Posts from the ‘Cheese’ Category

Feb 20

February Giveaway: Zingerman’s Home-Cheesemaking Kit

It’s time for my February giveaway! I’m so excited to be partnering with Zingerman’s to give away a Home Cheese-Making Kit. Make your own delicious cheese at home in less than one hour. Every box comes with rennet and citric acid—enough for 30 batches of cheese—as well as instructions on how to make your own mozzarella or ricotta from scratch. All you need to provide is milk and salt.

Zingerman’s is one of my favorite gourmet shops. I’ve never had the pleasure of visiting their Ann Arbor store in person, but the online shop is amazing. I trust their selection of oils and vinegars over anyone else. And if you’ve been following my blog for awhile you may know about my obsession with Zingerman’s Guide to Good Eating. Best foodie book ever. Check out their online store for great food, great books and great deals.

I’m offering 9 (!) different ways to enter this contest. You can choose to do one step or all of them, but you have to leave separate comments for each entry in order for them to be counted.

Leave a comment telling me your favorite kind of cheese (or cheeses).
Like Savory Simple on Facebook (as yourself, not as your blog)
Like Zingerman’s Mail Order on Facebook (as yourself, not as your blog)
Sign up to receive a catalog from Zingermans.
Follow @savorysimple on Twitter.
Follow @zingermans on Twitter.
Tweet the entire following statement: I’ve just entered to win a Home Cheese-Making Kit from @zingermans and @savorysimple! Enter here: http://wp.me/pEBAb-19s #giveaway
Subscribe to my blog (there’s a link on the sidebar).
Post about the contest on your blog and include a link to this page. If you don’t have a blog, you can post it on your Facebook profile.

Don’t forget to leave a separate comment for each entry if you want them to be properly tallied. Good luck, everyone! The contest ends February 27th at 5pm. I will select a winner via random.org. US residents only.

Jan 18

45 Comments

Potato Croquettes with Chorizo, Manchego and Pine Nuts

2012 © copyright Savory Simple, all rights reserved

I absolutely love croquettes. When I see them on a restaurant menu I simply must order them. Yet it occurred to me recently that I’ve never made them! This recipe gave me a great excuse to play with my new deep fryer again.

When I put this recipe together, I was focused on creating a perfect balance of flavor in each bite. This took quite a bit of experimentation and several test rounds. I wanted them to be extremely flavorful, with bits of sweetness, spice and crunch. The balance of chorizo, Manchego, pine nuts, and slightly caramelized onions achieved my goal. The chorizo is spicy and meaty, and the toasted pine nuts add just the right amount of crunch. The cheese is gooey and adds a bit of extra savoriness, or umami. The onions add just enough sweetness (if you caramelize them too much they add bitterness). Every bite really is perfect.

You don’t need a deep fryer to make these. You can heat a neutral flavored, high smoke point oil (vegetable, canola, peanut, etc) in a large sauce pot or dutch oven. I recommend using a thermometer to make sure you’re around 360 degrees. If the oil is too hot, the outside will brown before the inside is properly cooked. If the temperature isn’t hot enough the croquettes might absorb oil and become greasy. You can try baking them but I can’t promise you’ll have the same results. The outside won’t be as crunchy.

Lastly, you can substitute regular milk or cream for the evaporated milk. I like using it because it has a subtle tang, almost like yogurt. It adds another dimension of flavor.

Dec 14

20 Comments

Savory Pear and Blue Cheese Tart

This tart is wonderful to serve as an appetizer at holiday parties. All of the components can be made separately in advance. Right before guests arrive you can build the tart and heat it briefly for a no hassle treat that is delicious and very impressive. It will also travel well.