Tag: bloomy
Bijou with Pickled Strawberries
Summer produce is a thing of magic. And pairing with cheese is even more magical.
Many versions of goat cheese are perfect options to pair with fruit, but Vermont Creamery’s Bijou is a great option. These cute little buttons are creamy, sweet, and a touch earthy. They can be kept whole or cut into quarters to plate and serve.
Quickling (a new verb sweeping the nation) the strawberries does not take away from their natural sweetness but adds some tangy depth that pairs perfectly with cheese.
Bijou with Pickled Strawberries
Ingredients
- ½ pint strawberries
- 1 Tbsp sherry vinegar
- Pinch of sugar
- Pinch of salt
- Fresh cracked pepper
- 1 container Vermont Creamery Bijou
- fresh chopped herbs or micro greens
Instructions
- Trim leaves off strawberries. Cut larger ones in half or quarters, leave smaller strawberries whole. Place in a small bowl.
- Add one tablespoon of sherry vinegar, a pinch of sugar and salt, and a few cracks of black pepper. Add a splash of water and toss to coat strawberries. Let quickle for 5-10 minutes.
- Arrange Bijou on a plate. Top with strawberries and top with herbs or micro greens. Drizzle with strawberry liquid.
Cheesy Capocollo Quiche
This extra cheesy, extra meaty quiche screams #brunchgoals.
Using a double cream cheese like Sweet Grass’s Green Hill will add a rich and melty texture to the quiche that oozes out when you slice into it.
Take the opportunity to use whatever veg, meats, and herbs are hanging in your fridge:
- Sliced piquillo peppers and blanched spinach, roasted broccoli, asparagus, peas, roasted sweet potatoes.
- Sliced ham, rotisserie chicken, smoked salmon, or spicy Capocollo from Smoking Goose sliced from the meat counter.
- Basil, dill, parsley, mint, thyme
Cutting the cheese into wedges creates these melty pockets of creamy cheese, but it does take the quiche a bit longer to set. Give the quiche the jiggle test a few times before removing it from the oven. The egg custard should be set and the middle should barely jiggle.
Cheesy Capocollo Quiche
Ingredients
- 1 package premade pie dough
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup whole milk
- 2 Tbsp parsely, chopped
- 1 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 6 piquillo peppers, thinly sliced
- ½ cup blanched spinach
- 4 oz. Smoking Goose Capocollo, thinly sliced
- 8 oz. Green Hill, cut into 16 wedges
- Microgreens or extra chopped herbs for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pie dough into a 12-inch circle. Transfer to a pie pan and allow dough to slump down into the pan. Cut away the excess dough that hangs over the pan and place in the freezer for 10–15 minutes.
- Remove the dough from the freezer and line with parchment paper. Place rice or beans on top of the paper, evenly covering the surface of the crust. Bake for 15 minutes. Carefully pour out the hot rice or beans and use a fork to prick a few holes in the bottom of the crust. Put the crust back in the oven to bake until lightly golden, about another 10–15 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a baking sheet.
- To make the egg custard, whisk together eggs, heavy whipping cream, whole milk, chopped herbs, salt, and pepper. Pour into a spouted measuring cup. Set aside.
- Start filling the crust by scattering half of the sliced piquillos and spinach on the bottom of the crust. Arrange the wedges of cheese on top, turning the wedges to face different directions. Nestle slices of Capocollo in between the cheese wedges and top with remaining piquillos and spinach.
- Gently pour the egg custard into the nooks and crannies of the filling.
- Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake until the egg custard is set, the cheese is melted, and the edges of the Capocollo start to crisp up, about 40-50 minutes.
- Cool for 30 minutes. Sprinkle on microgreens or chopped herbs. Serve warm or at room temp.
Mt. Alice Stuffed Dates
We’ve been fans of the von Trapp family and their cheese making since Aperitivo opened its doors. Their washed rind cheese, Oma, has become a menu and cheese case staple. So we were very excited when we heard about a new cheese coming from the family-owned creamery in Vermont.
Mt. Alice is a camembert-style cheese, made with organic jersey cow’s milk. It’s a wonderful bloomy rind cheese with notes of butter, crème fraîche, lemon, and earthy mushroom.
It is always nice to have a simple and easy snack or appetizer in your back pocket when you get a last minute cookout or party invite. Or just to have in the fridge when you need a quick pick-me-up.
You can make them ahead of time and store in the fridge. Just pull them out and roast before serving.
These dates are a great contrast of flavors and textures – chewy dates with some crispy blackened pieces, stuffed with earthy and creamy cheese, drizzled with sweet honey and crunchy salt. Mt. Alice is a great option, but any soft-ripened cheese will work here.
Mt. Alice Stuffed Dates
Ingredients
- 10 Medjool or Turkish dates
- .25 lbs piece Mt. Alice
- Crunchy salt
- Honey
Instructions
- Remove the pits from the dates.
- Slice the cheese into ¼ in. strips, then again into ¼ in. wide pieces, roughly the same size as the date’s pit.
- Stuff the piece of cheese in the cavity where the pit was and squeeze the sides together to partially close.
- Heat a dry skillet over medium-high heat. Place dates in the pan and cook until they start to blister and the cheese begins to melt, 5-8 minutes.
- Remove from heat and transfer to a plate. Drizzle with honey and crunchy salt.
Julianna Spring Pizza
More signs that spring is here! Julianna is back in the case and looking beautiful as ever.
The rind of this semi-soft goat cheese from Capriole is rubbed with thyme, lavender, rosemary, and wildflowers. It has a delicate sweet and savory balance and a buttery texture that makes it a great cheese to snack on with olives and charcuterie.
Fully melting a delicate cheese like this will dilute some of its subtleties, so adding the cheese after the pizza is cooked warms it up a bit, without taking away the flavors.
Feel free to use your favorite pizza dough recipe, precooked flatbread, or frozen pizza crust.
One bunch of grocery store scallions will be plenty for this recipe. But if you have larger, farmer’s market green onions, use a few less. You’ll want a little more than 2 cups of sliced scallions before you start cooking them.
If you are feeling spicy, feel free to sprinkle over some red pepper flakes or serve with some chili oil.
Julianna Spring Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 recipe your favorite pizza crust
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 bunch scallions
- 1 tbsp EVOO
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 radishes
- Splash of light vinegar, rice, white wine, white balsamic
- .25 pound wedge of Capriole Julianna
- 1 tbsp tarragon leaves or chives
- Honey, for drizzling
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Heat oven to 425°F. Place pizza stone, pan, or baking sheet in the oven to preheat.
- Prepare or roll out pizza crust. Let rest while preparing the scallions.
- Slice the scallions on an extreme bias. Cook over medium-high heat with butter for 6-8 minutes, until the scallions are bright green, soft, with a few crispy spot. Season with salt and pepper.
- Carefully remove the hot stone, pan, or sheet from the oven and place pizza crust on the hot pan. Drizzle with olive oil and spread on a thin layer of mustard. Scatter scallions evenly over the crust.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and crisp.
- While the pizza is in the oven, thinly slice the radishes. Place in a small bowl with a splash of vinegar. Set aside.
- Thinly slice the Julianna. Don't remove the rind!
- Chop the tarragon leaves or chives.
- Remove the pizza from the oven and top with the sliced Julianna and let the residual heat of the pizza slightly melt the cheese.
- Scatter the radishes and herbs over the top and drizzle with honey.
- Slice and serve.
Notes
*If you think your crust will take longer, feel free to add the scallions halfway through cooking. But they should be able to last about 20 minutes in a hot oven. Or if you are using a premade pizza crust and it doesn’t need that much time in the oven, cook the scallions a bit longer on the stove.
Grilled Pear Crostini with Bonrus
Even though most of us are amidst a stay-at-home quarantine, it doesn’t mean we can’t still have fancy snacks. And luckily, Aperitivo is still open and able to satisfy all your cheese, charcuterie, beer, and wine needs during this odd time.
A newer cheese in the case, Bonrus is a soft-ripened sheep and cow’s milk cheese from Piedmont. It comes from one of our favorite Italian creameries, Caseificio dell’Alta Langa, who make some favorites like La Tur, Langherino, and Blu di Langa.
Bonrus has a soft and doughy texture, with a sweet and straw-like aroma. Its unique oval shape helps its maturation process, and like most soft cheeses, is best enjoyed at room temperature.
In this time of sheltering-at-home, you gotta take what you can get. So any soft, spreadable cheese would work in Bonrus’s place for this recipe.
Feel free to slather this delicious cheese, grilled pears, honey and smoked salt on any carb-y vessel you have on hand – toasted baguette slices, grilled flatbread, naan, English muffins, whatever you can find in your house. Or in this particular case, sliced hot dog buns. 🌭
Grilled Pear Crostini with Bonrus
Ingredients
- 1 firm pear
- ½ piece Bonrus – room temperature
- 2 Tbsp honey
- Smoked flake salt, or regular flake salt
- Toasted baguette slices
- Neutral oil
Instructions
- Heat a grill over medium heat.
- Slice the pear into ¼-inch slices, similar to the size of bread you are using. Drizzle the oil over the slices and place on a hot grill. Grill for a few seconds on each side, until grill marks appear. Try not to cut the slices too thin, or they will fall apart on the grill.
- Remove the slices and set aside.
- Slice the Bonrus into thin pieces (similar in size to the baguette) and place them on the baguette pieces. Spread the cheese out onto the bread and top with a grilled pear slice. Drizzle with honey and sprinkle the smoked flake salt. Repeat until you've used up all the pear slices. Serve immeditatey.
Roasted Broccoli and Broiled Robiola
Do you miss that beloved childhood dish of mushy steamed broccoli and neon yellow cheese squeezed out from a plastic bottle? Hopefully not. But this updated take on “broccoli and cheese” can satisfy any cravings for the classic combo.
Similar to roasting cauliflower, roasting broccoli turns the cruciferous vegetable into a crispy, tender, and earthy bite.
Robiola is a creamy mild Italian cheese, made with cow and sheep’s milk (oftentimes labeled “due latte” or “two milks”.) It has subtle mushroom notes and a soft rind and is a great cheese to warm slightly and dunk crusty bread into.
Roasted Broccoli and Broiled Robiola
Ingredients
- 2 heads broccoli
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cracked pepper
- pinch red pepper flakes
- 1 piece Robiola Bosina
- Crunchy salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove the florets from the broccoli head and slice into bite-sized pieces. Slice the top part of the stem into ¼-inch thick slices. Spread both sections of broccoli out on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle over enough olive oil to lightly coat. Sprinkle on salt, pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes, flipping pieces halfway through. Once the edges get golden brown, remove from the oven and set aside.
- While the broccoli is roasting, gently slice the robiola into ¼-inch slices, using a serrated knife.
- In a smaller oven-safe serving dish (or on the same rimmed baking sheet,) lay the robiola slices over the broccoli. Place back in the oven and set to “broil.” Broil until the cheese starts to bubble and melt over the broccoli, about 3 minutes. It doesn’t take too long, so don’t walk away.
- Serve directly from the broiled dish (or transfer to a serving dish,) sprinkle with crunchy salt and serve.
Flora with Crispy Sunchokes, Pepper Jam & Pea Shoots
It isn’t hard to miss the large, elaborate and colorful cheese platters that have taken over any cheese lover’s Instagram feed. While they are jaw-droppingly beautiful, sometimes a one cheese plate can be just as inspiring. In a world of excess, occasionally it’s nice to keep things simple.
Goat cheese may be the springy-est cheese out there. It’s bright, fresh and reminds us there is life after winter. Capriole is one of the favorite goat’s milk creameries in the Aperitivo case. Their newest offering, Flora, is a delicate, bloomy rind chèvre round that is pleasantly grassy and creamy. It is a perfect size for a one cheese plate for a few people to share, or just one hungry person to enjoy.
These fried sunchokes chips are a delightfully crisp and subtlety spring garnish. Paired with pepper jam and pea shoots, the freshness of the Flora shines through. Have a glass of rosè alongside and enjoy life’s simple pleasures.
Flora with Crispy Sunchokes, Pepper Jam and Pea Shoots
- 1-2 medium-sized sunchokes, scrubbed
- ½ cup EVOO
- 1 wheel Capriole Flora
- 1 tablespoon Wildly Delicious Red Pepper Jelly
- A handful of pea shoots
- EVOO to drizzle
- Crunchy Salt
- Baguette or crackers
Using a mandolin, slice the sunchokes into thin rounds, then again into ¼ inch strips. Keep strips in a bowl of cold water to prevent oxidation.
Heat ½ cup of olive oil over medium-low heat in a heavy bottom pot. Drain the sunchoke strips and dry thoroughly on a paper towel. Add sunchoke strips and fry gently for 10-15 minutes, stirring often. The strips are ready when they start to brown on the edges and curl up. Remove from pot with a slotted spoon and keep on a paper towel-lined plate. Sprinkle with salt.
On a serving board, scatter pea shoots and top with the wheel of Flora. Spoon the red pepper jam over the top of the cheese and top with the sunchoke chips. Finish with a light drizzle of olive oil and crunchy salt.
Enjoy with toasted baguette or crackers.
La Tur Crème Brûlée
Breaking through the burnt sugar crust on a crème brûlée has to be one of most satisfying food moments of all time. Now, imagine under that sweet, crunchy exterior is a complex and sweet custard – made with cheese.
La Tur is a favorite of the Aperitivo staff and a great cheese to serve on a board or use in your kitchen (see Cauliflower Mac and La Tur.) It is a cow, sheep and goat’s milk cheese from Piedmont, Italy and packs a sweet, earthy creaminess in its cute little package.
A few cheeses in the Aperitivo case are sold in their own little ceramic dishes – Le Secret and St. Albans. Once you are done devouring the cheese, the dishes are great to keep in your kitchen, and make perfect crème brûlée dishes!
You can also find different sizes of shallow terra cotta dishes on the Aperitivo shelves. Using these shallow dishes is more similar to Spain’s Catalan cream, and allows for a higher crust to custard ratio. Which, isn’t that why we are here in the first place?
If you are using regular 4 oz. ramekins, you will need to increase the cooking time to 30-40 minutes, since the custard is deeper in the dishes.*
Using a kitchen torch is one way – and the most fun way – to achieve the burnt sugar crust on top of the custards. But if you don’t own one, using the broiler setting in the oven can accomplish the same effect.
La Tur Crème Brûlée
- 5 egg yolks
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 piece La Tur, set out at room temperature for 30 minutes
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 quart hot water, for water bath
- 8 teaspoons granulated sugar, for the brûléed crust
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture is well blended and begins to turns a pale yellow.
In a small saucepan, gently heat the cream and vanilla over medium heat until it is very hot, but not quite boiling. Gently scrape off the top rind of the La Tur to expose the creamy interior. Take the cream off the heat and spoon out half of the La Tur and fold in. Once the cheese is melted and the mixture is homogeneous, add in the rest of the cheese and stir until smooth.
Slowly add the cream to the egg and sugar mixture, a little at a time, while stirring constantly.** Once the mixture is smooth, evenly divide amongst shallow ramekins.
Place ramekins in a roasting pan or glass baking dish and place in the oven. Pour enough hot water to come halfway up the ramekins and bake the custards for 20 minutes. They should be set, but still gently tremble in the middle.
Carefully remove the ramekins from roasting pan and let cool on a kitchen towel for at least 30 minutes. Transfer to the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or up to 24 hours to continue to cool (cover with plastic if cooling overnight.)
When ready to serve, sprinkle the additional sugar over the custard to evenly cover. Using a blow torch, melt the sugar to form the crust. If using the oven, place custards on a sheet pan and set to broil for 3-5 minutes.
Let sit for 5 minutes before serving, if you can stand it.
*This recipe makes around 16 oz. of custard, so plan accordingly for whatever size of ramekin you are using. Just try and fill them evenly so they will cook at the same rate.
**If you have a buddy in the kitchen, have one person whisk and one person stream in the warmed cream. If you are tackling this dessert solo, wrap a kitchen towel around the bowl to hold it in place as you simultaneously pour and whisk.
Roasted Cauliflower Mac & La Tur
Don’t let the lack of color on this hearty plate fool you into thinking it lacks flavor.
Using La Tur, a beautiful three milk cheese from Piedmont, Italy, in a cheese sauce adds an earthy sweetness that is a great contrast to the nutty and caramelized cauliflower. Depending how ripe the La Tur is, the rind may stick to the paper around the outside. Don’t panic. Just use a spoon to scrape as much of the soft cheese as you can into the sauce.
Whole wheat macaroni makes the dish a bit more toothsome and hearty, but feel free to use any white macaroni or an alternative flour pasta.
This is a baked version, but the recipe can be haulted for a stovetop version. After mixing the cheese sauce, noodles and cauliflower, transfer to serving dishes and that’s it!
Roasted cauliflower mac & la tur
1 head cauliflower- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 box, whole wheat macaroni
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 piece La Tur, top rind removed
- Cayenne pepper
- Salt and pepper
- Breadcrumbs, or crushed crackers or chips
- Microgreens to garnish, optional
Preheat oven to 425°F. Cut the cauliflower into small florets (around the same size as your noodles) and toss on a large rimmed baking sheet. Toss with 3 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. Roast, tossing occasionally, until tender and golden brown, 35-40 minutes.
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add a handful of salt and boil noodles according to box instructions.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour and whisk to combine. Continue to stir in order to cook the flour, about 3 minutes. Slowly stream in the milk, whisking constantly to avoid clumping. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally until the mixture is thick and coats the back of a wooden spoon.
Remove from the heat and add the La Tur, a pinch of salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Stir until the cheese has melted and the sauce becomes smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Mix the noodles, cauliflower and cheese sauce together into a baking dish, top with crushed crackers or breadcrumbs, drizzle with olive oil and pop under the broiler for 5 minutes, until golden and brown. Serve and enjoy.
Sofia, Speck and Quince “Sushi”
Sushi made with cheese. Sounds fun, right?
This hilarious and playful cheese snack comes from the DiBruno Bros. cookbook, House of Cheese.
The original “sushi” uses Rogue Smokey Blue, prosciutto and quince paste, which is presumably delicious. The Aperitivo version combines soft and beautiful Capriole Sofia and smokey La Quercia Speck with the quince. Look for a piece of Sofia that is ripe and a bit squishy.
This snack is a tad visually confusing with the quince paste looking very similar to raw tuna, but trust us. It’s yummy.
Sofia, Speck and Quince “Sushi”
- 0.25 pound La Querica Speck (about 2 sheets worth)
- 0.25 pound Capriole Sofia, at room temperature
- 1 package quince paste
Place Sofia in a small bowl and mash/stir together until smooth and spreadable. If you want it be more white in color, remove the outer rind before mixing.
Lay a 12-in piece of plastic wrap flat on the cutting board. Arrange the slices of speck across the plastic, slightly overlapping. (You should be able to gently pull the shingled slices directly from the paper in one piece)
Using a butter knife or offset spatula, spread the cheese on top of the speck slices, leaving a ¼ in border around the sides.
Slice the quince paste in half lengthwise and remove one half from the carton. Slice the piece in half again, then once more, making four strips. Place the quince paste strips about 1 inch from the bottom of the cheese and speck.
Beginning with the bottom edge, form a tight roll (like you would make a sushi roll), using the plastic wrap to assist. Keep the roll wrapped in the plastic wrap, and roll it in the brown butcher paper from the speck. (This keeps the speck from browning when exposed to light) Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
When ready to serve, gently slice the sushi into bite-sized pieces with a serrated knife. Arrange on a platter and serve.
