Going Nuts for Tillamook Vintage Cheddar - Cheddar & Walnut Wafers

So, Tillamook Cheese Factory, in Tillamook Oregon, has released a new product.  Vintage White Sharp Cheddar.

Not to be confused with the Vintage White "Extra" Sharp or the Vintage White "Medium" that has been available for several years now.  The Vintage White Sharp is aged for 9 months, as opposed to the Extra Sharp, which is aged for 2 years or the Vintage White Medium that is aged for only 100 days (~3 months).

Why am I so excited about this new product?  Well, I know that annatto seed is perfectly harmless, but it has always bugged me that cheddar cheese is dyed orange on the left coast.

Vermont doesn't dye their cheddar, New York doesn't dye theirs either.  So WHY on earth do the cheese companies on the Left coast dye the cheddar orange?  It just reminds me of processed American cheese (yuck!).  We are capable of discerning between Cheddar, dry Mozzarella and Monterey Jack, even if they are all the same basic color in their natural state.  The excuse that I hear the most often is that milk color varies slightly (depending on cow breed and time of year) and the annatto dye ensures that the cheese will always be the same color.  Poppy cock!  I say.  That is a silly excuse.  There is a natural variation in cheese color with Brie, Gruyere, Pecorino Romano, Saint Andre, Gouda, Emmentaller, Gorgonzola and so on. I think it's time that the cheese manufacturers built a bridge and got over it.

Luckily, Tillamook Cheese factory has done just that and finally decided to leave out the annatto dye and call it "Vintage" White.  Maybe, someday, we left coasters will get SO use to our cheddar being white that, 50 years from now, the orange dyed stuff will be considered "Vintage" instead.  One can only hope.  What makes me the most happy though, is that it's the same price as their "regular" orange Sharp Cheddar.  I finally get my blessedly WHITE cheddar cheese without having to darken the door of a specialty cheese shop and spend a small fortune. 

Woo Hoo! Ain't it purty?

To celebrate the mouthwatering deliciousness that is Tillamook Vintage White Sharp Cheddar, I have decided to go nuts, walnuts that is, and bake up some delicious cheddary wafers of utter decadence.   They are similar to a savory shortbread, but with a delicate crispy crunch that is truly satisfying.

Cheddar and Walnut Wafers

186g (6.5oz) (1 1/2 cups) AP Flour
60g (2.1oz) (1/2 cup) Walnuts, finely chopped
1/2 tsp Grey Salt
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper
113g (4oz) (1/2 cup) Unsalted Butter, cut into chunks
142g (5oz) (1 1/4 cups) Tillamook Vintage White Sharp Cheddar, shredded
1 large Egg Yolk
2 TB Heavy Cream

In the bowl of a food processor, combine Flour, Walnuts, Salt, Pepper, Cayenne and chunks of Butter.

Pulse until pea sized lumps still remain.

Add the shredded Sharp Cheddar and pulse again.

Until well combined and the mixture is like fine crumbs.

In a small bowl, whisk the Heavy Cream and Egg Yolk together.

Pour through the feeding tube of the food processor.....

Pulse until a soft dough begins to form.

Turn out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and flatten into a disc then wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees while rolling the dough to 1/4 inch (~6mm) on a lightly floured surface.

Use a 1 1/2 well floured round cutter to cut out shapes.

Place about 1 inch apart on an ungreased, unlined baking sheet (please note that no parchment is needed)

Prick the circles with a fork in a cross pattern (to prevent a large bubble forming in the center)

Bake for 14-16 minutes, turning at 7 minutes, until they are golden brown.

Move to a rack immediately and allow to cool completely. (If you can)

Consume with delight!  and Wine! (a nice Cabernet Sauvignon or Shiraz/Syrah)

Mangia!!
~~

1970's Retrospective - Olive Cheese Nuggets

I think this is one of the most lasting recipes to ever come out of the 70's.  All three of us boys make them, and we never seem to make enough to satiate the holiday crowd.  For these have become my family's New Year celebratory icon.

I have always found it somewhat amusing that when someone is exposed to them for the first time, they always express incredulity that these tiny nuggets of heaven could be good. Then, with something that could only be construed as fear, or panic, they pop one into their mouth, and then another, and then another...

Before you know it, they are hiding in the corner with the plate in their lap, shoveling these little savory bits of cheesy goodness into their mouths and screaming for more...   LOL 

This makes a lot if you are using the small Manzanilla olives, not quite as many if you use the Queen olives. While the Queens are significantly larger, they come stuffed with Garlic or Almonds or Jalapenos or even Anchovies. So take your pick, it's up to you, get creative... Find your favorite combination.

I particularly liked the Onion/Vermouth soaked olives; but was terribly UNimpressed by the Feta stuffed as well as the Blue Cheese stuffed... They conflicted too much with the Cheddar Cheese.

Olive Cheddar Nuggets

4 oz (113g) (1 cup) shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese, room temperature
2 oz (56g) (1/4 cup) Unsalted Butter (Softened)
3.5 oz (100g) (3/4 cup) AP Flour
1/8 tsp Kosher Salt
1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
A pinch of Cayenne pepper
34-ish Pimento stuffed Manzanilla Olives or 18-20 Queen Olives (stuffed as you like)

With an electric mixer, blend softened Butter with shredded Cheese until fluffy.

In a separate bowl, whisk Flour with Salt, Paprika and Cayenne.

Slowly add the Flour mixture to the Butter/Cheese mixture......

Stirring until a soft dough is formed.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour

OK, this is the hard part.....
Preheat the oven to 400 F (205 C) degrees.
Dry your olives well, or you will have a hard time doing this; the dough will not stick to the olive at all.  They will soak up the excess brine and become gooey.

Take a small amount of dough (about a 1 1/2 tsp) and wrap it around the olive, to completely encase it.

Set the nuggets on a parchment lines baking sheet.

At this point, they may be covered in plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours, however, they must be brought to room temperature before baking (1 hour on the counter)

Bake for 12 - 15 minutes. (usually 12 minutes with Manzanilla Olives and 15 minutes for Queens)

Serve to your incredulous guests, but watch carefully to make sure no one snitches your serving tray.

Mangia!!
~~

Those Spicy Crustaceans - Peperoncini Poppers

I love quick, simple and delicious appetizers. OK, the cutting and cleaning of the peperoncini takes awhile, but the filling is quick and simple. LOL And that leaves me free to concentrate on the meal without worrying that everyone is starving to death.

I wanted to make these with fresh Dungeness crab this year, there just wasn't time with everything else going on, so sacrifices had to be made. As a result, I simply used Bumble Bee fancy white Crab meat from a can. (Don't laugh... Steaming and shelling a crab before Thanksgiving just wasn't feesable) LOL

I think this was originally a Hearty Boys recipe, but I have been making these for so long now, I can't say for sure.

Peperoncini Poppers

30 small Peperoncini or 18-20 Large Peperoncini
8 oz Crab Claw meat (Shredded) or 2 cans of Fancy White meat Crab
8 oz Cream Cheese
8 oz Mascarpone
1 1/2 TB Italian Seasoning
1 inch of Red Pepper Paste
1 or 2 dashes of Tabasco
Chopped Flat Leaf (Italian) Parsley or Cilantro

Cut the stems form the Peperoncini and

carefully scrape out the seeds.

Beat Cream Cheese and Mascarpone in a bowl.

Add Crab meat and continue to mix.

Add Italian Seasoning, Red pepper paste, and Tabasco and mix until well blended.

Fill a pastry bag with large star tip or use a zip lock bag with one of the bottom corners cut off.

Fill the interior cavity of the Peperoncini with mixture, over filling slightly.

Dip the filled end of the Peperoncini in the chopped Parsley or Cilantro right before serving and place on serving tray.

Creamy, Spicy and "Crabby".... Delish!!!

Mangia!!
~~

Grazin on Grecian Fusion - Greek Cups

OK, I will admit, the only thing that is "Asian" about this recipe is the wonton wrappers, the rest of it is pretty Greek. Be that as it may, these are a quick and delicious appetizer for your dinner party. This was originally a Pampered Chef recipe I stole from a friend. It has suffered a couple of modifications but nothing too earth shaking. The original just wasn't quite "Mediterranean" enough for me. ;)

If you have more time, then these are even better when you forgo the wonton and use Phyllo dough. Simply layer about 4 or 5 sheets together after brushing each sheet with butter, then cut the resulting layered sheet into 3 inch squares, then press those into the mini-muffin tin.

Greek Cups

24 small wonton wrappers (3-inch squares)
1 can Artichoke Hearts, chopped (not the marinated kind)
1/4 cup Roasted Red Pepper, chopped
1/3 cup Kalamata Olives, chopped
1/4 cup grated Myzithra
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/2 cup Homemade Mayonnaise (I substituted 1/4 with Hazelnut oil)
zest of 1/2 Lemon

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Press wonton wrappers into Mini-Muffin Pan.

Drain artichoke hearts and pat them dry.

Chop Artichoke Hearts, Roasted Red Peppers and Kalamata Olives.

Place in a small bowl and add grated Myzithra and crushed Garlic, then toss together.

Add Mayonnaise and Lemon Zest, stirring to combine.

Spray the wonton dough lightly with a olive oil.
Using a small scoop (1 TB size), fill the cups, 1 scoop to each wonton cup.

Bake 12-14 minutes.

Let cool in pan for 2 minutes.

Remove carefully and serve warm.

Mangia!!
~~