Dulce Gorgonzola Pickled Pear Tart Recipe

 

Serves 8-10
INGREDIENTS

FILLING

4 oz or 1/4lb Dulce Gorgonzola cheese
1/4 cup Light sour cream
1 1/2 tbsp Honey
1 Egg yolk, large
Pinch of Kosher Salt & Cracked Black Pepper


CRUST

1/2 Hazelnuts, roasted, ground 
1 tbsp Sugar
1/4 tsp Kosher salt
3/4 + 2 tbsp Flour, all purpose 
6 tbsp Butter, unsalted, chilled
1-3 tbsp Ice water
1 tsp Cinnamon or Thyme or Rosemary (these flavors each will work well with filling so, your choice)
2 pint jars Pickled pears or you can poach fresh pears (for pickled pear recipe see below)

INSTRUCTIONS:


1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Making crust using a food processor. Place flour, cool, ground hazelnuts, salt, sugar and butter and pulse until combined. Add water 1 tbsp at a time to help the mixture blend completely. 
3. Place dough on plastic wrap sheet, cover and roll into a log shape, chill for 30 min.
4. For the filling, place cheese, yolk, sour cream, honey and S&P into a blender or vita mix and puree. 
5. Remove crust. Spray a tart or pie pan with nonstick spray. Unwrap dough and place into pan. Using the piece of plastic wrap to come in contact with the dough, press it flat into pan. This protects your hands and smooths the dough evenly. 
6. Using a fork, prick the dough in several places. Place foil over the whole crust and weigh it down with dry rice or dry beans. Place in oven to bake for 20 minutes.
7. After 20 minutes, remove the foil and rice or beans. Cook tart shell an additional 15 minutes until edges begin turning golden brown.
8. Remove tart shell from oven. Pour in the filling and top with slices of pears. 
9. Return to the oven and bake an additional 15 minutes.
10. Remove from oven. Can top with additional roasted hazelnuts. 
11. Serve warm or at room temperature.  Store leftovers in refrigerator.



Recipe by "Joy of Pickling"
6 lbs Bosc pears, pitted, peeled, sliced
4 Cinnamon sticks
2 tbsp whole cloves
1 inch Ginger, fresh, sliced thin
3 cups Water
2 cups Distilled white vinegar
4 cups Sugar

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Place spices in a sachet of cheesecloth.
2. Using a nonreactive pot, bring water, sugar, vinegar, spices to a boil- creating an infused syrup.
3. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 min.
4. Add in pears and cook until tender ~5-10 min.
5. Place pears and syrup into clean pint jars. Seal with lid.
6. Place jars into a boiling water bath and process for 15 minutes.

Super Bowl Snack, Mushroom & Hazelnut Pate

Mushroom & Hazelnut Pate Recipe

Quick and easy, healthy snack - - chocked full of  "super foods" yet, so decadent you feel shameful eating it.


No one will miss the meat. 
This vegetarian spread is a crowd pleaser, especially for mushroom lovers. 
This recipe could be made vegan if like  or RAW. I will note what changes to make below.

INGREDIENTS

1cup hazelnuts, unsalted,  roasted (can substitute walnuts or pecans for RAW version don't roast)

1/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms (rehydrate w/a cup of boiling water)

1 lb cremini or baby portobello mushrooms (or 1 store bought container)

2-4 dry packed sun dried tomato halves (if plump and large use 2 halves only)

1/2 tbsp Parmesan Cheese (substitute nutritional yeast for vegan &/or RAW version)

2 tbsp Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce (Tamari if you prefer)

2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 tbsp porcini soaking liquid (from rehydrating them)

1/2 tbsp Lemon Juice

1 tsp Miso, Light

1 tsp Rosemary, chopped

1 tsp Thyme, chopped

Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

Serves with bread slices, feeds 6

DIRECTIONS

1. Place porcinis in a bowl and pour bowling water over them. Soak for about 1 hour to rehydrate.
2. Preheat oven to 400F. Place nuts on a baking sheet (do not grease or spray). 
3. Roast nuts for about 20-30min. Careful not to burn.
4. Remove nuts and allow them to cool.
5. Place remaining ingredients into a food processor or Vita Mix blender. Add the hydrated porcinis along with 2 tbsp of the liquid they soaked in. Add cooled nuts. Process until smooth.
6. Serve with bread, toast or crackers.

Valdeón Cheese- Best Spanish Blue Cheese

Currently, this has to be my favorite cheese and maybe all time favorite Blue cheese.

Selling at Baltimore's Whole Foods for $11.99/lb.

Made with Cow's or Goat's milk. Wrapped in Maple or Chestnut leaves. From the Leon region.

What is so surprising about this blue is its pockets of caramel like sweetness. It is of course very salty first off but as you let this cheese melt in your mouth you feel the creaminess and embrace the earthy, mild stink (in comparison to other blues) and then you find these spots of nutty sweetness. I would compare it to how some aged Goudas had tiny almost crunchy sweet crystals.

What to pair this with:

Strawberries & Balsamic glaze
Figs & Steak
Cherries & Pork Chops
Candied Walnuts & Radicchio
Fresh Spinach & Toasted Hazelnuts
Caramelized Onions & Morels

Wine: Fruity Pinot Noir, CA Zinfandel, Round Cabernet, Albarino