Tag Archives: Goat Cheese

Friends Food Fun

Ep – 15 Warm Goat Cheese Salad

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httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdY4dZZIyUk

Well, Summer is in full swing (yay!).
Have you started any vacation plans?

Helenka and I were perusing the cookbook we are currently reviewing (Cook This Not That – loving it with a few exceptions) and happened across the salad section wherein we gazed upon this lovely but simple masterpiece involving one of our favorite cheeses (goat cheese, in case you have not figured that out lol). Speaking of goat cheese, the recipe calls for a log of this cheese which is to be coated with chopped herbs. But, while I was shopping around, I found the log variety with the herbs already on it (so skipping one step is perfectly fine in my books).

Another ingredient was breadcrumbs. I didn’t like what was in the grocery store, but I did see something that I thought would be a perfect alternative and, me being a label reader, learned that the cornflake variety seemed to be lower in fat, etc., than the regular “garden” variety of breadcrumb. Of course, not knowing how this would turn out (yeah, we live dangerously by replacing ingredients … sometimes even critical ones, as you may have already discovered from the pasta fiasco), I didn’t tell Helenka until we started filming. [Evil editor’s interjection: I may have to require a full-disclosure policy from now on!]

I had to prepare the goat cheese by slicing then freezing it (freeze for 15 minutes) and the book had an interesting tip that I did not know beforehand but will gladly share.

Tip: For easy slicing take some unflavored dental floss and use it to cut perfect slices of the goat cheese (see this video from Chow)

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44x-ENx67Bk

Once the cheese was coated with the cornflake crumbs then frozen for the aforementioned period above, it was time to put it into the oven (this is the wow part for me). Freezing the cheese allowed it to heat up in a more controlled manner, so that the coating would crisp just enough yet the cheese would be warm and soft inside. Oh, the cornflake coating was a PERFECT substitution for the breadcrumbs. In fact, I may try replacing anything that calls for breadcrumbs with this instead (should be interesting).

I really love simple recipes that, while easy to prepare, can wow you at the same time and this one was no exception. Verdict (in tandem with Helenka): we loved this salad and all its components!

Enjoy!
B&H =:)

Please note: We try and review the recipes in the cookbook; however, in an effort to respect copyright, we are not able to reproduce the actual printed recipes here. If you do have the book, please follow along with us!

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Review: Warm Goat Cheese Salad

Notes from the Chef’s Sidekick (Helenka)

Tonight’s menu was cornflake crusted baked goat cheese rounds served on a spring mix salad that included diced pear, with a balsamico, oil and shallot dressing. And toasted walnuts. Ask us how much we loved this dish? Oh, wait. You’ll have to wait until after we’ve finished moaning. Nope, not yet. Are you kidding? No … but we’re almost done. Okay, we can talk now. But, wow, do we want to make that dish again.

Brian already made a variation in the choice of coating. He’d picked up a box of breadcrumbs and compared it to a box of cornflake crumbs. And the cornflakes won with fewer calories and all that vital nutritional data. We found that the taste of the cornflakes was sweeter and the slightly crinkled texture made for a tastier surface to bite into. Another choice Brian made was to use a goat cheese that was already flavoured with herbs, rather than adding them in the kitchen.

Variations

Strangely enough, when Brian and I were looking through The Book to choose our next recipe, I was under the impression that the Goat Cheese would be coated and baked while still in the shape of a log; then, when sliced, would end up resembling a tempura-fried sushi. [Why, yes, I’m strange. You haven’t figured that out yet?]

So, I think it would be a lovely departure from having a coated-on-all-sides cheese round: to coat a whole plain log instead, perhaps flavoured with a touch of wasabi, and bake it (probably for a touch longer than indicated per the recipe) before slicing very carefully. Then, the presentation would be more spectacular, with the white of the oozing cheese, speckled with spring green wasabi and encircled with the cornflake crumbs, nestled over the spectacularly colourful salad mix.

I’d use the same ingredients for the salad, but I would also add mandarin segments to the already-present pear and sprinkle a few drops of sesame oil to carry the Asian theme further.

Another even wilder variation from the middle of the night when I obviously should have been sleeping:
What about inserting a thick skewer through the centre of the log creating a channel. Then, blending or processing shredded fresh basil leaves, roasted garlic cloves and toasted pine nuts … but not completely to a pulp before inserting the mixture (perhaps using a pastry funnel) into the channel. I’m getting hungry just thinking about the combined flavours.

Of course, I’d also toss whole basil leaves and some more toasted pine nuts into the salad accompanying this variation.

You’ve already read my verdict, but I really don’t mind repeating myself (and to state it officially for the record). A definite huge YES (and quite a healthy one)!

Cooking time (duration): 60

Diet (other): Low calorie

Number of servings (yield): 2

Meal type: supper

Culinary tradition: USA (General)

My rating:5 stars: ★★★★★

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Friends Food Fun

Ep 10 – Mini Pizzas (Goat Cheese, Basil Pesto edition)

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httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=430_lH_Af3Y

WOW … EPISODE 10!

When I thought up the idea of doing my own cooking show with my very bestest friend and “Cohort in Cooking”, Helenka [Evil editor’s cautionary note: uh-oh, he’s trying to make me forget he bypassed my editorial eagle eye last week], a few years ago, I never thought I would reach this milestone. Okay, so 10 episodes of 10 minutes each may not really seem like a huge achievement but, hey, let’s celebrate anyway because it’s a 10 in our books!  [Evil editor’s clarification: though the finished episodes may be only 10 minutes long, between the additional prep time (done by those dedicated, hard-working kitchen pixies, lol) to the total length of raw footage that requires considerate selection and additional application of a bit of pizzazz, the CIC is proud to boast that we’ve more than earned that 10!]

I love pizza and my favorite store-bought brand is “Delissio”, especially the garlic bread one. However, if you are a nutritional fact info reader (as I am), you will shy away from it as well as all other store bought pizzas due to their incredibly high calorie, fat and carb counts – for the very small slice that is supposed to be one serving. No matter how good it is (or was, in my memories), I find myself walking away from buying it. How’s that for willpower?!?  [The CIC offers congratulations and applause.  Besides, our version tastes fabulous!]

I was pleasantly surprised and eager to try this version of a mini pizza using “English muffins” as the unexpected secret base instead of dough. We really enjoyed these little treasures. I have since made them several times, varying the ingredients. [See the CIC pout!  He didn’t invite me to partake.] I’ve tried a version with sun-dried tomatoes, even switched English muffins with those new burger buns called “thins” (from the you know who company [Evil editor’s note: he’s just pulling my leg; he really means the PC brand]). They are bigger so you can really lay out the ingredients on their culinary canvas; of course, the calories, etc. will be higher. Just remember this is all about learning how to eat better by cooking at home. I think this one deviation in the bun is just fine, though do stick with the original if all you are looking for is a snack.

Thanks to all our fans. We really enjoy doing this show and appreciate that you are watching us faithfully every week. So here’s to the next 10 episodes.  If you hadn’t figured it out yet, I prefer to set short attainable goals in many of my endeavours.  😉

With summer approaching, we can hardly wait to get outside and start barbecuing. Stay tuned and…
Enjoy!
B&H =:)

Please note: We try and review the recipes in the cookbook; however, in an effort to respect copyright, we are not able to reproduce the actual printed recipes here. If you do have the book, please follow along with us!

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Review: Mini Pizzas

Notes from the Chef’s Sidekick (Helenka)

Dinner was Mini Pizzas, 3 Ways on Page 92 from The Book. Of course, we decided on the Basil Pesto, Goat Cheese way. The other ingredients were kalamata olives, red onion slices and artichoke hearts.

One of the biggest problems with eating/judging serving portions of pizza is that people overestimate how small one serving is. An excellent case in point is that supermarket frozen personal mini pizzas actually contain EIGHT servings … and not merely one that the word “personal” would otherwise indicate. However, in this case, the size was limited severely by the use of English muffins (and that’s smart thinking). Yet the lavish use of extravagant toppings didn’t make us think we were being restricted in any way. In fact, it was the deliberate contrast between textures (smooth, crumbly, crunchy, squishy … and now I’m giggling because I’m remembering chewing and savouring) that made the experience so much fun, especially having to bite down through all of the multi-hued layers.

The salt I chose for this … well, it really couldn’t be anything else other than the Mediterranean sea salt. Along with grindings of black pepper and the oil from the preserved artichoke hearts, we had a *free* salad dressing for our arugula, spinach, kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes and red onion slivers. And that’s something else to remember: when ingredients come preserved (but not in mostly chemical formulae, because … yuck), you can easily incorporate the liquid for cooking or, as in this case, a salad dressing. Hey, we like *free* … and we thought you would, too.

Variations

This episode also brought back 35-year old memories of getting together with friends and having one of them whip up a pizza on the spot. I remember the pizza dough … and sardines (hey, I happen to love sardines), onions and a bit of olive oil. I believe there were anchovies as well. In any case, it was a fun, spur-of-the-moment meal to have late at night. The weird dreams were a bonus.

But the memory also highlights the fact that, too often, pizzas are covered with too much goop, things that have no distinguishable shape or texture and therefore cannot be appreciated (let alone chewed). However, if you use real ingredients (in small portions), then you can allow your tastebuds to savour all of the varied shapes, sizes, textures and flavours, because good food deserves to be respected as well as enjoyed. And there should be absolutely no limit to your imagination, whether it’s sardines or … something even stranger!

The other two choices from The Book were either Hawaiian or Sausauge and Pepper. In my opinion (and verdict), our choice was amazing.

Cooking time (duration): 60

Number of servings (yield): 2

Meal type: snack

Culinary tradition: USA (General)

My rating:5 stars: ★★★★★