Sweet and Savory Recipes for Goat Cheese

Pizza with goat mozzarella and goathorn peppers

Sat, 26 Mar 2011 07:00:42 -0700

This past week looked more like mid-January than it looked like Spring Break. Almost 7 inches of rain were dumped from the rain gauge and outdoor exercise consisted of getting more firewood from the woodshed and dashing back in before getting drenched. On days like these, the oven just begs to be turned on so Eric and his friend Alex obliged with a yummy pizza concocted of leftovers from the night before. The real magic of this pizza, though, was the goat mozzarella and the spicy Hungarian peppers. All that was left when I got home was the photo but Eric made us a repeat later on with just the mozzarella and the peppers and it was terrific!

Pizza Dough:
1 cup warm water, very warm - like bathwater!
1-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast, about 1/2 a packet
1/2 teaspoon sugar or honey
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup cornmeal
3 cups all -purpose or bread flour, plus a little more for kneading
1 teaspoon salt

Topping:
jar of your favorite pizza sauce
6 to 8 ounces shredded goat mozzarella
leftover slices of roasted japanese sweet potato, optional
leftover Kolbe Fred’s steak, optional
Mama Lil’s pickled hot goathorn peppers, to taste!
dried oregano

Making the Dough:
Place the warm water, yeast and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Whisk together and let stand 10 minutes to dissolve and activate the yeast. The surface will begin to appear foamy and then you will know that your yeast is awake! Add the olive oil and stir. Combine the flour, half the cornmeal and salt and add to the liquid, stirring to blend with a wooden spoon. The dough will begin to come together into a ball.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface, sprinkled with a little more flour. Knead the dough, adding a touch of flour here and there if necessary to keep the dough from sticking. In about 5-10 minutes, your dough should be soft and pliable. Place it in an oiled bowl and then flip the dough once to coat the top side with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm spot until doubled or close to tripled in volume, about an hour and a half.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

When the dough is ready, punch it down to get rid of all the air inside. Cut the dough in half . Wrap up one half if you aren’t using the whole batch immediately and store for another use in the fridge or freezer.

Roll the dough into about a 14” round(s). Sprinkle a cookie sheet(s) with the remaining cornmeal. To transfer the dough to the baking sheet, carefully fold the dough in half, pick it up and open it up again on top of the cornmeal. This keeps it from sticking to the cookie sheets!

The Pizza:
Spread some pizza sauce over the dough, stopping an inch short of the edges. Sprinkle some cheese, then the sweet potatoes and the bits of meat, if using. Scatter the peppers over the top, letting a little of the spicy oil dribble on the pizza. Pepper the top with dried oregano and bake for 13-15 minutes until bubbly and brown. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cutting board or pizza peel to serve.

Organic Walnut Shortbread

Sun, 7 Nov 2010 17:05:21 -0800

Organic Walnut Shortbread
(makes 40-2” square cookies)

Rainy Sundays were invented for cookie baking. My latest purchase of a 25-lb case of organic walnut halves for my fudge making turned out to be more pieces than halves. Good quality for sure but I wanted full beautiful halves. Rather than ship the whole dern thing back to the farmer up north (who shall remain nameless at least for now), I decided to make use of them for other things, one being walnut shortbread. I didn’t have any oranges in the house but if I had, I’d have added the zest!

8 oz organic unsalted butter (I used Meyenberg goat butter)
1/2 cup organic powdered sugar
1/4 cup organic granulated sugar
big pinch salt, more salt might be scrumptious! I will try more next time.
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups organic, all purpose flour or whole wheat pastry
1 cup organic walnut pieces
(zest from one organic orange)

In the bowl of the standing mixer, cream the butter and the sugars. When smooth, add the orange zest if using, the salt and the vanilla. Add the flour a half a cup at a time, adding the walnuts in with the last half a cup. Mix until the dough forms a ball.

Divide the dough in half and shape into squared off logs. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour. (If you place the wrapped logs in a ziplock bag, you can freeze for up to a month.)

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Slice the logs into 1/3” slices and place on parchment lined baking sheets. Bake each sheet for about 20 minutes, or until just the edges begin to brown. Cool completely on a rack. Store in a cookie tin.

Goat Cheese Dog Biscuits

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 12:04:43 -0700

At any moment in time, you can peek in my fridge and find at least a dozen (and some times more!) different kinds of goat cheese. Today was no different than any other day. There was Dry Goat jack w/ peppercorns. There was an end of a goat gouda. Smoked goat cheddar. A fresh chevre log. Plain and also garlic & herb fromage blanc. Fresh goat ricotta. Soft ripened chevre and a soft ripened chevre blue. Goat Camenbert. Some goat tomme and something French that had no label at the cheese shop but looked yummy. Oh, and a beautiful piece of Spanish Valdeon.

Goat cheese creeps it’s way into something everyday around here and today, it was the dog biscuits. I had 2 bowls of finely grated cheeses leftover from last week’s pizza evening with Eric’s friends. It was good cheese but on the way to getting a little dried out. I hate throwing away cheese so I made a quick batch of dog biscuits, using up some whole wheat flour and some rice flour that I had made, in the process of testing out the old wheat grinder. For the liquid, I used some organic chicken stock that was in the pantry for those times when there is no homemade in the freezer.

I had the oven on for something else so it was already preheated. The dough goes together in about 10 minutes, then bakes for about 45. They smelled so good while they were baking that I had to try them and I must say, they were tasty.

(makes about a week’s worth for two good-sized country dogs)
5 cups flour (I used 3 cups whole wheat, 1-1/2 cups rice flour and 1/2 cup cracked wheat)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried oregano or Italian seasoning
1 cup or so finely grated hard and semi-hard goat cheeses
1 slightly heaping teaspoon active dry yeast (about 1/2 packet)
1/2 cup lukewarm water
1 tsp sugar
1 cup lukewarm chicken stock

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Oil a 10” x 15 “ jelly roll pan.

Combine the dry ingredients and the grated cheeses in a large bowl.

Combine the warm water, sugar and yeast in a small bowl or pyrex measuring cup. . Let stand for 5 minutes or so until foamy. Add to the dry ingredients along with the slightly warmed chicken stock. Mix and knead the very stiff dough for a couple of minutes, adding a tiny bit more water only if needed to bring the dough together.

Roll out into an oblong about 1/3” thick with a rolling pin. Fold the dough in half and transfer to the jelly roll pan. Press into place. Score the dough into biscuits with a butter knife and prick all over with a fork.

Bake the biscuits for 45 minutes and then turn off the oven. If you can’t resist the aroma of the cheese and oregano, take a little piece now while they are still relatively soft so you don’t break your teeth! Leaving them in the oven to cool for a few hours will result in that hard as a rock dog biscuit texture you are after, unless you plan to eat them yourself in which case remove them from the oven right after baking.

Blueberry Muffins w/ honey, lavender & lemon zest

Sun, 4 Jul 2010 15:49:55 -0700

(makes 12)

I was tempted by the luscious blueberries at Half Moon Bay farmer’s market this weekend and brought home a pint. Since we had overnight company, I decided to make blueberry muffins to go with our scrambled eggs for breakfast.

Growing up, my sister Mary used to make us these muffins and they were the absolute best. I have no idea where the original recipe came from and although I keep trying to improve on it, I always end up back at the original recipe. For some reason, it’s just right the way it is. My copy of the recipe is simply the list of ingredient scribbled on the back of a used envelope, no instructions. Muffins are pretty straight forward though– mix the dry and then the liquid ingredients separately, then combine. Here is this morning’s version, which I couldn’t resist adding extra lemon zest and a little culinary lavender to, at the last minute. If you aren’t a huge fan of lavender, then just leave it out and go with the original recipe – which includes half a teaspoon of grated nutmeg instead. Eat these as is, or for an extra-special treat, serve with some goat butter.

1-1/4 cups whole-wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 slightly rounded tablespoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 extra large, free-range eggs
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup fresh local honey (I used orange wildflower honey)
1 cup fresh goat milk
(1/2 cup sugar, if you like your muffins on the sweeter side)
zest of 1-2 lemons
1 teaspoon culinary lavender
1-1/2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Oil a standard 12-cup muffin pan. In a medium bowl, combine the flours, baking powder and salt.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the oil, honey, milk (I warm the milk up just slightly to help the honey mix in easily).

Mince the lemon peel, the lavender and the sugar together in a mini chop. Add this to the egg mixture and whisk vigorously. Switch to a wooden spoon and add the flour mixture and the blueberries. Stir until just combined. Fill the muffin cups almost to the top with batter and bake for 17-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Recipes from the S.F. Ferry Plaza Goat Festival

Mon, 24 May 2010 09:41:55 -0700

April 17, 2010
CUESA’s 2nd Annual Goat Fest

Maggie Foard
Author, Goat Cheese (Gibbs-Smith Publishing, 2008)

Five Savory Bruschetta Recipes Featuring Goat Cheese

These savory combinations are best served at a casual brunch, or as an appetizer or light supper. For all the combinations below, begin by brushing the tops of your bread slices with extra virgin olive oil or homemade garlic oil (olive oil warmed with crushed cloves of garlic). Toast the oiled bread slices on a baking sheet in a preheated 425º oven. When golden brown, proceed with one of the following recipes.

Zucchini Ribbons with Meyer Lemon bits, Sunflower Seeds and Chevre

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 small, young green zucchini (if the blossoms are still attached, remove and mince them and set aside)
1 small, young golden zucchini (if the blossoms are still attached, remove and mince them and set aside)
Handful sunflower or pumpkin seeds, raw or lightly toasted and salted
1 Meyer lemon, zest removed and set aside; skin peeled off and flesh sliced, being careful to remove white pith
4 ounces soft fresh chevre (or spreadable chevre or fromage blanc in a tub)
4 slices of Acme Ciabata or Levain, prepared as detailed above and cut in halves
Fresh herbs, leaves whole or chopped as you desire, for garnish

Using a vegetable peeler, create ribbons of raw green and yellow zucchini. Toss in a bowl with small bits of the lemon plus a little zest, the minced blossoms and sunflower seeds. Spread fresh chevre on the toasted bread, pile high with the zucchini ribbon mixture and garnish with herbs.

Sweet Pea Puree with Shaved, Aged Goat Cheese or Crottin-Style Goat Cheese

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 whole peeled cloves garlic
½ pound shelled fresh English peas, blanched for 2-3 minutes
Salt, to taste
4 slices of Acme Ciabata or Levain, prepared as detailed above and cut in halves
3-4 ounces Andante Etude, Vermont Bijou or Redwood Hill California Crottin, shaved or sliced into wedges
Lemon zest and/or a pinch of micro greens (pea shoots, baby arugula, etc), for garnish

Gently warm the olive oil and the 2 cloves of garlic in a small pot over low heat. Add to a food processor with the cooked peas and a little salt. Pulse to puree. Place a large dollop of the pea mixture on each slice of toasted bread and top with shaved or sliced cheese. Garnish with lemon zest and/or some micro greens.

Asparagus Spears and Aged Goat Cheese “Fondue”

1 pound fresh tender young asparagus
Extra virgin olive oil or garlic oil prepared as in recipe above
4-5 ounce wedge of Achadinha Capricious or Cypress Grove Midnight Moon, shredded
½ teaspoon cornstarch
4 ounces white wine, ideally the same wine you’ll be serving with
4 slices of Acme Ciabata or Levain, prepared as detailed above and cut in halves

Preheat oven to 425º. Trim the tough ends of the asparagus and discard. Brush the tips with a little olive or garlic oil. Roast for about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, bring the wine to a simmer in a small heavy saucepan. Toss the cornstarch with the shredded cheese. Add cheese and cornstarch by small handful by small handful to the wine, stirring constantly. When smooth, spread on the toasted bread and top each with roasted asparagus spears.

Camembert or Brie, Bacon and Golden Baby Chard

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
½ cup minced shallots or spring onion
⅓ pound baby golden chard, leaves and stems chopped into bite-size pieces (in summer use ripe sliced tomatoes instead for a Brie LT)
8 slices smoked or peppered bacon, cut in 16 halves
5 ounces Marin Yellow Buck Chevre or Redwood Hill Camellia (both are goat Camembert style)
4 toasted slices Acme Green Onion Slab or whole-wheat sourdough, prepared as detailed above and cut in halves

Preheat oven to 425º. Sauté the shallot or onion in the olive oil. Add the chard and cook for about 3 minutes until wilted but still bright green. Cook the bacon to your desired crispness. Thinly slice the cheese. Divide the chard between the toasted bread slices, top with cheese and bake in the oven for about 2 minutes, just until the cheese begins to soften and melt. Top each with 2 pieces of the bacon and serve.

Curried Crab Melts with Cheddar and Harissa or Tomato Chutney

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon curry powder
4 slices of tangy Sourdough bread, prepared as detailed above and cut in halves
½ pound fresh crab meat
4-5 ounces aged Petaluma goat cheddar, sliced or shredded
Jar of LuLu Harissa (or any brand you like) or tomato chutney or sliced jalapeno rings, for garnish
Avocado slices, for garnish

Preheat oven to 425º. Combine the mustard and curry in a small bowl. Brush or spoon over the slices of toasted bread. Divide the crab meat between the slices and top with the cheddar. Return to the oven for 5-7 minutes until lightly browned and bubbly. Serve with a dollop of harissa and avocado slices.

For more recipes with goat cheese, visit www.goatcheeseplease.com

April 17, 2010
CUESA’s 2nd Annual Goat Fest

Maggie Foard
Author, Goat Cheese (Gibbs-Smith Publishing, 2008)

Sweet Bruschetta featuring Goat Cheese

The following recipes can be served anytime but are especially good for brunch or for dessert.

Cavatina or Truffle Tremor with Cherries

4 slices Sourdough Walnut Bread, brushed with extra virgin olive oil
Log of Andante Dairy Cavatina, wedge Cypress Grove Truffle Tremor or fresh chevre
½ pound fresh dark red cherries like Bing; or substitute a jar of Frog Hollow Cherry Jam
Sugar or honey, to taste to toss the fresh cherries in, if they are very tart
Balsamic vinegar or reduction of Balsamic vinegar or a glass of nice Port, optional

Preheat oven to 425º. Brush the slices of walnut bread with olive oil and lightly toast in the oven. Cool a bit and top with the soft cheese. Pit the cherries and chop. Toss in a tablespoon or two of sugar or honey, to taste, if needed. Heap the cherries on top of the toasted bread. Serve as is or drizzle with the balsamic vinegar or balsamic reduction or serve with a glass of nice Port.

Cinnamon Brioche “Sundae” with Bodega Goat Milk Caramel and Laloo’s ice cream

4 thick slices fresh brioche
2 tablespoons unsalted or goat butter
Tub of Bodega Natilla (goat milk caramel)
Fresh fruit: choose such as sliced strawberries, shaved pear or apple
Cinnamon sugar (2 tablespoons organic sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon cinnamon)
Laloo’s Goat Milk Ice Cream
Optional, warmed Scharffenberger fudge sauce and chopped walnuts

Pan toast the bread in the butter or brush with melted butter and toast in the oven at 425. Spread caramel on warm bread. Top with sliced or diced fruit. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar. Add scoops of ice cream, spoon the warm sauce over the top and garnish with nuts.

Goat Cheese For Days

Sun, 4 Apr 2010 09:56:07 -0700

This past weekend was the 4th annual California Artisan Cheese Festival in Petaluma – a
4-day event in total and cheese lover’s paradise, to be sure. There were farm tours and workshops, 8 course tasting dinners, cheese author book signings and my favorite - the Sunday marketplace tents. The amount of cheese amassed in one place was staggering. There are so many new and local cheese producers and they were all there with their wares, serving samples and selling cheese. It was cheese heaven and all under one big tent. Well, several tents strung together really. A definite party atmosphere permeated the place with cheese and wine tasting the main event for the day.

The festival marketplace entry ticket price included a lime green, soft shoulder bag cooler with an ice pack and wine glass inside. And all the cheese and wine you could possible sample in one day was waiting for you. Immediately inside the door was the Marin French Cheese booth. Their cheeses are widely available but they have a newish line of artisan goat cheeses that are just not easy to find. Luckily they were sampling several and I came away with one of the last whole wheels of the Yellow Buck Chevre that was left. It’s a lovely creamy Camembert made with goat’s milk and it makes a terrific breakfast cheese. I sampled the scrumptious cheese offerings from Fiscalini Cheddar, straight from the hands of Mariano Gonzales himself, their talented cheesemaker. I made my way through the festival and was able to score pieces of not only my favorite goat cheeses, but some that you just can’t buy in the grocery store. Sam, the smiling young cheese seller gal at the Cheese Plus booth fed me samples of River’s Edge Chevre from Oregon, cheeses that I have only read about in articles and seen listed in the who-won-which cheese awards lists. I bought a fresh cut wedge of their Full Moon knowing it would never see the light of another day, as my husband was eagerly awaiting not only my return but the chevre he knew I’d be packing home. My next new find was the Bohemian Creamery booth sporting just about the cutest logo ever – three horned goats piled in a VW convertible with a surfboard sticking out the back! I tasted their Caprino and quickly added a wedge of that to my booty bag. A big fat wedge of Truffle Tremor from Cypress Grove and a Bucheret from Redwood Hill were my next two scores, both just too good to resist. Finally, a visit with cheesemaker Donna Pacheco and her daughter at their busy booth selling their Capricious, a well-aged caramel colored goat cheese that has been a favorite of mine for years. With full bag and full tummy, I headed towards home over the Golden Gates.

The ultimate in gourmet experience is to sample and purchase food made directly from the hands of the artisan himself or actually herself in many cases. The sun washed faces of these farmers and winemakers reminded me just how much effort goes in to the making of our food. This was truly a celebration of the work that goes into all this cheese and wine and even though the weekend meant a whole lot MORE work for them, they were all smiles.

Rosemary & Walnut Scones

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:58:02 -0800

Saffron Fettuccine in a Light Carbonara Sauce

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 10:19:57 -0800

These past few sunny days here in the northern end of the Santa Cruz Mountains were just a little tease of spring as apparently there is still a good chunk of winter weather left. The anxious bees have been milling around in the garden in the brilliant sunshine ready to do the job of pollinating my Satsuma plum tree, which is almost always in full bloom by the end of February. In past years, I have stood beneath this tree and just listened, with my eyes closed, to the beautiful sound of the honeybee chorus - hundreds and maybe even a thousand of bees, all humming at once, attending the annual flowering of my plum tree.
     In recent years, there seem to be fewer and fewer bees in the tree to mark the upcoming crop. Last couple of years, taking notice of how few bees there were, I tried to estimate their numbers. A hundred bees tops. Yesterday, only a handful of blooms were open on the tree. The bees were out there looking for goodies but there wasn’t much open yet. The weeds I purposely left unpulled in the veggie garden - the ones my husband calls “sourgrass”, are a favorite of the bees. You know the invasive ones with the long stemmed, cute yellow flowers. I love a good excuse not to pull weeds.
     It’s pouring outside again today and I am thankful the rain isn’t spoiling the plum blossoms. If they can just sit tight for a couple more days without opening, I may have some fruit to look forward to in late summer. The only thing that is really happy right now that it’s still winter is the chard. Chard just seems to thrive on the chilly weather. Chilly weather and news of earthquakes and impending tsunami seem like a good excuse for comfort food to me. How about a little grown-up macaroni and cheese to go with that very full moon out there?
     This dish comes together in about 20 minutes. 30 if you make the side of roasted asparagus (see note at the end of the recipe). Any cheese that is fully flavored and hard enough to grate will work for this recipe. Usually, this means a cheese that is well-aged, typically for 4-6 months. Sometimes, finding aged goat cheeses that are suitable for grating can be difficult. Ask for Midnight Moon Aged Goat Gouda made by Cypress Grove in Northern California. This cheese is quite readily available in most cheese shops, in Whole Foods and other specialty grocery stores. Also delicious but a little harder to find would be Capricious, made by Achadinhea (SF Ferry Plaza market on Saturdays) or the Cabralinda from Nicalou Farms. Cowgirl Creamery at the Ferry Bldg can be counted on to have semi-hard to hard goat cheeses in stock. The three mentioned above are from California but from time to time, they carry some interesting east coast candidates like Harvest from Hillman Farm in New York, or aged cheeses from Twig Farm in Vermont.

Saffron Fettuccine in a Light Carbonara Sauce
(serves 3-4)

8 ounces dried saffron or artichoke fettuccine
8 quarts salted boiling water
6 slices natural applewood smoked bacon
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 very large onion, halved then sliced
1 cup chicken stock or pasta water
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup (or more to taste) very finely grated Midnight Moon Aged Goat Gouda

Put a large pot of water on to boil. Place your pasta or soup plates in a warm oven. Once the water has come to a full boil, add a teaspoon salt and the fettuccine. Set the timer for the pasta (the package will tell you how long, subtract a minute) and start the sauce.

Dice the bacon and place in a large deep skillet, large enough for both the sauce and the pasta. Cook the bacon until it’s just beginning to brown and drain off most of the fat. Add the olive oil to the pan in place of the bacon fat. Add the onions and cook until they are soft and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. (While the onions are cooking, you will need to drain the linguine) Add the stock or pasta water to the onion-bacon mixture and let simmer a moment or two before adding the drained pasta to the pan, tossing to mix. Once the pasta and onion mixture is piping hot, off the heat and add one egg yolk at a time continuing to toss to coat the pasta. Finally add the grated cheese, toss then serve immediately in your warmed bowls. Pass the pepper grinder at the table.

(Roasted Asparagus makes a wonderful side for this dish. Try tossing a pound of trimmed asparagus spears with a Tablespoon each of extra virgin olive oil and good balsamic vinegar. Spread on a baking sheet, season with salt and freshly ground pepper and roast at 400 degrees for about 12-15 minutes, while you prepare the pasta.)

Maggie’s Chocolate Valentine Cake

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 10:21:38 -0800

with fromage blanc cream filling & bittersweet chocolate glaze

For the cake:
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1-3/4 cup sugar
2 cups sifted, all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
3/4 cup strong coffee, cooled (I like rocket fuel strength Peet’s)
1/2 cup canola oil
3/4 cup plain whole milk yogurt (I like to use goat yogurt )
1 tsp vanilla

For the filling:
5.5 oz tub fromage blanc or 4 oz log chevre
1-1/2 cups whipping cream
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

For the glaze:
1 –3.5 oz bar good 70% bittersweet chocolate, like Sharfenberger or Valharonna
1 Tablespoon strong coffee, coffee liquor or cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter & flour 2 – 9” heart shaped cake pans.

Combine the cocoa, sugar, flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder in a mixing bowl. Whisk together the eggs, coffee, oil, yogurt and vanilla and add to the dry ingredients. Mix until you have a nice smooth batter. Divide the batter between the 2 cake pans, smoothing out the batter into the shaped corners and place in the oven. Bake for 25-35 minutes until the tops of the cakes are springy and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pans, on racks for at least half an hour before icing.

Combine the filling ingredients and beat with the electric mixer until stiff.

Carefully invert one cake layer onto your serving platter, lining it first with a doily if desired. Pile most of the filling in the middle and smooth outward with a frosting knife or rubber spatula until you have even coverage out to the edge. Carefully, invert the second layer and place it on top.

Break the chocolate into pieces and melt in a small bowl along with 1 Tablespoon of coffee or coffee liquor in the microwave. This is best done on the defrost setting. It should take about a minute or so. Remove when the chocolate is almost but not completely melted and then stir until the warm chocolate melts the very last bit. Pour over the top of the cake, spreading and smoothing towards the edges, letting just a little bit dribble over the sides.

Chill if not serving within the hour. Tastes best when it’s not super cold so if you do chill it, remove a half an hour before serving. This is very nice served with fresh local strawberries or raspberries.

Crepes with Fresh Ricotta

Sun, 7 Feb 2010 10:22:22 -0800

Fresh ricotta in the house the other day was cause for immediate celebration. This meant having breakfast for dinner in our case as I certainly couldn’t be expected to sleep until I had eaten crepes made with this wonderful cheese.

     Crepes have been on my mind ever since I tasted the Bellwether Farms sheep’s ricotta at the Pasta Shop in Berkeley. They hosted a special evening of Vermont & California cheese tasting there in mid-January in honor of Allison Hooper’s book signing. We had arrived late due to the traffic on the bridge and got there with only moments to spare before they closed the doors. I managed to meet the author and get a copy of her beautiful new book, In a Cheesemaker’s Kitchen, but missed most of the cheese tasting and didn’t have time to buy any edibles. I did manage to taste the Vermont Butter and Cheese selection, incredible goat cheeses, Bijou, Crotin and Bonne Bouche. The other cheese I was able to taste was the Bellwether Farms sheep’s ricotta. This ricotta was amazing – light, mild and creamy and they served it drizzled with a little Katz Organic Meyer Lemon Olive Oil from California. Incredible!

    Nothing like a few good morsels of artisan cheese to whet the appetite. Luckily we had reservations for the special cheesemaker dinner next door, with special menu to showcase the Vermont Butter and Cheese selection. This was my first time to eat at Café Rouge (although I had eaten at a place called Café Rouge in London years ago but probably no relation) and dinner was very delicious. I especially loved the little potato and goat cheese timbale that came with my dinner– Yukon Golds or maybe fingerlings with melted Vermont crotin. Melt in your mouth good. Probably drenched in that tasty Vermont Butter. An old shoe would have tasted good with that butter on it!

     Returning to Berkeley two weeks later on an errand, I was able to pop into the Pasta Shop and come away with half a pound of the Bellwether Farms sheep’s ricotta and a bottle of the lemon oil. This meant crepes for dinner - A good crop of young chard in the garden dictated the filling for the savory one and some dried California Mission figs given to me at the Fancy Food Show were destined for the sweet crepe. Below is my own version of the fig and tea jam I tasted at the show.

Crepes with Fresh Ricotta (one savory, one sweet)
(makes 4 of each, serving 4)

Savory Ricotta & Golden Chard Crepes with pine nuts and Meyer lemon oil
Sweet Ricotta Crepes with 10-minute Mission Fig & Earl Grey Jam

To make the crepes:
1 cup cold fresh goat milk
ice cubes
2 extra-large, free-range eggs
2 Tablespoons canola oil or melted butter
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour OR 1/2 cup all-purpose, 1/2 cup buckwheat flour)
*1/2 tsp vanilla, added to the batter for the last 4 sweet crepes

Place the milk in the carafe of a blender. Add ice cubes until the liquid measures 1-1/3 total. Blend until the ice cubes disappear. Add the remaining ingredients except the vanilla and mix until well blended. Use immediately or keep chilled until ready to use.

Warm an 8” non-stick skillet or crepe pan with a very light coating of cooking oil or spray. Once the pan is hot, swirl the pan by rotating your wrist and add a 1/4 cup of batter to the center. The batter will roll around and coat the entire pan forming a nice thin, round crepe. After about a minute, gently flip the crepe and let it finish cooking for about 25-30 seconds. Transfer the finished crepe to a plate, lined with a tea towel. Repeat with the remaining batter until you have 4. Keep the crepes warm on a large dinner plate, wrapped in the towel. Set the plate over a pan of simmering water.
*Add the vanilla to the batter now for last 4 crepes, which will be your dessert crepes.
Return the batter to the fridge while you make the savory crepes and eat them.

Savory Crepe filling:
(makes 4)
8 ounces of fresh ricotta, like Harley Farms goat ricotta or Bellwether Farms ricotta
1 bunch golden chard or 4-5 cups chopped young chard from the garden
1/2 medium onion, minced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
(a little proscuitto, pancetta or Canadian bacon, chopped ) optional
several sprigs of fresh rosemary or oregano, just the soft tips
handful pine nuts or walnuts
2 Tablespoons of lemon olive oil, plus more for serving
lemon zest
salt & pepper to taste

Warm 2 Tablespoons of the lemon oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add the minced onion, sauté for 2-3 minutes. Mince the garlic, pancetta and rosemary - add along with the pine nuts. Once everything is piping hot and beginning to brown add the chard by the handfuls. In 2-3 minutes, the chard will be wilted but still bright green and considerably reduced in volume. Crumble HALF the ricotta into the chard and gently mix, leaving the cheese rather chunky. Set the skillet aside, off the heat. Salt & pepper to taste.

Assemble the crepes: (Reserve half of the ricotta for the sweet dessert crepe below). Spoon the chard filling into the crepes and roll up, serving one per person seam side down and drizzled generously with the lemon oil, the way you would drizzle maple syrup! Garnish with rosemary sprigs and maybe a little lemon zest.

Sweet Crepe filling:
(makes 4)
6 ounces dried Mission Figs
4 tea bags of earl grey, black currant or your favorite black tea
1 cup boiling water
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup sugar
4 crepes, from the reserved batter above
2 Tablespoons melted butter
reserved ricotta, from above
powdered sugar, for dusting

Make the fig jam: Place the figs and the tea bags in a small bowl and
cover with the cup boiling water. Let steep for 5-7 minutes. Discard the
tea bags. Add the honey and the sugar. Let the figs plump for a few more
minutes and then pour the entire mixture into the food processor. Pulse
for a smooth puree. Transfer to a clean jam jar and refrigerate or serve
right away with the crepes (leftovers are great with your morning toast
and goat cheese!)

Make 4 more crepes from the reserved chilled batter, while the jam is
steeping, keeping them warm as above.

Assemble the crepes: Roll up your crepes, brushing the inside of each with melted butter and/or crumbling some ricotta if you have any leftover from the savory crepes. Sprinkle powdered sugar generously over the rolled crepes and serve with a large dollop of the fig jam alongside. A little glass of port would be just the thing with these although I didn’t think of it at the time. I’ll try it again as soon as I get my hands on some more fresh ricotta!