A few of my favorite things (made out of cheese) - Brie

My favorite French cheese:

BRIE
It goes without saying that brie is one of my all-time favorite foods. It is a soft, mellow, creamy, rich and buttery cheese with a white mold rind.



My recipes for Brie:

Baked Brie wheel

INGREDIENTS
1 brie wheel
1/2 cup fig compote or spread
2 tbsps sliced almonds, peeled pistachios or chopped cashews
1 pkg petit toasts or 1 french baguette sliced and toasted

DIRECTIONS
Place the brie wheel on a pizza stone or cookie sheet. Wrap the top of the brie wheel in foil and bake 10 minutes at 350°F. Remove from oven, carefully remove foil. Spread fig compote in a thick layer on top of wheel. Sprinkle nuts evenly. Serve warm with toasts.

5-Minute Artichoke Olive Dip

I made this today and it took me about 5 minutes. The flavors marinate a little better if you serve after 15 minutes. This dip is a big hit.

INGREDIENTS
2 cups sour cream
1 tsp minced dried onions or 1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp onion or garlic salt
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 cup marinaded artichoke hearts
4 or 5 green olives, pitted
6 to 8 kalamata olives, pitted
2 tsp fresh dill (or dried)
1/2 cup feta cheese
1/2 cup pine nuts
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Combine artichoke, olives, dill, and pine nuts in mini-prep. Chop until smooth. In a bowl, fold mixture into sour cream. Mix in feta cheese, dried onions, dried spices and salt. Refrigerate for about 10-15 minutes. Serve with chips, pita chips or crudites.

TIPS
Instead of minced dried onions or onion powder, you can substitute fresh minced onions. You can also substitute dried dill for the fresh, just cut down the quantity to 1 tsp.

Bruschetta

For our Tuscan party this year, we tried this concept for the first time. It was so easy and fun! We went with a bruschetta bar concept.

Click here for the Wikipedia definition of Bruschetta.

To Prepare the Bruschetta:

You can use any type of bread, however, the most commonly used italian or french baguettes sliced on a bias. Ciabatta bread is also used often. Take the slices of bread, brush with extra virgin olive oil. Then take a head of garlic, and slice on its side (you can also use a single clove). Rub the garlic on the top of the bread and toast (or grill) until golden.

Olive Mazza - Tapenade

INGREDIENTS
1 small jar kalamata olives
1/2 jar green olives
(you can also get 2 cups of olive mix from your store's olive bar, pitted)
3 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tbsps pine nuts
sundried tomatoes (optional)
extra virgin olive oil

DIRECTIONS
Blend all ingredients in food processor or mini-prep until the consistency of a tapenade. Add olive oil until the proper consistency. Serve on bruschetta.

Sundried tomatoes and roasted garlic

INGREDIENTS
1 cup sundried tomatoes
3 tbsps of roasted garlic cloves
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
First, roast the garlic. If roasting the garlic in the head, slice the head in half horizontally, drizzle with olive oil and wrap with tin foil. Roast in a preheated oven of 400 F for 30-35 minutes. Click here for a detailed recipe on how to roast garlic. If roasting the garlic using peeled cloves, layer the cloves on a cookie sheet and bake at 400 for 30 minutes or until soft and golden.

In your food processor, combine the tomatoes and roasted garlic until a spreadable consistency. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve on bruschetta.

Goat Cheese Spread

INGREDIENTS
1 pkg plain goat cheese
2 tbsp capers
2 tbsp marscapone
fresh basil, thinly chopped chiffonade-style

DIRECTIONS
Mix all ingredients until blended. Serve on bruschetta.

Tomatoes and Carmelized Onions

INGREDIENTS
3 roma or vine-ripened tomatoes, diced
2 medium vedalia onions, chopped
fresh basil, thinly sliced chiffonade-style
dash of sugar
balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp butter
salt and pepper to taste
cumin (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Sautee the onions on low to medium heat, in the olive oil and butter combination, until they turn a caramel color. Sugar and drizzle of balsamic is optional. Mix diced tomatoes, fresh basil and carmelized onions. Salt and pepper to taste. Add cumin to taste, if desired. Serve on bruschetta.

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese - the Easiest and Tastiest Microwave Recipe

After trying several recipes and variations, the following recipe is my favorite homemade mac and cheese. Incidentally, it's also the easiest and fastest recipe, because it is mostly made in the microwave. The original recipe is here.


To me, it tastes the most like the boxed version, but reheats much better. Enjoy!


INGREDIENTS
1 cup elbow macaroni (or other similar pasta)
1 cup milk
3 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp butter
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (extra sharp is the best)
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste


DIRECTIONS
To cook the pasta: In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil. Add elbow macaroni and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain and set aside.


To cook cheese sauce: In a large microwave-safe bowl, mix milk and flour with a dash of salt and pepper. Whisk until smooth and there are no lumps. Add butter and cheese and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Remove from microwave and whisk until smooth. Return to microwave for an additional 3 to 5 minutes and again whisk until smooth. Add cooked macaroni to bowl. Stir until coated and serve with fresh pepper.

VARIATIONS
If a cheesy crust is desired, after the mixture is combined, sprinkle another 1/3 cup of Cheddar on top of oven-safe dish, broil until cheese is golden-brown and bubbly. Serve.


You can also add ham or salami, chopped or diced roma tomatoes. Add at the same time as pasta. Be sure to watch the mixture as it microwaves and whisk thoroughly. Do not over-microwave.


(You will love this easy recipe).

Caprese

Variations of the caprese salad pop up in dinners I serve, or in spreads at parties I throw. You can pretty much do anything with tomatoes, mozzarella and basil and make it into something caprese. Here are a few examples:

Traditional Caprese Salad

INGREDIENTS
2 beefsteak or hot house tomatoes sliced
1 buffalo fresh mozzarella ball sliced
a couple bunches of basil chopped
cerignola olives
extra virgin olive oil
balsamic vinegar (optional)
kosher salt
fresh cracked pepper (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Cascade the slices of various colors of heirloom tomatoes and mozzarella on your serving platter. Sprinkle chopped basil on slices. Drizzle olive oil over tomatoes and mozzarella. Drizzle balsamic vinegar over platter. Add olives. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Grape Caprese Salad

This is a recipe that is extremely easy to make and keeps well during a party.

INGREDIENTS
1 quart of grape tomatoes washed
1 quart container of bocconcini (bite-size balls of fresh mozzarella)
1 bunch of red seedless grapes
1 bunch of green seedless grapes
8 ounces of kalamata olives pitted
3 bunches fresh basil chopped
extra virgin olive oil
balsamic vinegar (optional)
kosher salt
fresh cracked pepper (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Clean and place all ingredients in a big tupperware container with lid. Shake gently. Pour into serving platter and serve.

Tuscan Heirloom Tomato Caprese Salad

INGREDIENTS
various colors of heirloom tomatoes sliced
1 buffalo fresh mozzarella ball sliced
a couple bunches of basil chopped
toasted bruschetta bread drizzled with olive oil and ripped
extra virgin olive oil
balsamic vinegar (optional)
kosher salt
fresh cracked pepper (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Cascade the slices of tomatoes and mozzarella on your serving platter. Sprinkle chopped basil on slices. Drizzle olive oil over tomatoes and mozzarella. Drizzle balsamic vinegar over platter. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste. Serve.


VARIATIONS TO ABOVE RECIPES
Try replacing the tomatoes with fruit, such as strawberries. True Caprese salad does not call for olives, or balsamic. Those are optional but delicious.

Prosciutto and Mozzarella

This is my friend Melissa's variation to caprese that has become a party favorite.

INGREDIENTS
prosciutto di parma, sliced
fresh buffalo mozzarella, sliced
extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt

DIRECTIONS
Place the slices of mozzarella in the middle of the serving platter. Layer the slices of prosciutto along the sides. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle salt only on the mozzarella portion of the platter. Serve.