Tag: melty
Danish with Havarti
Inspiration comes from anywhere these days – the internet, TV shows, overhearing someone misinterpret a menu item.
While shopping at the cheese counter recently, a pair of patrons misunderstood the Danish Havarti on the meltdown as a Cheese Danish with Havarti.
Sadly, they were informed that there were no Havariti danishes behind the counter. But it sparked a thought. Why not make a traditional style cheese Danish, but use Havarti.
That idea spiraled into incorporating some Fra’mani Rosemary Ham and Beau Bien Herbed Red Onion Marmalade. Grabbed some puff pastry on the way home, and ta da! A Danish with Havarti.
Danish with Havarti
Ingredients
- 0.25 – 0.5 lbs piece Danish Havarti
- 0.25 lbs Fra’mani Rosemary Ham, thinly sliced from the counter
- ¼ cup Beau Bien Herbed Red Onion Marmalade
- 1 package all-butter puff pastry, thawed
- 1 egg, beaten with 1 tbsp of water
- fresh rosemary or thyme, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Grate the Havarti on the large holes on a box grater.
- Coarsely chop the sliced ham.
- In a small bowl, mix together the shredded Havarti and chopped ham.
- Unfold out the sheets of puff pastry and cut each one into 8 squares. You may need to gently stretch the pastry to get a square shape.
- To make a "kite" shape, start with the corners at the 12, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock postitions. Fold the 6 o'clock corner up to the 12 o'clock corner to make a triangle. Cut two slits up from the folded line, towards the 12 o'clock corner, leaving a small section still attached. Unfold the square.
- With the attached corners at the 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock position, grab the 9 o’clock corner and fold it across to the 3 o’clock corner. Reach your fingers through the middle square and grab the 3 o’clock corner and pull it underneath the piece over the top, returning it to the 9 o’clock position. Flatten to create a little pocket in the middle. (See photos below.)
- Spoon a small amount of jam in each cavity. Top with a scoop of the cheese and ham mixture.
- Brush the exposed pastry with egg wash and place in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes to firm up.
- Set in the 400F oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating halfway through, until the pastry is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly. Sprinkle with chooped rosemary or thyme.
- Let cool and enjoy.
Vinegared Smashed Potatoes with Schallenberg and Cornichons
There are some flavor combinations that are hard to improve on, because well, they are already so perfect on their own. But who are we to not try and push the envelope?
People have been melting Raclette on potatoes for hundreds of years, enjoyed alongside bright and acidic pickles and cornichons.
Salt and vinegar chips have been around since the 1950’s and are one of the most popular potato chip flavors in America.
Why not marry these two dishes and make one bigger, better, bolder snack?
We hereby bring you….
Vinegared Smashed Potatoes with Schallenberg and Cornichons
The potatoes get boiled in vinegar, then smashed and roasted until they are crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. Then to top it all off, a robust and beefy Alpine cheese gets melted on top. Yum yum yum.
Any Alpine cheese will work – Raclette, Gruyere, Appenzeller, Challerhocker – but we are really excited about Schallenberg. So grab a wedge and try it out.
Vinegared Smashed Potatoes with Scallenberg and Cornichons
Ingredients
- 1 lb small Yukon Gold potatoes
- 6 Tbsp apple cider or white distilled, or a mix of both, plus 1 additional Tbsp
- ¼ cup EVOO
- 0.15-0.25 lbs Schallenberg, grated on the large holes of a box grater
- ¼ cup cornichons, chopped
- Chopped fresh herbs, dill, parsley, carrot tops, etc.
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Put potatoes and 6 tablespoons of vinegar in a large pot. Fill the pot with enough water to cover the potatoes by 1 inch. Set the pot over high heat and bring to a gentle boil. Boil for 10-15, until the potatoes are just fork-tender. Drain and transfer to a rimmed baking dish.
- Smash the potatoes by either placing an additional rimmed baking sheet on top of the potatoes and pressing down. You can also use a skillet, plate, or a mug to smash each potato. Break a few apart to get jagged edges and spread out on the baking sheet.
- Toss the potatoes gently with olive oil, the additional tablespoon of vinegar, salt, and pepper and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 20 minutes, tossing halfway through until the potatoes are golden brown. Remove the tray from the oven and sprinkle the grated cheese over the top of the potatoes. Place back in the oven and bake until the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.
- Transfer potatoes to a serving dish and top with chopped cornichons and fresh herbs.
Truffle Carbonara Nachos
Who says nachos can’t be fancy?
Herby chips? Fancy.
Egg yolks? Fancy.
Pancetta? Fancy.
Truffle? Fancy.
If you are feeling extra fancy, topping the nachos with caviar would send them over the edge of fanciness.
These decadent nachos are drizzled with an eggy sauce that combines the simple techniques of hollandaise and carbonara. If you need to make these nachos vegetarian, omit the pancetta and use two tablespoons of extra hot water instead.
Truffle Carbonara Nachos
- 1 bag Torres Mediterranean Herbs chips
- 0.25 pound piece of La Quercia pancetta
- 0.4 – 0.5 pound piece Jumi Truffle Raclette
- 2 eggs, yolks separated, whites discarded
- ¼ cup Parmesan – grated on a microplane
- Black pepper
- Chives
Prepare the nacho pan. Spread chips in an even layer onto a sheet pan or casserole dish. Preheat oven to 350℉.
Dice pancetta into ¼ in. cubes. Place into a small sauté pan over medium heat. Let the pancetta render out some fat and get crispy, about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to scoop out the pancetta and pour 1 tablespoon of the rendered fat into a bowl or cup with a pour spout. Set aside.
Remove the rind from the cheese and grate using the large holes on a box grater. Sprinkle over the chips and place in the oven until the cheese is melted, about 7-8 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk the two egg yolks and the grated Parmesan cheese. While whisking, slowly stream in the rendered pancetta fat until emulsified and no streaks of fat remain. If you’d like the sauce to be thinner, stream in a tablespoon of hot water as well. (If making nachos without the pancetta, slowly stream in two tablespoons of hot water.)
Remove the nachos from the oven. Sprinkle crispy pancetta over the chips and drizzle on the carbonara sauce. Garnish with black pepper and chopped chives.
Cheesy Spanish Rice with Mackerel and Crunchy Gremolata
Tinned fish is one of the hidden gems on the Aperitivo shelves, and we are always ready for more excuses to eat them.
This dish has a similar comfort factor as a tuna noodle casserole – rich and creamy rice with a firm and mild fish, topped with a bright and crunchy herb mixture. Cole’s Wild Mackerel in Piri-Piri Sauce is a great fish for this recipe, but feel free to swap it with another firm tinned fish.
Cheesy Spanish Rice with Mackerel and Crunchy Gremolata
Serves 2 as a main dish – 4 as a side.
- 1 8 oz. package Spanish Yellow Rice
- 0.5 – 0.6 pound Saffron Raclette
- 1 tin Cole’s Wild Mackerel in Piri-Piri Sauce – 4 fillets
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 anchovy fillet
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- Pinch red pepper flakes
Cook the rice according to the package instructions.
Remove the rind from the cheese and grate on a large hole box grater. Once rice is cooked, remove from heat and fold in the cheese. Keep warm.
Finely mince the garlic clove and anchovy fillet. Pile the chopped garlic and anchovy on one side of the cutting board. Tilt the knife at a 30-degree angle to the board and drag it over the garlic-anchovy mixture, scraping it across the surface of the board. Pile up the mixture again, sprinkle lightly with salt, and scrape again. Repeat until the mixture is a smooth paste and add to a small mixing bowl.
In a large skillet, toast coriander seeds over medium heat until fragrant, about 4 minutes. Remove and crush seeds using your favorite method (mortar and pestle, back of a skillet, etc.) and add to the bowl with the garlic-anchovy paste.
Drizzle about a half a tablespoon of olive oil in the same skillet and toast the Panko breadcrumbs until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add to mixing bowl, along with the lemon zest, chopped parsley and red pepper flakes. Stir together and drizzle with olive oil to slightly moisten.
Divide cheesy rice among serving plates. Remove mackerel fillets from the tin and divide evenly among the plates. Sprinkle with the crunchy gremolata and serve with a bright and crisp white wine.
Suggested wine pairing – Nortica Alvarinho from northern Portugal
“Paella” Nachos
The goal behind the creation of all Aperitivo Nachos is to make a delicious and flavorful snack or meal, with minimal ingredients and minimal effort. They are a quick and easy dish to bring to a party, or make for yourself after a long day.
These nachos are inspired by the flavors of Spanish Paella. Saffron-infused raclette gets melted over tender and flaky Spanish tortas pieces, all topped with stuffed calamari and a piquillo lemon aioli. While this version of nachos does call for making a simple aioli, it is worth the small effort. It might be the best part of the nachos.
“Paella” Nachos
Makes 1 medium sheet pan worth of nachos
Aioli
- ¼ cup Hellman’s Mayonnaise
- 1 Matiz piquillo pepper, finely diced
- 1 small garlic clove, grated on a microplane
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Nacho Assembly
- 1 package Matiz Tortas de Aceite
- 0.4 – 0.5 pounds Jumi Saffron Raclette
- ½ green or red pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 package Cole’s Stuffed Calamari
- Chopped parsley
- Lemon wedges for garnish
To make the aioli, mix all the ingredients together and season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside until nachos are ready.
Preheat oven to 350℉ and line a medium sheet pan with aluminum foil.
Gently break the tortas into pieces (roughly the same size as tortilla chips) and scatter on the lined sheet pan. Remove the rind from the cheese. Using the large holes on a box grater, shred the cheese and scatter on top of the torta pieces. Place the sliced peppers over the cheese and set in the oven. Bake for 5-6 minutes until the cheese is melted.
In the meantime, slice each stuffed calamari into thin rounds.
Remove the pan from the oven and scatter the calamari over the melted cheese and peppers. Drizzle some of the leftover oil from the tin over the nachos and set back in the oven for an additional 1 minute.
Remove the nachos from the oven. Sprinkle on chopped parsley and small dollops of the aioli and serve.
OG Aperitivo Nachos
Created out of desperation during a late-night craving for chicken and waffles, the OG Aperitivo nachos are a guilty pleasure that you should feel no shame in eating.
This snack hits all the flavor and texture points you want when needing a comfort meal – cheesy, spicy, sweet and crunchy – And it can be made in almost an instant, with minimal ingredients. It is scoop-able, indulgent, and fit to serve company or eat from your lap while watching crappy TV. No judgment here.
While Fritos are the chips of choice for the OG Aperitivo Nachos, if you have a bag of regular potato chips or tortilla chips, use them instead. This is about getting this from your oven to your mouth as quickly as possible. Be adaptable! That being said, everyone’s oven is different. If broiling works well to melt your cheese, awesome. If not, heat at 400°F and let melt there. Also, a microwave works too. But only if you are very desperate.
**While this is the OG of nacho combinations, there is no end to the amazing Nacho combinations that can be created from the Aperitivo case. Check out some of our other favorites here.
OG Aperitivo Nachos
Serves 1 hungry person or 2 polite people willing to share
- One 10.25 ounce bag regular Fritos – or as many small bags as to fill up a baking sheet
- .3 – .5 pound wedge of French Raclette
- ¼ cup Mama Lil’s pickled peppers
- Honey – try some of the great varieties on the Aperitivo shelf
Using a large-hole cheese grater, shred the French Raclette.
Spread Fritos out on a rimmed baking sheet.
Sprinkle shredded French Raclette evenly over Fritos.
Set baking sheet in the oven and set to Broil. Keep an eye on the tray and remove once the cheese is melty and bubbling, about 5 minutes.
Remove from oven and sprinkle Mama’s Lil’s over the melted cheese. Drizzle the entire pan with honey. Serve/eat immediately.