry the frankfurts with a paper towel.
when the oil is hot, tilt the bowl of batter so that you can completely coat each frankfurt with the batter.
place the battered frankfurt in the hot oil and cook for 5-6 minutes or until coating is golden brown, turning them so they cook evenly.

stuffed potatoes

if you think you're going to be having a baking day or that the oven will be on for a while, why not bake some potatoes? and stuff them....
these are seriously delicious comfort food, and you can make them as simple or as fancy as you like.

8 large potatoes
100 grams butter
1 cup sour cream
1 cup chopped, cooked bacon (you can pop the bacon into the oven to cook with the potatoes - i do)
1 onion diced and sweated (again, this can be cooked in the oven), or
1 cup of sliced green onions, which you can leave raw
1 cup grated cheese
freshly ground pepper
1 cup grated cheese, extra - optional

bake the potatoes for an hour at 200 degrees celcius or so until they are easily pierced with a skewer.
slice the potatoes in half when they are done and scoop out their centres into a large mixing bowl.
add the butter, bacon, sour cream,onion/green onion, cheese and pepper. and stir around with a knife. the potatoes will break up into chunks and blend with the other ingredients. if you want your potatoes smooth, go ahead and mash them smooth, but i like mine with chunks. the butter will also melt and be absorbed by the mixture.
when mixed to your liking, pile the mixture into the potato skins and sprinkle over extra cheese, if liked. return the potatoes to the oven to warm through and serve.
if you'd like the potatoes to be fancier, you can add celery seeds, capsicum, mushrooms, sweetcorn, chicken, leeks etc to the mixture. the world's your oyster.

cheese and bacon rolls

you make these rolls with the basic bread roll dough.

find yourself a muffin tin with loaf shaped holes. if you can't, it doesn't matter, you can still use the one with round holes and it will still work fine. either spray or grease the tin with oil or butter.

cut your bacon into strips and slice your cheese. i like using "light" or low fat cheddar cheese when baking because i find it less greasy (otherwise, i always use full fat everything). you can also use grated cheese, but i like using a slice of cheese so i can "insert" the cheese into the dough.

snip off 3 walnut size pieces of dough and pop them into the prepared tin(s) and press the cheese and bacon onto the dough. you can actually be quite firm when pressing the cheese and bacon on because when the dough rises, it will more or less push the cheese and bacon out.

cover the dough with a clean cloth and leave it to rise for at least an hour in a warm spot (read previous posts for what i suggest is a suitable warm spot).

heat your oven to 200 degrees celcius when the rolls are ready to bake and pop them in when the oven comes to the right temperature for about 20 minutes or until they are beautiful and golden. the cheese should bubble and the bacon, sizzle.

brazilian cheese puffs

i love these cheese puffs, in fact, i don't know anyone who doen't like them. even miss k, who doesn't like cheese, loves them! they are also great because you can serve them to those who don't eat wheat for whatever reason.

1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups tapioca starch
1 1/2 cups grated cheese
2 eggs
preheat oven to 200 degrees celcius.
bring the milk, salt, and butter to a boil.
remove from heat.
add tapioca starch, stirring constantly until thoroughly mixed.
add the eggs, and then the cheese.
mix until combined. i actually find it easier to mix the dough/batter with a knife or chopsticks.
form into walnut sized balls and place on a baking sheet lined with baking paper.
bake until golden brown, approximately 15 minutes.
eat while hot.
these puffs can be frozen and reheated successfully in a hot oven for about 5 minutes; thaw them beforehand to make sure they heat through.
alternatively, the dough can be made up a day or two in advance, refrigerated, then baked before serving.

whisks' marinated feta

a few days ago, while doing my groceries, i walked around the cheese selection at woollies and was very tempted by the marinated feta, but a quick calculation suggested i could make a more economical version at home.

i bought a good quality plain feta soaked in brine, drained it well, being careful not to touch it with my fingers, or anything else for that matter, for fear of contamination. as i don't have a herb garden ast the moment, i used dried herbs in the marinade: ground sage, ground oregano, thyme, smoked paprika and cracked peppercorns (one is granted liberties here; whatever herbs and combinations one desires would make for an exciting flavoured cheese - my future attempts may involve celery seeds or chillies. one variation i fully intend to work on will involve lemon grass- just think of the endless possibilities!). i then drowned the whole container of feta and herbs with a fruity extra virgin olive oil: first cold pressing, early harvest. the result was spectacular (would have made it into the stratospheric had i access to finer herbs and given it the liberty of a few days to really soak in and mature). the olive oil was just so delicious i could have had just that on woodfired bread. miss c just couldn't stop eating it, and has not stopped devouring it after school these last few days.

the ideal situation would perhaps be to be well prepared and allow the feta to marinate a while, so, in a way, preparing a double (or triple portion, if one is so inclined) and having the extra on hand (for after school snacks or whatever glamourous occasion may arise).
just a note, do not be alarmed that the olive oil goes cloudy and solidifies in the refrigerator - it is just an indicator that it is olive oil, as canola retains the golden liquidiness when refrigerated (hence purchased marinated feta will be inferior to one's own effortless creation as canola or vegetable oils are used to give them shelf appeal).

from this lazy concoction, a myriad of opportunities arise:

black olives can be partnered with the cheese and strewn over the simplest of lettuce leaves, or progress to a more elaborate salad with avocados, tomatoes, roasted capsicums and cucumber

antipasto platters

quiche, frittata and savoury tart fillings

as a filling for rolled lamb or chicken

cut into small finger sized batons and rolled inside finely sliced prosciutto, drizzled with the flavoursome oil (i had this when i was in france, and it was very good)

my favourite though, is to have the cheese very simply on rustic italian bread so the divine melded flavours of the cheese, herbs and oil can be appreciated very simply.