GOURMET CHEESE DISHES

I could live on cheese.  Here are several cheese dishes which I hope you will enjoy.

                                                    CHEESE BAKE

 A delicious cheese dish 

4 tbsp softened butter

4 eggs, separated, whites whipped to soft peaks with a pinch of salt

210 g (7 oz) feta cheese, grated

2 tbsp San Mihalis or kephalotyri or Parmesan grated

125 ml (½ cup) thick yogurt

150 g (5 oz) self-raising flour mixed with

1 tsp baking powder
Chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 80 C (350 F).  Beat butter until pale and fluffy, add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add the rest of the ingredients, except the whipped egg whites, and mix thoroughly until very well combined.   Finally, gently fold in the whipped egg whites.

Pour the batter into a buttered oven-proof dish and bake for 30 – 40 minutes until puffed and golden.  Serve immediately.

                                                  CHEESE TARTLETS

Here is a recipe for delightful cheese tartlets.

Pastry:

650 g (5 cups) plain flour mixed with

1 tsp baking powder

125 ml (½ cup) melted butter

125 ml (½ cup) mild-tasting olive oil

Pinch of salt

125 ml (½ cup) milk

Filling:

2 tbsp butter

1 bay leaf

3 tbsp plain flour

750 ml (3 cups) milk

½ tsp grated nutmeg

2 medium-sized eggs, whipped

1 cup grated Parmesan

1 cup grated Graviera from Crete or Emmenthal

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

First, prepare the pastry.  Whip the butter for 5 minutes and stir in the olive oil.   Add the flour by the spoonful, salt and the milk, stirring until a soft dough is obtained.  Cover with cling film and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling.  Melt the butter, over low heat, add the bay leaf, sift the flour over, sprinkle with salt and nutmeg, and stir and cook gently for 4-5 minutes.   Pour in the hot milk, stir vigorously and simmer gently for 10 minutes until the sauce thickens.   Remove from the heat to cool.   Then add the whipped eggs and the grated cheese, stirring very well to combine.

Brush the sockets of a cupcake tin with melted butter.   Roll out the dough, cut it into rounds and line the buttered cupcake sockets with the pastry.   Spoon in the filling, cover with tin foil and bake in an oven  preheated to 180 C (350 F) for 35 minutes until puffed and golden.  #
   

 

                       VEAL ESCALLOPES COOKED WITH WINE AND CHEESE

 A delightful dish.

6 veal escallops, 250 g (½ lb) each

1 tbsp olive oil 

1 tsp butter

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 twig of sage or rosemary

250 ml (1 cup) Malvasia or any other dry white wine

6 slices of graviera from Naxos

Sauté the escallops on both sides in olive oil and butter, over high heat.  Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste, add the herb of your choice, pour in the wine and cook until the alcohol evaporates.  

Lower the temperature and simmer very gently until the meat is tender.   Add the graviera slices, discard the herb and serve the escallops with the melted cheese, mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables.   

                                    CRETAN FENNEL AND CHEESE PIE

This is a delicious pie.

Crust:

300 g (10 oz) plain flour

1 tsp salt

125 ml (½ cup) mild-tasting olive oil or sunflower oil, if preferred

4 tbsp of raki or tsikoudia

1 egg yolk, reserving the white for later, mixed with

2 tbsp milk

2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Filling:

1 kg (2 lb) fennel bulbs, trimmed, thinly sliced and boiled until soft in tasty vegetable stock, strain and reserve both

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

3 tbsp olive oil

500 g (1 lb) Cretan anthotyro grated or ricotta cheese

1 cup finely grated Cretan Graviera

Béchamel sauce made with:

(30 g (1 oz) butter

1 bay leaf

30 g (1 oz) plain flour

300 ml (10 fl oz) of the fennel bulb stock)

1 tbsp chopped dill

2 eggs, separated, whites whipped stiff with the tiniest pinch of salt + the extra white from the dough

Salt if necessary

First prepare the dough.  Sift the flour with salt in a large bowl, add 4 tbsp of olive oil, the raki or tsikoudia and 125 ml (½ cup) water and knead into a soft elastic dough.   Divide it into six pieces, cover and set aside for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix all the filling ingredients except the whipped egg whites and salt, well together.  Then gently fold in the whipped egg whites.  Taste, and add more salt if necessary.

Form the six pieces of dough into balls.   Roll out each ball of dough, thinly, into a round, brush with olive oil and make two stacks.

 Roll out the first stack of round pasty sheets and line an oiled round baking tin.  Spoon in the filling, and level the surface, cover with remaining round pastry sheet and crimp the edges, attractively, together.    

With a sharp knife, brush the top with the egg yolk/milk mixture, sprinkle evenly with toasted sesame seeds and bake in an oven preheated to 180 C (350 F) for about 1 hour or until golden brown.  Serve hot. 

                                           CEPHALONIAN CHEESE DISH

This a lovely cheese dish which, when just removed from the oven, resembles a soufflé.

4 tbsp butter, softened

4 eggs separated, whites whipped to soft peaks with a tiny pinch of salt

210 g (7 oz) feta cheese, coarsely grated

2 tbsp kephalotyri, pecorino or Parmesan, finely grated

125 ml (½ cup) thick Greek yogurt

150 g (5 oz) self-rising flour, sifted with

½ tsp baking powder

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Freshly grated nutmeg about ¼ tsp

Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F).  Beat the butter until pale and fluffy then add the yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. 

Add the rest of the ingredients, except the egg whites, and mix until very well combined.  Finally, gently but thoroughly fold in the whipped egg whites.  Pour into a buttered pyrex dish and bake for about 30-40 minutes, or until well risen and golden

And a fabulous dessert:

                                               PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE

A delightful dessert.

Crust:

90 g (3 oz) cinnamon biscuits, thinly blended

60 g (2 oz) butter at room temperature

Filling:

1 kg (2 lb) pumpkin, peeled, seeded and baked until soft and blended to a smooth puree

600 g (1lb 4 oz) cream cheese, whipped with

300 g (10 oz) icing sugar

Cinnamon to taste

A pinch of salt

1 tsp lemon juice

1 small tub of cream whipped to soft peaks

Mix the cinnamon biscuits crumbs with the butter well together and press evenly on the base of a springform tin.

Mix all the filling ingredients, except the cream, well together. Then gently, but thoroughly fold in the cream.

Pour the filling over the crust, level the surface, cover with cling film and ice for 4 hours at least.  

Summer Flowers by Tina Wassel  Kirk