Cheese-Stuffed Dates with Prosciutto

All I have to say here is - thank you , Giada!
You had me at goat cheese, much less prosciutto, marscapone, medjool dates..........

Cheese-Stuffed Dates with Prosciutto

courtesy Giada DeLaurentiis

Ingredients
1/4 cup (2 ounces) goat cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup (2 ounces) mascarpone cheese, a room temperature
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh Chives (origina recipe calls for basil leaves)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
16 Medjool dates (12 ounces), pitted
8 thin slices prosciutto, halved lengthwise

Directions
Special equipment: 16 toothpicks or cocktail picks
In a small bowl, mix together the cheeses and basil and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Gently pull the dates apart and stuff with about 1/2 teaspoon of the cheese mixture. Close the dates around the filling. Wrap a piece of prosciutto around each date and secure with a toothpick.
Arrange the stuffed dates on a platter and serve.

Spinach Salad w/Roast Chicken, Cherries & the Goat.....

This is our alltime fav salad and our harbinger of warmer weather meals. I was inspired to make this little gem by a restaurant I visited in NOVA (northern VA) a few years ago. Although, the name escapes me now. :)

OMG-- did I just pull a RR, EVOO w/the NOVA? LOL! Stop! Snap! Slap me now! Oh well.......moving on.....

This is so easy to pull together and instead of roasting your own chicken, you could pick up a roast chicken/breast from the store.
Bella's Spinach Salad w/Roast Chicken, Cherries & the Goat
Serves 2

Two large handfuls of baby spinach
One roast chicken breast, meat picked apart for salad
Handful of dried cherries, chopped
Handful of pecan pieces, toasted
2 oz of The Goat (goat cheese ;) )

In 2 large salad bowls, place equal amts of spinach, chicken, cherries, pecan & goat. Toss w/BG Vinaigrette (recipe below):

Balsamic, Garlic Vinaigrette
The traditional measurements for vinaigrette are 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. But, I like more punch :) I make this well ahead of time and let set up in the fridge. I've also lightly sauteed the garlic in the oil to take away the raw edge and infuse the oil w/garlicky flavour!

2 parts oil ( I did 1/4 cup)
1 part balsamic vinegar (1/8 cup)
1 large clove garlic, pressed
1/2 - 1 tspn dijon mustard
1/2 - 1 tspn brown sugar
salt & pepper to taste

Phyllo Wrapped Salmon w/Herbed Goat Cheese

Had something similar in a restaurant recently(Verbena) and wanted to give it a whirl on my own. This is what I do when I have random things in my refrigerator that need to be used up-- like phyllo left over from Christmas! :)

A friend of mine brought me a "present" this past weekend-- some mouth-watering, locally made goat cheese with chives & garlic.

So, between the leftover phyllo and goat cheese gift, a lightbulb went on and I started salivating.

And please believe me when I say, this definitely lived up to the hype in my head!

Phyllo Wrapped Salmon w/Herbed Goat Cheese-

Serves 2

2 center cut salmon filets
4 tbsp herbed goat cheese
12 sheets phyllo
1/2 stick melted butter
Kosher salt, fresh cracked pepper

Preheat Oven to 400 Degrees.

Lay first sheet of phyllo down on a piece of parchment (to help contain the mess) and brush w/melted butter. Repeat until you have 6 sheets layered on top of each other.

Season salmon and place at an angle, pretty far into the phyllo so that the edges will close over the fish easily. Top with approx. 2 tbsp herbed goat cheese. Bring corner up and sides of buttered phyllo in, carefully fold fish/cheese over, keeping sides of phyllo in. Trim off any excess phyllo once done folding. Brush top with more melted butter.

Repeat process for next salmon filet. Let both filets set up in the refrigerator for approx. 10-15 minutes.

Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 35 minutes or until golden brown.

Apple & Goat Cheese Clafoutis

Alot of the desserts you see on this blog are born of desperation. I am no baker, but it's amazing what I can whip up when the urge overtakes me. Like today, I literally have no junk in the house in a last ditch effort to shave off a few lbs for spring. However, my sweet tooth begs to differ and thus we have:

Apple and Goat Cheese Clafoutis
Courtesy Richmond Chef, Dale Reitzer
Serves 6

3 Gala apples (peeled, cored, and sliced thinly)- I had granny smith
2 Eggs
5/8 c. Sugar plus additional for sprinkling
3/8 c. Butter (soft, unsalted)
1/2 c. Goat cheese (soft)
3/8 c. Flour
Salt

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix sugar with egg, butter and cheese. Sift dry ingredients together, fold in with rest of ingredients.

Divide evenly into buttered and sugared non-stick pans or rings. You may also use a 9 inch springform pan(which is what I used) or cake pans lined with parchment paper.

Overlap slices of apple over the batter and sprinkle with sugar. You will use about 1/2 of an apple per clafoutis.

Cook for about 20 to 25 minutes for individual rings (35-40 minutes for the springform pan) until brown on top. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

Christmas Dinner 2008

My husband and I have slowly been trying to establish our own Christmas traditions. The only item we've stuck to so far is beef at Christmas. This year, I endeavored to make a prime rib.

And I must admit, roasting a huge hunk of meat is intimidating to me- even with instruction and a probe thermometer. But, I have to say, our prime rib turned out tasty this year, with enough left over from the 5lb roast to invite friends over a few days later for a French Dip party! :)

I was very impressed with our newest local butcher here in Richmond, VA- the Belmont Butchery. Owned and operated by Tanya Cauthen, a trained chef, who says the Butchery is where chefs in Richmond shop for their own meat.

http://belmontbutchery.com/

15 N Belmont Ave
Richmond, VA 23221
(804) 422-8519

___________________________________________________

This is a classic Prime Rib recipe I found in a recent copy of Saveur:

Prime Rib

http://www.saveur.com/food/classic-recipes/prime-rib-21017532.html

1 5-bone beef standing rib roast (10–12 lbs.), chine bone removed and tied back on
2 tbsp. kosher salt
1 1⁄2 tbsp. dry mustard, preferably Colman's (see Canned Heat)
1 1⁄2 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary leaves
Coarsely ground black pepper, to taste

1. Season beef with salt, including the rack of bones. Rub mustard all over beef; sprinkle with rosemary and pepper. Set the beef in a 12" × 14" roasting pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2–3 days.
2. Remove beef from refrigerator 3 hours before you are ready to roast it, to allow it to come to room temperature. Arrange rack in lower third of oven and heat to 450°. Roast the beef, rib side up, until it begins to brown and sizzle, 20–25 minutes. Reduce temperature to 325°; continue roasting until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat registers 120° (for medium rare), about 2 hours more. Transfer roast to a carving board and reserve any pan juices. Cover loosely with foil and let rest for 25–30 minutes. Remove and discard chine bone. Carve roast (following steps in Carving Prime Rib) and serve with reserved pan juices.
First published in Saveur, Issue #107
__________________________________________________

We also served Green Bean Bundles, which are super easy, quick and yummy:


Green Bean Bundles


Recipe courtesy Paula Deen/foodtv.com

1 pound fresh green beans
Olive oil Salt and pepper
Bacon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Blanch green beans for 3 minutes. Toss them in olive oil and salt and pepper. Bundle about 5 green beans and wrap a piece of bacon around the bundle. Place in a roasting pan and roast for 10 to 15 minutes, until bacon is cooked.
__________________________________________________________

We started our meal with a piping hot, melt-in-your-mouth Goat Cheese Souffle. It's not a holiday in our house without a little goat cheese, bien sur!

Goat Cheese Souffles-
Recipe courtesy Martha Stewart magazine or www.marthastewart.com
Prep time: 20 minutes
Total time: 35 minutesServes 4

Soft goat cheese can be substituted for aged; be sure to reduce the amt. of salt to ¾ tspn.

3 Tbsp unsalted butter, plus more for dishes
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
½ c. whole milk, warmed
4 oz. firm aged goat cheese, grated or coarsely chopped (abt. 1 ½ cups)
¼ tspn fresh ground nutmeg
1 tspn coarse salt
¼ tspn fresh ground black pepper
4 large eggs, separated

Preheat oven to 375.
Butter four 1 cup soufflé dishes. Dust w/flour, tap out excess.
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Sprinkle flour over top(3 tbsp) and cook, whisking for 1 ½ minutes.

Add milk, cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Cook, whisking, until thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in yolks.

Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold cheese mixture into whites. Divide among soufflé dishes, filling 1 inch from top. Place on a baking sheet and bake until puffed and golden, 12-15 minutes.

Serve Immediately! Bon Appetit!

_________________________________________

We finished all of this off with the Chocolate Malt Cake recipe found below!

Goat Cheese Chocolate Truffles

Ok, you're gonna love this story. Inspired by the recipe below, I melted approx 3 oz semi-sweet chocolate in the microwave for 1 minute (stirring at 30 seconds). I then mixed it w/2 oz fresh goat cheese that had recently been gifted to me by dear, thoughtful friends. I squeezed barely a drop or two of fresh lemon juice and mixed it all together with a spoon.

I proceeded to use a small scoop to make the truffles. Rolled them in cocoa powder and stuck them in the freezer while I ran to the gym. Yes, you read that right.....they set up and were ready and waiting for me after a hard workout :)

I'm sure the actual recipe below is even better, but these tonite were pretty darn tasty!

Goat Cheese Chocolate Truffles


Gourmet October 1993
Makes about 25 truffles.

6 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped
6 ounces (about 3/4 cup) fresh goat cheese
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon pure lemon extract
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted, for coating the truffles

In a metal bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water melt the chocolate, stirring until it is smooth, remove the bowl from the pan, and let the chocolate cool slightly. In a bowl whisk together the goat cheese, the confectioners' sugar, the vanilla, and the lemon extract until the mixture is light and fluffy, whisk in the chocolate until the mixture is combined well, and chill the mixture, covered, for 1 hour, or until it is firm. Form heaping teaspoons of the mixture into balls and roll the balls in the cocoa powder. Chill the truffles on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper for 30 minutes, or until they are firm. The truffles keep in an airtight container, chilled, for 3 days.

Bella's Goat Cheese & Marinara w/Garlic Crostini

This recipe was inspired by my local pizzaria when I lived in the Ravenswood/Andersonville area in Chicago. My husband and I eat just this for dinner some nites when we are drop dead tired. It makes a great app as well, folks just suck it up! :)

You will need:
1 4 oz log chevre/plain goat cheese
1 jar marinara or your own sauce (I like Williams-Sonoma's Tomato Basil)
1 baguette
Garlic clove(s)
Small, attractive serving/baking dish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Slice baguette in 1/2 an inch pieces on the diagonal.
Place on cookie sheet.
Lay goat cheese in bottom/middle of baking dish, surround w/marinara of your choice.
Do not cover cheese, leave a little peeking out at the top.
Place dish on cookie sheet or next to it if possible in the oven.

Bake everything for 10-15 minutes until crostini are golden brown and marinara is slightly bubbling.

Take garlic, slice long-ways, rub on warm crostini.
Put baking dish in the middle of a big platter, surround w/crostini and a few spreading knives.