Hot Brie Kisses

The smooth creamy cheese, spicy pepper jelly and puff pastry make a delicious appetizer.

2/3 pound brie cheese
2 sheets puff pastry
hot pepper jelly

Thaw puff pastry at room temperature for about 30
minutes.

Unfold pastry and roll lightly with a rolling pin to
remove creases.

Cut each sheet into fourths, then cut each fourth in
half. Cut each piece in half again to produce 16 even squares of dough per pastry sheet.

Lightly spray mini-muffin cups with vegetable oil.
Fit a square of dough into each cup. The pointed edges of the dough should extend straight up.

Cut brie into 1/2" squares. Place a piece of cheese
into each dough-lined cup. Top with 1/4 teaspoon pepper jelly.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes, or until golden.

Chili Brie in Sourdough

Easy, elegant and delicious. A definite bonus for the busy
hostess.


Chili Brie in Sourdough

1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dry ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 round sourdough bread
1 8oz wheel brie cheese
1 tablespoon butter, softened

Preheat oven to 350F. Combine spices and sugar and set aside.

Cut circle in top of bread and remove bread center to make room for Brie. Spread butter in bread, spinkle with 2 tsp of the spice mixture.

With knife make 2 inch cuts around the edge of the bread at 1-inch intervals. Remove rind from Brie and place in bread; spinkle with remaining spice mixture and replace top of bread.

Bake on a baking sheet for 20-30 minutes. To serve remove bread top and break into bite sized pieces. Dip bread in hot Brie, using insides, top and then sides of the bread bowl.

Slicing Chevre

To make nice clean slices in a log of firm Chevre, use
un-waxed dental floss instead of a knife.

Holding both ends of the dental floss, firmly press down to the bottom of the Chevre log and then slide
out the dental floss.

Repeat for each slice required.

Cheese Temperature

Cheese in general is best served at room temperature;
this is especially true for cheeses served as an appetizer.

Soft ripened cheeses especially need
to be brought to room temperature for the correct consistency and taste to be achieved.

The exceptions would be cream cheese or cottage cheese
which needs to be served chilled, although not cold.

Keep it smooth

To ensure that your cheese fondue stays smooth while eating, make sure that the sterno heater is set only to medium.

Over heating cheese will make it "chewy" and stringy.

Low temps are best

When cooking with cheese it´s best to use a low temperature for
best results. If you heat cheese too quickly, or at too high a heat
it will become rubbery and stringy instead of smooth.

Balsamic Marinade Recipe

This is a fabulous tasting marinade for Chevre. You can serve this as is,
or neatly slice and serve on top of sliced fresh tomatoes and baby greens.

This recipe can also be made ahead, up to 2 days.

Balsamic Marinade For Goat Cheese

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
2 whole garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
8 ounces soft fresh goat cheese, cut into 1 inch slices
1/4 cup finely diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup finely diced yellow bell pepper

Mix vinegar, lemon juice, orange juice, lemon peel, orange peel, garlic, basil and oregano in medium bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Pour mixture into glass baking dish. Add goat cheese; turn to coat. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 2 days, turning occasionally.

Transfer goat cheese to platter. Spoon marinade over. Sprinkle with bell peppers.

Brie for Dessert

Caramel Brie and Apples

Place a round of Brie cheese on an ovenproof platter.

Heat in a 350 degree F. oven about 15 minutes or until
warm and soft but not runny.

Drizzle with warm caramel sauce, sprinkle with
chopped pecans or nuts of your choice, and serve
with apple slices.

Serving cheese

Cheese is best served at room temperature. Allow cheese to sit at least one hour before serving for maximum flavor.

Cocktails with Stilton

Stilton has a very distinctive powerful flavor and can be difficult
to pair with suitable wines or liquers.

Full bodied or sweet wines are recommended. Try serving Stilton
with Port, a nice Shiraz or a Chilean Chardonnay.

Pub Fondue

Full flavored and rich, the cheese in this fondue is not as stringy as the classic version making it excellent for a fondue party.

1 clove garlic, halved
1 1/4 cups beer
2 cups Leicester cheese, shredded
OR
2 cups mild cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 Tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon dry mustard
pepper, to taste

Rub inside of fondue pot with cut garlic clove. Add beer and heat until bubbly.

Toss shredded cheese in flour and mustard.

Over low heat add cheese to beer. Season with pepper and continue to heat stirring constantly until mixture is smooth.

Place fondue pot over sterno heater and keep warm over very low flame.

Cheese Course

At a formal dinner a cheese course is often served. It can be just before or after dessert, depending on
your preference.

Serve at least three types of cheese on a platter or cheese tray with firm whole pears.

The combination of sliced pears and good cheese is wonderful and adds an elegant touch to meal time.

Blue Cheese Butter

Seasoned butters make an excellent topping for any roasted, broiled, or barbecued meat, poultry, or fish.

The butters can be made up to four days ahead and refrigerated up to one week; they can also be frozen two to three months. To use just slice off the amount you need, saving the rest for another time.


Blue Cheese Butter

4 ounces Blue, Stilton, or Roquefort cheese
1/2 cup unsalted butter

1. Crumble cheese and place in a food processor or blender.

2. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, melt butter. With machine running, add hot butter to cheese in a fine stream. Blend until mixture is smooth.

3. Let stand at room temperature until butter reaches a spoonable consistency. Use immediately, or refrigerate or freeze for later use.

Makes 1/2 cup.

Ideal cheese storage

Cheese is best stored tightly wrapped in the refrigerator.

If you´ve bought too much you can wrap it tightly in foil and
then place it in a freezer bag.

Wondering how to use your frozen cheese? Check out this
tip.

Shredded or Grated

Shredding or grating your cheese before adding it to the heat
helps the cheese to melt more quickly and evenly.

To avoid rubbery cheese, take the heated liquid you are adding the
cheese to off the heat, stir in shredded cheese and stir.

Homemade Boursin Cheese Recipe

This recipe makes about 3 cups of delicious tasting cheese spread and is a
great make ahead appetizer. Mix up a batch, roll into a log using wax paper,
place in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 1 month.

Homemade Boursin Cheese

1 8 ounces pkg unsalted whipped butter
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon dill weed
1/4 teaspoon basil
1/4 teaspoon marjoram
freshly ground pepper

Combine all ingredients and mix well; chill 4 hours or overnight.

Best served at room temperature.

Blue Cheese Salad Topper

Use this Gourmet Blue cheese as a topping for salads or
on baked potatoes for a special treat.

Blue Cheese N Oil

Canola oil
Danish blue cheese
a few bay leaves
fresh minced garlic
dried peppercorns

Take a jar and dice up your cheese into bite sized pieces, put them in jar. Add the bay leaves, minced garlic, dried peppercorns.

Fill the jar to cover the cheese with the Canola oil.

Great Grating!

Cheddar, Swiss, and other semi-hard cheeses can be grated more easily if they are first chilled in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Family Fondue

The use of apple cider instead of the more traditional Kirsch or White Wine makes this a family friendly fondue

2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 pound Swiss cheese
1 1/2 cups apple cider

Shred cheese, sprinkle with flour, salt and pepper. Toss to coat thoroughly.
Heat apple cider in fondue pot, chafing dish or large skillet over low heat until it begins to bubble. Add 1/4 cup cheese mixture and stir vigorously until cheese is melted.
Continue adding cheese in small amounts and stir vigorously after each addition, until all cheese is melted and thoroughly blended. Add a dash of Worcestershire sauce if you prefer.
Serve with cubed French Baguette.

Using frozen cheese

If you have frozen cheese it´s best to use it in cooked dishes.

Freezing cheese does slightly affect the taste and texture, so it´s
not ideal for snacking once frozen.

Blue Cheese Straws

Blue Cheese and Parmesan Cheese Straws

1 large egg
2 Tablespoons water
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 cup finely crumbled blue cheese
1 pound frozen puff pastry -- thawed
paprika

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with nonstick cooking spray. In a small bowl, beat together the egg and water to make an egg wash; set aside.

In another bowl, toss together the Parmesan and blue cheeses; set aside. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out each puff pastry sheet into a 14-by-10-inch rectangle.

Brush both of the pastry sheets to the edges with the egg wash and sprinkle with paprika. Sprinkle the cheese mixture over one of the pastry sheets and top with the other pastry sheet, egg wash side down. Roll out the pastry with a rolling pin to flatten slightly.

Cut the pastry in half horizontally with a sharp knife and then lengthwise into 1/2-inch-wide strips. Carefully pick up a stick and, with both hands, twist to form a spiral (left hand counter-clockwise, right hand clockwise).

Arrange cheese straws about 1 1/2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets, pressing ends onto the sheets. Bake until golden and puffed, about 12-15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool before serving

NOTES : Cheese straws can be made ahead and frozen until ready to use or baked up to two days ahead and kept in an airtight container. To recrisp them, place in a 400-degree oven until heated through, about 3-5 minutes.