Super savory, rich and satisfying. Unmistakable yet not overpowering, the Smokey notes make this an immediately accessible cheese.

The gorgeous presentation is unforgettable – peeling back the leaves for presentation is like opening a little present. The cheese is especially striking at harvest time when it is wrapped with vibrant orange and scarlet leaves. A perfect ‘centerpiece cheese’ for your next special gathering or potluck, Up In Smoke is a cheese you won’t soon forget!

A refreshingly simple and laid-back offering in a world of so many complex cheeses, Manchego is Spain’s most popular cheese. Wrapped snuggly in a recognizable wax rind, this raw sheep milk cheese is aged for eight months and develops a salty, briny flavor that marries well with a variety of accompaniments, quince paste being the traditional pairing.

Farm / Company: The Corcuera Family
Cheesemaker:
Proprietor:
Affineur:
City, State:
Region: La Mancha
Country: Spain
Milk Type: Sheep
Milk Treatment: Raw
Rennet: Traditional
Rind: Waxed
Texture: Firm
Aging: 8 months
Size(s): 6 pound wheel

Marinated Lamb Kebobs with Strawberry Spinach Salad

This has ended up being a new favorite in our household.  The delicate flavors of lamb with a citrus-yogurt based marinade makes the meat tender and delicious.  Add to that a strawberry spinach salad and you have yourself a very fresh, vibrant and healthy meal.  Goes great with Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Pinot Noir, GSM, Champagne, or an Ale.

Homemade Crab Cakes

A good friend of ours and a patron of the business where we work has been a long-time fisherman.  He had grown up in Maine and, being that they essentially grow up surrounded by fisherman culture, he has taken those lifelong skills with him wherever he and his wonderful wife have settled down.  In 2005, he retired and bought himself a boat that at first he didn’t use as much as he should have, but now he is back to having his sea legs and it is quite addicting.

We went out last week and came back with a bounty of crustacean treasure.  In CA, each person in possession of a fishing license can bring in 10 crabs per day.  He dropped his pods the day before and we took  to sea and when we arrived there was over 30 crabs waiting for us.  We were disheartened at first because the first pod only had 3 – two of which were female – and the other wasn’t of legal size.  Anyway, it was a fun day and now I had way too much crab.  I had given a lot of friends & family, but ended up with 6 of my own.  So, it was time to cook!

Salmon & Goat Cheese Quiche with Citrus Salad

In search of an easy weeknight meal that was healthy and, I don’t know, delicious… we decided to create a quiche with some of our favorite savory ingredients and also a nice citrus salad to add some acidity.

Smoked Salmon & Goat Cheese Quiche

Ingredients:

5 eggs
1 Tbsp fresh dill, or to your liking
1/2 cup smoked salmon
1/2 cup “Up in Smoke” goat cheese
1/2 cup light coconut milk
salt & pepper to taste

Pie Crust from Bob’s Red Mill (yields two 9-inch single pie crusts):

 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, chilled
5-8 Tbsp iced water

“Sift flour and salt into large mixing bowl.  Cut butter into 12 pieces and rub into dry ingredients until the mixture resembles a coarse meal with some pea-size pieces.  Sprinkle water over mixture, one Tbsp at a time, and knead lightly just until a dough forms.  Form dough into a ball.  Cut in half and press each into a disk shape.  Wrap each disk in wax paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes before rolling.

Roll it out and set in pie pan.  Pierce dough with fork a few times.

Quiche Instructions:

Set oven to 375 degrees.

Whisk eggs, light coconut milk, and salt & pepper together.

Pour egg mixture into pie crust and add smoked salmon, goat cheese, and dill.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, depending on oven temperature and size of quiche.

Citrus Salad

Ingredients:

1 cup Spinach greens
1 cup Arugula
1 blood orange, sectioned
1 caracara orange, sectioned
3 cumquats, diced
1/3 cup piquante pepper, diced

Drizzle with blood orange vinaigrette.  Place back in fridge for 10-20 minutes to infuse and marry flavors.

Kid Friendly Quiche

Also, if you want to make this dish kid friendly then you can adjust the added ingredients.  We decided to keep it simple with turkey bacon and egg.  That’s one of the best things about this meal is that you can make a kid friendly version quite easily.

A bit of clementine Italian soda mixed with limeade, topped with an orange slice was a perfect kid friendly mocktail.

Grayson Cheese

Grayson

This cheese, from Virginia, is a beefy and full flavored cheese that reminds us a lot of Taleggio (Italy).  In fact, it’s even shaped and molded to be a large square, rather than a large wheel.  The rind is bright orange and you can still taste the wondefully salty brine.  The interior has a firm softness; the kind that you’d think would melt in your mouth easily, but it really has a long and drawn out creaminess on your palate that keeps going and going.

The pairing for Grayson is a Rhone style blend ala GSM or, similarly, another medium bodied balanced red wine.

A quote from the makers of Grayson, Meadow Creek Dairy:

“Meadow Creek Dairy is a family farm in the mountains of southwest Virginia. At an elevation of 2800ft, the combination of pure water, clean air and deep soils produce an ideal environment for growing diverse, mineral-rich pastures.  Since 1980, farming has been our craft. We have worked closely with our Jersey herd to give them the best care, develop the genetics best adapted to our farm, and in the process produce the highest quality milk. Now we take our craft to its next level, providing you with a full flavored, healthy, ecologically friendly cheese.”

Pairings (click to purchase)

Egg & Bacon Cheeseburger

Trust me, this is something that you want to make!  Today’s recipe comes from an anonymous source from my recent trip to Sonora, CA.  After snowboarding for 6 hours, you tend to conjure up quite a large appetite and you begin craving dense and complex foods that would satisfy even the most intense hunger.  This place happened to be directly across from the charming, historic Inn that I was staying at in “Downtown” Sonora;  you may have seen the GroupOn deal that I had posted less than a week ago.  I am not one who likes to wait around once I find a good deal so I got home from work at 6pm, left by 6:30pm, and was at a bar in Sonora by 9:30pm.  Score. 

The employee from this restaurant wanted to remain anonymous because there was a “secret ingredient” listed, but it’s actually common with most burger recipes that have a rich savory component.  To be brief, I will retain my honesty and not post the actually name of the establishment; however, the recipe is all yours!

This pairs best with a Hoppy Ale or a smoky Single Barrel Whiskey.

Egg & Bacon Cheeseburger

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef – (80/20)
2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
9 slices of bacon
3 eggs
3 slices American Cheese
1 tsp Cumin * “secret ingredient”
salt and pepper
3 kaiser buns

Instructions:

Season the meat with salt, pepper, cumin and Worcestershire sauce.  Then form the meat into three equal patties.

Cook the bacon on LOW very slowly on the stove top.

Preheat a cast iron skillet to medium/high and then fry the burgers over the stove top (roughly 4-5 minutes per side for medium).  You can do this on a grill, but remember you need to fry an egg too.  So unless you have a fry pan that you don’t mind outside, this is best done in the house on the stove.

When the burgers are halfway done start to fry the eggs.  You want to have the eggs and the burger to be done simultaneously.  Make sure to season the egg with salt and pepper.

To assemble, place the egg, bacon and cheese onto the burger patties.  Then cover with a lid allow the cheese to steam and melt over the burger.  Place between the soft buns and enjoy!

Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients:

2 pounds sweet potatoes, about 3 large ones
1/4 cup olive or other vegetable oil
1-2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp salt
1-2 Tbsp spice or spice combination of your choice: chipotle powder, smoked paprika, Chinese five-spice, pumpkin pie spice, garam masala, Cajun seasoning, etc.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 450°F. (For more crispiness, preheat your oven to 500°F.)

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut off the ends. Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and then, if they are very long, in half crosswise. Cut each piece into wedges. Alternately, you can slice the peeled sweet potato into disks either with a mandolin or a sharp knife.

Put the sweet potatoes into a large bowl and add the oil. Mix well to combine. Sprinkle with salt, sugar and spices of your choice. Use your hands to mix well, so all pieces are coated with oil and spices.

Spread the sweet potatoes out in a single layer on a baking sheet; the oil they are coated with should keep them from sticking to the pan. If you are trying to cut fat, reduce the oil to 2 Tbsp and use a non-stick coating on the baking sheet. (Note: a commenter has recommended putting them on a wire cooling rack on top of a baking sheet, so that the oven air circulates around the sweet potato pieces and you don’t have to turn them in the next step. Another commenter recommends preheating the baking sheet, to help the fries get crisp.)

Bake for a total of 25 to 30 minutes. After the first 15 minutes, remove the baking sheet from the oven and turn over all of the sweet potato pieces. Return to the oven and bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until they are well browned. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Pairings (click to purchase)

Gruyere & Swiss Cheese Skillet Fondue

Who doesn’t love cheese?  Besides the lactose intolerant, everyone has a favorite cheese; whether it’s a slice of havarti on rye with Black Forest ham; a date stuffed with bleu cheese and wrapped in prosciutto; or even the simple American cheese on a grilled cheese sandwhich.  There is something for everyone.

For today’s pairing, we decided to make an ultra-rich version of fondue in a skillet with some traditional European cheeses;  Gruyere and Swiss.  We used Emmi, which is a famous Gruyere from Switzerland and, against all odds, a Swiss Cheese from the Central Coast of California called “Holey” Cow.  The Swiss is from Central Coast Creamery in Paso Robles and they craft amazingly rich and complex cheeses.

This pairs wonderfully Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Gruyere & Swiss Skillet Fondue

Logs after first baking

This recipe comes from truly great people in our life.  Gus and Kathleen Gustat of CasaGustat create deep, rich, and complex flavors in their dishes.  They exhibit great passion in their quest for palate pleasing in the World of Fine Foods.  After hearing about The Tipsy Chef web site, Kathleen wrote to me about wanting to share some of her recipes with our viewers.  Before reading on, we want to make sure that you also check out CasaGustat for other tips, tricks and recipes from these wonderful people.

A quote from CasaGustat:

Kathleen Robison and Matthew “Gus” Gustat tell folks that they are “retired”.  Anyone who has been around them knows that this doesn’t mean that they have slowed down much —-just that they have changed their focus from decades of work for numerous Federal Government agencies to their passion for inventing new recipies, creating wine and food pairings, and then teaching and sharing the results with friends old and new.   They say that “the essence of community is to come together and share wine and food and friendship”.

Triple Anise Biscotti with Almonds

Casa Gustat  01.26.13

Preheat the oven to 375

Ingredients:

1-1/3 cup flour, extra flour for work surface
1-1/4 cup sugar
¼ pound  (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
½ tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
3 eggs, beaten
1-1/2 cups raw almonds
2 tbl whole anise seed
2 tbl ground anise seed
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tbl anise extract

Directions:

Place the flour, salt, baking powder, anise seed (ground and whole) in a small bowl and stir until all the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated.  Set this bowl aside.

Place the butter in a mixing bowl and use a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer to beat it on medium high speed for 3 minutes.  With the motor still running, add the sugar very slowly —1/4 cup at a time and beating well after each addition.  When the sugar has all been added, beat the mixture on medium high speed for 5 minutes.  (NOTE:  don’t short-cut this step, it is really important if you want to have a fine-grained texture in your final biscottis).  Next, with the motor running, add the beaten eggs one at a time—-and beat well after each addition.  Then, add the anise extract and the vanilla extract.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients 1/3 at a time and mix well on low speed after each addition.  Add the almonds and stir briefly to distribute.  The dough will be very sticky and soft and it will not be possible to form logs with it by hand.

Logs cut for second baking

Generously sprinkle 2 lines of flour along the lengthwise direction on each of 2 pieces of parchment paper.  Spoon out ¼ of the dough onto each of the flour lines—try to spoon in into a line—-not a round mound.  Flour your hands and gently pat the dough into a 12” long 2-1/2 inch wide log shape…….use tucking motions with your hands along each side of the long to get it straight and to the desired length.  Pat the top so that it is about an inch high.    When you are finished, you will have 4 logs—2 on each of the 2 pieces of parchment paper.

Slip a cookie sheet underneath the parchment paper and slide the sheet (with 2 logs) onto the tray.  Place the tray in the center of the oven and bake for about 16 minutes, turning it around at the ½ way point, until they are light golden brown.  Repeat with the second tray.

Set the tray on a cooling rack and slip the tray out from under the parchment—leaving the logs to cool and firm up for about 10-15 minutes.

Place the log onto a cutting board and cut it on the diagonal into ½” – ¾” wide slices.  Place the slices on a rack that has been fitted into a half sheet pan —or set back onto a cookie sheet —on their sides and return to the oven for 4 minutes,  turn them over and bake for an additional 3-4 minutes until they are lightly golden brown on both sides.  Cool completely and place in air tight container.

Pairings (click to purchase)

 

Logs on rack for second baking

Gluten-Free Yeast Waffles­­                                                                                                                        Yields five 7-inch Belgian waffles

In a small bowl, whisk together the pastry flour, oat flour, xanthan gum/psyllium husk powder and yeast and chocolate baking powder. Set aside.

Heat the milk until very hot (but not boiling). Pour it into a large mixing bowl and add the butter, maple syrup, vanilla and salt. Stir to melt the butter. Allow to cool to lukewarm, then add the eggs and flour mixture. Stir to combine, working out most of the large lumps but stopping before the batter is completely smooth. Add chocolate chips

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the batter rest on the counter for 1 hour. The mixture will begin to bubble. At this point, you can cook the waffles now, but the flavor will be better if you refrigerate

Follow waffle maker directions, make, and eat up with Reckless Abandon waffle syrup, maple syrup, or nutella.

With love,
Your Tipsy Chef’s counterpart

Malbec Raspberry Syrup

Boil and reduce 1 cup Malbec in medium sauce pan.  Remove from heat.  Add 1/2 cup raspberries and 1/2 cup maple syrup and bring to a boil for 1 minute.

Pairings (click to purchase)

Belgian Waffles with Malbec Raspberry Syrup – ENJOY!