monday night menu: cheese

Showing posts with label cheese. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Scallop Salad Sandwich with Ricotta, Basil, and Orange

I had a bunch of leftovers from a recent dinner party, and needed some way to use up a handful of scallops, some good ricotta, and a bunch of basil. This really couldn't have been easier, and wound up tasting great. I think this is the first sandwich here on the menu, but I have to say I'd be comfortable serving this in my hypothetical fancy restaurant that also serves duck breast and handmade parsnip gnocchi.

The first step is to bake or procure some bread. I'm partial to a loaf from my sourdough starter who's been with me for a few years now, but any kind of crusty white bread would be fine. Cut a few slices about a half inch thick.

Next, sear a couple of scallops over medium-high heat in a little butter and/or olive oil (butter for flavor, oil because it won't burn at high heat). You want the pan good and hot before you start, and a little salt and pepper on both sides of your scallop. The ricotta in the salad will mute your flavors a little, so don't skimp on salt, and put just a little less than too much fresh cracked black pepper on. Scallops just take a couple minutes on each side - better a little underdone than chewy and overcooked. If you're not sure, take one off the heat and cut it in half. It should be white most of the way through with a spot of translucent in the middle.

While the scallops are cooking, mix up the dressing for the salad - chiffonade a couple of big basil leaves, add the zest of maybe 1/4 of an orange, and a few spoonfuls of ricotta (whole milk only! skim ricotta tastes like sand without as much flavor). Salt and pepper to taste, and add a drizzle of olive oil if the mixture's too stiff. Take the scallops off the heat, but don't clean the pan yet. Roughly chop the scallops into the bowl with the dressing, cutting each scallop into six or eight pieces (if you used sea scallops. Bay scallops, the little ones, I'd leave whole). Mix well and spread on one of your slices of bread. Put the other piece of bread on top. Set the sandwich down in the butter you cooked the scallops in and cook until golden brown. Remove from heat and slice in half.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Honey Cardamom Cheesecake with Ginger Snap and Pecan Crust and Blackberry-Bourbon Syrup

For the crust, crush up a few ginger snap cookies and a handful of pecans, then mix with melted butter into a crumbly paste. Spread out evenly on the bottom of a springform pan and put in the freezer while you mix the rest.

To make the cheesecake, mix together a block and a half of cream cheese and some honey until it's a smooth mix. Combine with eggs and a pinch of ground cardamom until smooth. Don't over-beat the batter, and try not to get a lot of air into it.

Butter the walls of the pan with the crust in it, then pour in the batter. If you're like me you probably forgot to pre-heat the oven, so set it to 350 and do something else while it heats up. Some of the butter from the crust may leak out of the pan, so you should put it on a tray or wrap the bottom in foil. Leave it in at 350 for 15-20 minutes, then put it down to 250 for about another hour. It's done when it jiggles in response to shaking and still looks a bit wet in the middle. Cool at room temperature, then in the fridge: at least an hour, preferably as long as you can stand to wait.

The sauce is very easy. Throw a handful of blackberries in a pan along with some sugar. Put the heat on until they start to cook. Take the pan off the heat, add a splash of bourbon, and then back on, tilting it to the side to ignite the booze. If you have an electric stove you might have to use a match. Let it burn itself out, then spoon or pour over a slice of cheesecake.