Savory Cheddar Bacon Scones

April 26, 2022

By Cheesemonger Pedro

8 servings

Ingredients

3 Cups all purpose flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 Tsp salt

2 Tsp sugar

½ Tsp garlic powder

10 Tbsp butter frozen and grated

¾ Cup of 8 year Great Grand Cheddar

7 Slices bacon cooked and crumbled

About 3 tablespoons of fresh chives, finely chopped

1 Cup Buttermilk plus ¼ more as needed to bring dough together

Preparation

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2) Cook bacon until crisp and crumble or chop into small pieces.

3) In a large bowl sift and whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and garlic powder.

4) Grate the frozen butter in a separate bowl

5) Using the tips of your fingers or fork mix the butter into the flour mixture. Dough should be crumbly.

6) With a fork, mix the cream into the flour/butter mixture and work just until dough comes together and forms some large clumps. Best to use your bare hands.

7) Add cheese, bacon, and chives. Using your hand mix cheese, bacon and chives into dough by pressing the dough against the side of the bowl until everything comes together.

8) Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Pat dough into a large round disk. It should be about ¾ thick.

9) Using a knife, slice the disk into eight pie-shaped pieces.

10) Place wedges ½ inch apart on a baking sheet and lightly brush each wedge with a little buttermilk.

11) Bake for 20-23 minutes, until golden brown.

12) Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Buttermilk bleu cheese dressing

January 26, 2022

Ingredients

4 oz House Aged Buttermilk Bleu Cheese

1/4 cup buttermilk

1/4 sour cream

1/4 cup Greek yogurt*, whole milk recommended

2 tbs white wine vinegar

1/2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

*can substitute mayo for Greek yogurt for less tanginess, but more richness

Preparation

1. Crumble bleu cheese with a fork in a bowl. Preserve some crumbles for garnish if desired.

2. Mix all other ingredients together in the bowl until well combined.

3. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Store in the fridge in an air-tight container.

Cheesy Grits

October 26, 2021

By Cheesemonger Nicole

6 servings

Grits

1.5 cups instant grits

6 cups boiling water

1 tsp salt, plus more to taste

0.5 lb (2 cups) grated/ crumbled cheese (recommended: Applewood Smoked Cheddar and Kickaas Chipotle Espresso Cheddar), plus more for serving

Instructions

1. Bring 6 cups of salted water to a boil in a large pot.

2. Meanwhile, add oil to a frying pan and saute peppers, okra, and onion.

3. Stir in 1.5 cups of instant grits to boiling water.

4. Cover the pot of grits and cook on medium/low for 5-7 minutes or until thick; stir regularly. 

5. Once veggies are beginning to soften in the pan, add beans, paprika, salt, garlic powder, pepper, and cayenne pepper. (opt. add meat)

6. Once the grits are thick, fold in 2 cups of cheese, and salt to taste

7. Serve cheesy grits topped with sauteed veggies, extra cheese, and green onions

Toppings

1.5 cups diced fresh peppers (shishito, bell, banana, poblano, etc)

1.5 cup of sliced okra (1” rounds)

1 small sweet onion, diced

1 can black beans, drained

2 tbs cooking oil of choice

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp salt

½ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp pepper

Dash (or more) cayenne pepper

Green onions for serving

Opt. chicken, shrimp, or Andouille sausage

TCPGR Homemade Pizza w/ Basil Jack

February 24, 2021

By Cheesemonger Mia

Makes 2 approximately 10” pizzas

Dough

2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast

½ teaspoon granulated sugar

1 cup warm water

1 teaspoon salt

1 ½ tablespoons olive oil

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450°F

2. Pour warm water into a mixing bowl, add sugar, olive oil, and yeast. Let the mixture sit for about five minutes. The mixture should begin to foam and bubble, indicating the yeast is activated. If this does not happen, either the water was too hot, or the yeast has expired.

3. Add in salt

4. Add flour little by little, stirring with a wooden spoon or the bread hook on a stand mixer.

5. Knead for about five minutes, until the dough comes together into a smooth, dense ball.

6. Divide into two. At this point, you can store the dough in the refrigerator for up to five days, or the freezer indefinitely.

7. Roll dough out on a floured counter into two approximately 10” circles.

8. Brush crusts with a thin coating of olive oil

9. Cover with sauce (see below), leaving about ½” of crust free around the perimeter of the pizza. If you don’t have the time or ingredients to make a pizza sauce from scratch, store-bought is fine.

10. Top pizzas with grated Kickaas Jack with Basil, roughly ½ pound per pizza.

11. Using a pizza peel or spatula, transfer pizzas to a preheated oven. (If you have one, use a pizza stone for best results!)

12. Allow to bake for roughly 12-15 minutes, until the cheese begins to turn a golden brown, and color appears on the crust. This may take more or less time depending on your oven and pizza stone, so it’s best to keep an eye on them!

13. Remove from heat, allow to cool for approximately five minutes before serving.

Cheesemonger’s tip! Bring out the light, fresh flavor of the Kickaas Jack with Basil by serving pizzas with a rich, dry Cabernet Sauvignon.

Sauce

5-6 Roma tomatoes

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 finely-diced shallots

3 cloves fresh garlic

Oregano, red pepper flake, and salt to taste

Sauce Instructions

1. Pour olive oil into a large saucepan on low heat, and add garlic. Let the garlic “sweat” to bring out flavor, keeping heat low to ensure that it does not burn.

2. Add shallots, continue to simmer on low heat

3. Purée tomatoes in a blender or food processor, and add to the saucepan, allow the

4. mixture to partially reduce, stirring periodically.

5. Add balsamic vinegar and other seasonings to taste, continue to reduce until the mixture reaches the consistency of a marinara sauce.

TCPGR WHIPPED FETA DIP

February 17, 2021

By Cheesemonger Brian

For serving:
1/2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
Pinch red pepper flakes
Pinch dried dill

Eat with naan, fresh veggies

Add to food processor:
1/2 lb Feta
3/4 cup mayonnaise
Zest of 1 lemon
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp dried dill
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
Pinch salt

Blend until smooth

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Shredded Asiago / Parmesan

February 9, 2021

By Cheesemonger Pedro

Ingredients:

Stalk or 1 1/2 pounds of Brussels sprouts

1 tsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp of grounded pepper

Sprigs of fresh thyme

1/3 cup of Aged Asiago

1/3 cup of Aged Parmesan

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.

2. Clean Brussels sprouts and cut in halves.

3. In a large baking pan, add Brussels sprouts along with salt, pepper and thyme.

4. Drizzle olive oil and mix. Make sure everything is mixed together and spread evenly.

5. Bake in the oven and roast for 35 minutes, until crisp outside and tender inside. Shake the pan from time to time to brown the Brussels sprouts evenly.

6. Remove from the oven and sprinkle cheeses evenly.

7. Place back in the oven for additional 10 min or until the cheeses are melted and golden brown.

8. Remove from the oven, let it cool bait and enjoy

9. For added crunchiness, add some cooked bacon bits :-).

Kickaas QUESOdilla 

January 28, 2021

By Cheesemonger Dave and Fiance Christine

Ingredients:
2 8 oz chicken breasts
4 large tortillas
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup chipotle cheddar
1/2 cup havarti
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 F
2. Combine salt, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, chili powder, and black pepper in a small bowl. Stir to combine.
3. Season chicken breasts with spice rub on both sides.
4. Place chicken breasts in a baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 30 minutes or until cooked through and juices run clear. Let chicken rest for 5 minutes and then slice.
5. Grate Havarti and chipotle cheddar. Mix together in a small bowl.
6. In a small pan sauté onion in a tsp olive oil over low to medium heat for about 5 minutes or until caramelized.
7. Spray a large pan with cooking spray and place one tortilla in the pan over medium heat. Add a layer of cheese. Then add sliced chicken breasts, caramelized onions, and another layer of cheese. Place second tortilla on top and spray with cooking spray.
8. Cook on each side about 3-4 minutes.
9. Slice quesadilla and serve with salsa or sour cream.

LAMB MEATBALLS W/ CHÉVRE

January 25, 2021

By Cheesemonger Dave and Fiance Christine

This is a favorite for Dave and Christine, rarely allowing for any leftovers. The Chévre is the perfect companion to the lamb meatballs. I love pairing this with fresh salad greens, seasonal veggies, olive oil, then topped with a healthy amount of our freshly grated Parmesan.

Ingredients

1 pound ground lamb
1 yellow onion, finely diced
3 gloves garlic, minced
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Combine lamb, onion, lemon zest, and spices in a large bowl. Mix by hand until ingredients are combined uniformly.
3. Roll into meatballs ~1 inch in diameter and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
4. Bake meatballs for 15-20 minutes or until meatballs are crisp and cooked through on the inside.
5. Serve with goat cheese crumbles.